Ralph Lauren's preppy bear mascot becomes a VERY unlikely fashion icon as stylish TikTokers flock to copy the animal's looks

The Ralph Lauren bear cartoon emblazoned on the brand's clothing is a preppy icon in his own right - and now, one fashionable TikTok influencer is dressing just like him.

Content creator Lindy, who lives in Saint Louis, Missouri, and makes videos as The Real Lin Shady, has been channeling classic Ralph Lauren bears by wearing their exact outfits, much to the delight of her almost 300,000 TikTok followers. 

After dressing up like the bear for the first time Lindy captioned the video, which received 7.7 million views and more than 1.1 million likes, 'my best outfit in… possibly years I fear.' 

Now, Lindy has sparked the latest social media craze, as others race to dress up in the same outfits as those on their bear sweaters. 

Content creator Lindy, who lives in Saint Louis, Missouri and makes videos as The Real Lin Shady, has been channeling classic Ralph Lauren bears by wearing their exact outfits 

Now, Lindy has sparked the latest social media craze, as others race to dress up in the same outfits as their bear sweaters

Commenters quipped that the bear should be wearing a sweater with his own face on it

The preppy Polo Bear has been around since 1991 according to the Ralph Lauren, but has gone viral on TikTok recently.

While a fleece sweatshirt with the cartoon retails for $198, most of the popular cotton crewneck sweaters cost $398 to $428. 

However, there are pricier options for bear devotees - with one cashmere sweater costing $1,695.

In Lindy's first bear-channeling TikTok she proclaimed, 'This lil dude is wearing a really freaking cute outfit,' before adding, 'Look at the layering here! I want to dress like him.' 

Lindy procured the sweater from Rent the Runway, and then went into her own closet (she occasionally raids her mom's closet, as well) to grab all the items needed to dress up like the animal, sparking the #dressinglikeapolobear hashtag embraced by fellow fashionistas. 

The fashion influencer put on a white button-down, white pants, the blue sweater, a yellow sweater tied around her neck, and a fleece jacket, as well as extra large sunglasses.  

'I'm not messing around when I say the Polo Bears might be the key to inspiration, and testing out new things that I have needed,' Lindy continued, as the bears are always in different outfits, ranging from ballgowns to western wear. 

After she shared her first video, one commenter joked, 'in another universe polo bear is wearing a sweater with you on it wearing that outfit.' 

Content creator Kate Bartlett asked her 1.4 million followers which polo bear she should dress up as next 

Kate joked in her TikTok caption, 'i think this bear has better style than i do,' using the hashtags '#dressinglikethepolobear' and '#polobearoutfit'

Influencer Olivia Dayton, 23, styled herself like a Polo Bear on TikTok and captioned the video, 'this trend is adorable' 

Lindy sparked a major TikTok trend, with other influencers embracing the latest aesthetic which Town & Country nicknamed 'Ralphcore'

While a fleece sweatshirt with the cartoon retails for $198, most of the popular cotton crewneck sweaters cost $398 to $428, with the above retailing for $398

Folks on TikTok snapped up children's sizes featuring the cartoon cuddly to save money, as they retail for $155 (above)

Some luxurious bear sweaters from the brand retail for more than $1,000, like the cashmere options above

Another pointed out, 'So sad they didn't put a polo bear on the polo bear's sweater.' 

Lindy sparked a major TikTok trend, with other influencers embracing the latest aesthetic which Town & Country nicknamed 'Ralphcore.' 

Content creators like Ashley Ablavi, Olivia Dayton, and Kate Bartlett shared their own videos dressing up like the Polo Bear, influenced by the original video. 

Much like Barbie, the bear is featured in all kinds of scenarios, wearing everything from khaki pants to a ballgown or blazers and ball caps.  

The now-iconic Polo Bear was inspired by Steiff bears, as Ralph's brother Jerry Lauren, who served as the creative director of the brand, is a collector who has at least 30 bears. 

The first Polo Bear was an actual teddy bear, but afterwards, the bear started appearing on T-shirts and ties.

The Polo Bear went on to find fame and even adorn the Olympics collection. 

Now, the cute critter is most popular on sweaters - in fact, many Gen Z members and millennials on TikTok showcased themselves snapping up children's sizes featuring the cartoon cuddly to save money. 

The kids version retails for $155, as opposed to the $1,000 options.