Similar to the Beetle switch, however, the bear was actually a dog in the novel. Kubrick did decide to keep some things, and it turns out that the bear scene was one of them. But when Dick Halloran is making his perilous journey through a blizzard back up to the Overlook Hotel, he passes a red Beetle crushed by an 18-wheeler. In the movie, the Beetle is yellow and the snowcat is red. For example, in the book, the snowcat is yellow and Jack’s Volkswagon Beetle is red. The changes appeared in minor details rather than in overarching story structure. Stanley Kubrick famously tried to distance himself from Stephen King's novel, but he did so in a way that seemed more like an attempt to tease the author rather than set himself apart.
Yes, we're finally getting to the bottom of The Shining bear. There's plenty of speculation surrounding hidden meanings and conspiracy theories of The Shining (a feature-length documentary's worth, to be exact) but the strangest part of the film may forever be Wendy's sudden discovery of a man in a work suit receiving fellatio from a man in a bear suit. Kubrick's biggest WTF moment is finally explained - The Shining bear.
