Stolen teddy bear returned after Ryan Reynolds offered a $5,000 reward

The bear contained a voice recording of the woman’s mother, who died of cancer last year

TOKYO, JAPAN - APRIL 25: Actor Ryan Reynolds attends the world premiere of 'Pokemon Detective Pikachu' on April 25, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Keith Tsuji/Getty Images)

A stolen teddy bear found its way back to a woman in Canada after Ryan Reynolds offered a $5,000 (Dh18,362) reward for its safe return.

The Deadpool actor supported an online campaign launched by fellow Canadian Mara Soriano, 28, after the toy, which plays a recording from her late mother, was stolen during a house move.

Soriano's mother died of cancer at the age of 53 in June 2019, and left her daughter the bear with a recorded message that says: "I love you, I'm proud of you, I'll always be with you."

In a tweet on Wednesday, Soriano said the bear had been returned to her by two good Samaritans. The only thing missing was the bear's glasses, which were a replica of the ones her mother wore.

The bear was inside a backpack that also contained important documents, an iPad and a Nintendo Switch gaming console.

Soriano had said she did not care if she got the other items back, as long as she was reunited with the bear.

The bag was taken from the street while items were unpacked from a removal van in Vancouver, and a security camera captured images of a man walking away with the black backpack.

Following the theft on Saturday, July 25, Soriano set up the Find Mamabear Vancouver campaign online, sharing images and security camera clips to try to identify the person who took the bag.

The campaign was shared thousands of times, and caught the attention of Reynolds, who tweeted: “Vancouver: $5,000 to anyone who returns this bear to Mara. Zero questions asked. I think we all need this bear to come home.”

Canadian television personality George Stroumboulopoulos retweeted Reynolds’ offer, saying he would double the reward if the bear is found.

Scrubs star Zach Braff also got behind the campaign, sharing social media appeals.