MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) -The Vermont Teddy Bear Co.’s new “Crazy for You Bear,” in a straitjacket, has mental health advocates up in arms.

The bear, being marketed for Valentine’s Day, comes with commitment papers and is meant to convey out-of-control love.

Mental health advocates believe the bear is “a tasteless use of marketing that stigmatizes persons with mental illness,” Jerry Goessel, the executive director of the Vermont chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, wrote to the Shelburne-based company.

“A straitjacket is not a symbol that we want to associate with sales of a teddy bear for loved ones over Valentine’s Day,” Goessel said in an interview. “And the use of commitment papers, legal documents committing an individual to involuntary treatment, is not something to be taken casually.”

He asked that the $70 bear be pulled from the company’s shelves. The 15-inch creature went on sale days ago.

Vermont Teddy Bear spokeswoman Nicole L’Huillier said the company is taking Goessel’s concerns seriously.

“We in no way are trying to ridicule or make fun of people with mental illnesses,” L’Huillier said. “The bear is meant to express the sentiment of how someone might feel about someone else around Valentine’s Day.”

Vermont Teddy Bear, a 20-year-old company famous for its Bear-Grams, sells more than 450,000 bears a year.

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Information from: The Times Argus, http://www.timesargus.com/