Glendale’s Rose Parade float might honor Meatball the bear

Glendale just can’t get enough of Meatball the bear.

The City Council on Tuesday is scheduled to review Glendale’s design for its float in the 2014 Tournament of Roses Parade, which may include a likeness of the foraging animal.

Meatball got his nickname after being caught eating frozen Costco meatballs from a garage refrigerator in Glendale last year and became a media sensation after several high-profile captures that culminated in a one-way ticket to a wildlife sanctuary in San Diego County.

Glendale’s proposed float includes an animatronic Meatball moving up and down out of a trash can (think Oscar the Grouch from “Sesame Street”) surrounded by other furry friends from the mountains, such as a skunk, squirrel and coyote.

The float, if approved, would be called “Let’s Be Neighbors” under the parade’s 2014 theme, “Dreams Come True.”

“The float dreams of the day when all the area’s residents -- people and wildlife alike -- can all get along together,”according to a city report.

Meatball was tranquilized and transported deep into the Angeles National Forest multiple times yet continued to find his way back to Glendale’s foothill neighborhoods to forage for food.

The episodes spawned a popular Twitter handle that gained thousands of followers as his movements were tracked live by news cameras.

After his third capture, state wildlife officials transported the black bear to a sanctuary in Alpine, where he remains.

The float on which Meatball may be featured will be Glendale’s 100th entry in the New Year’s Day parade and its most expensive in years.

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brittany.levine@latimes.com

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