Bear in the Big Blue House
Encyclopedia
Bear in the Big Blue House is a television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...

 for young children produced for the Playhouse Disney
Playhouse Disney
Playhouse Disney was Disney Channel's television block for programs aimed at entertaining preschool aged children, often airing as its own channel outside the United States. It was introduced in 1997 after Disney Channel's move to basic cable from premium cable, with a target audience of children...

 channel by Mitchell Kriegman
Mitchell Kriegman
Mitchell Kriegman is an American writer and producer dedicated to developing innovative content for film and television. His production company, Big Big Productions, developed the patented technique called Shadowmation which utilizes real time virtual sets and Bunraku style team puppetry...

 and The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company, an American entertainment organization, traces its origins to the founding of Muppets, Inc. in 1958 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. The Muppets helped the company gain worldwide acclaim in family entertainment for more than four decades...

. It first aired in 1997, and re-runs of the show continue to air on Playhouse Disney
Playhouse Disney
Playhouse Disney was Disney Channel's television block for programs aimed at entertaining preschool aged children, often airing as its own channel outside the United States. It was introduced in 1997 after Disney Channel's move to basic cable from premium cable, with a target audience of children...

 (until 2011, when Disney Junior
Disney Junior
Disney Junior is a current program block on Disney Channel and an upcoming American basic cable and satellite television network intended to replace SOAPnet in February 2012. It began airing on February 14, 2011, replacing Playhouse Disney....

 replaced the channel). It is produced by The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company, an American entertainment organization, traces its origins to the founding of Muppets, Inc. in 1958 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. The Muppets helped the company gain worldwide acclaim in family entertainment for more than four decades...

 and Shadow Projects. The show is expected to be on Disney Junior around 2012.

In 2004, The Jim Henson Company sold the Bear in the Big Blue House franchise
Media franchise
A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements...

 to The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...

. The characters and show are currently owned and operated by the Disney subsidiary; The Muppets Studio.

Overview

The title character of Bear in the Big Blue House is a talking, six-foot, blue nosed, light brown bear who lives in a blue house. The show was created for preschoolers and kindergarters; teaching basic social and academic skills. Other characters include a lemur
Lemur
Lemurs are a clade of strepsirrhine primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. They are named after the lemures of Roman mythology due to the ghostly vocalizations, reflective eyes, and the nocturnal habits of some species...

 named Treelo, mouse
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...

 Tutter, otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....

 twins Pip and Pop, and bear cub Ojo. Each episode contains 4 segments; at the starting of the episode, Bear introduces a new word, and then a song is performed about it. The Real Kids segment (which is not always included in every episode) has children talk about the topic of the episode. Another character, Shadow
Shadow
A shadow is an area where direct light from a light source cannot reach due to obstruction by an object. It occupies all of the space behind an opaque object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, or reverse projection of the object blocking the...

, is always included in the show. During this segment, a short story is performed in Shadowmation
Shadowmation
Shadowmation is a patented animation process created by Mitchell Kriegman. It uses realtime virtual sets and bunraku style team puppetry , thus combining live action animatronic characters with computer generated animation in real time, high definition virtual environments powered by video game...

. At the end of every episode, Bear goes out on his balcony to talk about the day's lesson with Luna, a moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...

, and they sing the Goodbye Song. There are a total of 4 songs on each episode.

Songs

There are 8 individual songs that were made to air on various episodes for the series:
  • Clean Up the House
  • Everybody in the Tub
  • Brush Brush Bree
  • The Bear Cha Cha Cha
  • Where Oh Where Oh Where's is Shadow
  • What's That Smell?
  • What's in the Mail?
  • Good Morning
  • Goodbye Song

Main

  • Bear (performed by Noel MacNeal
    Noel MacNeal
    Noel MacNeal is a puppeteer, writer, and director of children's television, best known as the voice and puppeteer of Bear in Bear in the Big Blue House and Breakfast with Bear...

    ): The protagonist of the series, he is a large bear
    Bear
    Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...

     who has a good sense of smell, very kind and lovable. He is tall, has light brown Fur and a blue nose.
  • Tutter (performed by Peter Linz
    Peter Linz
    Peter Linz is an American puppeteer. He is perhaps best known as the voice of Snook in It's a Big Big World and Theo Lion in Between the Lions....

    ): A small blue mouse who loves Cheese, he lives in a mousehole in the Kitchen of Bear's house, he has quite a personality.
  • Pip and Pop (performed by Peter Linz
    Peter Linz
    Peter Linz is an American puppeteer. He is perhaps best known as the voice of Snook in It's a Big Big World and Theo Lion in Between the Lions....

     and Tyler Bunch
    Tyler Bunch
    Tyler Bunch is a puppeteer, puppet designer, director and actor. In addition to his work for the Jim Henson Company, Mr. Bunch has created and performed puppets for PBS, Nickelodeon, and Disney. He has acted in a few Off Broadway productions and has made appearances on American television shows...

    ): Two hysterical purple otter
    Otter
    The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....

     twins who live in the otter pond by the big blue house.
  • Ojo (performed by Vicki Eibner): A curious bear cub who has a wild imagination.
  • Treelo (performed by Tyler Bunch
    Tyler Bunch
    Tyler Bunch is a puppeteer, puppet designer, director and actor. In addition to his work for the Jim Henson Company, Mr. Bunch has created and performed puppets for PBS, Nickelodeon, and Disney. He has acted in a few Off Broadway productions and has made appearances on American television shows...

    ): A lemur
    Lemur
    Lemurs are a clade of strepsirrhine primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. They are named after the lemures of Roman mythology due to the ghostly vocalizations, reflective eyes, and the nocturnal habits of some species...

     who is playful, loves to dance, always active and is good friends with Ojo.
  • Shadow (performed by Tara Mooney): A girl shadow who is always laughing, telling stories and sneaks up on Bear.
  • Luna (operated by Peter Linz
    Peter Linz
    Peter Linz is an American puppeteer. He is perhaps best known as the voice of Snook in It's a Big Big World and Theo Lion in Between the Lions....

    , voiced by Lynne Thigpen
    Lynne Thigpen
    Cherlynne Theresa “Lynne” Thigpen was an American stage and television actress, most famous as "The Chief" in the various Carmen Sandiego television series.-Early life:...

    ): A talking moon
    Moon
    The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...

    . At the end of every episode Bear walks out onto the balcony and discusses the episode's theme with her and sings "The Goodbye Song" with her at the end.
  • Ray the Sun (voiced by Geoffrey Holder
    Geoffrey Holder
    Geoffrey Richard Holder is a Trinidadian actor, choreographer, director, dancer, painter, costume designer, singer and voice-over artist.-Early life:...

    ): A talking sun
    Sun
    The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...

     who would often rise (or set) at the beginning of some episodes, starting from Season Two. He will also occasionally tell Bear what the weather will be like throughout the day.

Supporting

  • Grandma Flutter (performed by Alice Dinnean
    Alice Dinnean
    Alice Dinnean-Vernon is a puppeteer and creative writer who works at The Jim Henson Company. Dinnean-Vernon has performed on many children's television shows such as Sesame Street, Bear in the Big Blue House, Cousin Skeeter, and Jack's Big Music Show...

     in 1997-1998, Vicki Eibner in 1998-2003): Tutter's grandmother who has a dance called "The Grandma Mambo"
  • Cousin Whiner (performed by Victor Yerrid
    Victor Yerrid
    Victor Yerrid is a puppeteer for the Jim Henson Company and has performed Muppet characters in many TV shows, movies, TV commercials. Yerrid is best known in the Muppet World for his work on the online series Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony in which he performed Waldorf along with an...

    ): One of Tutter's cousins.
  • Uncle "Jet Set Tutter" (performed by Tim Lagasse
    Tim Lagasse
    Timothy Lagasse is a puppeteer, puppet designer, and filmmaker. He earned his BFA from the University of Connecticut. Lagasse acts as a puppeteering consultant, and creates puppet films for stations like PBS, MTV, HBO, and Nickelodeon...

    ): Tutter's uncle.
  • Benny the Bat (performed by Jim Kroupa): A fruit bat
    Megabat
    Megabats constitute the suborder Megachiroptera, family Pteropodidae of the order Chiroptera . They are also called fruit bats, old world fruit bats, or flying foxes.-Description:...

     living in the attic of the house. He is a recycled version of Leah the Fruit Bat from "Jim Henson's Animal Show
    Jim Henson's Animal Show
    Jim Henson's Animal Show is a children's television series from The Jim Henson Company which aired from October 1, 1994 to January 1, 1997.-Plot:...

    "
  • Jeremiah Tortoise (performed by Jim Kroupa): An elderly tortoise
    Tortoise
    Tortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles of the order of turtles . Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise...

     living in Woodland Valley. He is a recycled and hair-added version of Penelope the Yellow-Footed Tortoise
    Brazilian Giant Tortoise
    The Brazilian giant tortoise, forest tortoise, South American tortoise, South American yellow-footed tortoise, or yellow-footed tortoise is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae...

     from "Jim Henson's Animal Show
    Jim Henson's Animal Show
    Jim Henson's Animal Show is a children's television series from The Jim Henson Company which aired from October 1, 1994 to January 1, 1997.-Plot:...

    ."
  • Lois (performed by Vicki Eibner): A Blue-footed Booby
    Blue-footed Booby
    The Blue-footed Booby is a bird in the Sulidae family which comprises ten species of long-winged seabirds. The natural breeding habitat of the Blue-footed Booby is tropical and subtropical islands off the Pacific Ocean, most famously, the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.- Etymology :The name booby...

     living in Woodland Valley. She usually mishears things that her friends are saying. She is a recycled version of Milton the Blue-footed Booby from "Jim Henson's Animal Show
    Jim Henson's Animal Show
    Jim Henson's Animal Show is a children's television series from The Jim Henson Company which aired from October 1, 1994 to January 1, 1997.-Plot:...

    ."
  • Annette (performed by Vicki Eibner): An armadillo
    Armadillo
    Armadillos are New World placental mammals, known for having a leathery armor shell. Dasypodidae is the only surviving family in the order Cingulata, part of the superorder Xenarthra along with the anteaters and sloths. The word armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one"...

     who runs the Woodland Valley Cinema and is very shy. She is a recycled version of Dooley the Armadillo from "Jim Henson's Animal Show
    Jim Henson's Animal Show
    Jim Henson's Animal Show is a children's television series from The Jim Henson Company which aired from October 1, 1994 to January 1, 1997.-Plot:...

    ".
  • Henrietta Vanderpreen (performed by Vicki Eibner): An ostrich
    Ostrich
    The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...

     who the editor of Woodland House Wonderful, a magazine of interest to residents of Woodland Valley. She is a recycled version of Lydia the Ostrich from "Jim Henson's Animal Show
    Jim Henson's Animal Show
    Jim Henson's Animal Show is a children's television series from The Jim Henson Company which aired from October 1, 1994 to January 1, 1997.-Plot:...

    ".
  • Skippy: A squirrel
    Squirrel
    Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...

     living in Woodland Valley. He is a recycled version of Gabe the Squirrel from "Telling Stories with Tomie dePaola".
  • Big Old Bullfrog (performed by Peter Linz
    Peter Linz
    Peter Linz is an American puppeteer. He is perhaps best known as the voice of Snook in It's a Big Big World and Theo Lion in Between the Lions....

    ): A bullfrog
    Bullfrog
    The American bullfrog , often simply known as the bullfrog in Canada and the United States, is an aquatic frog, a member of the family Ranidae, or “true frogs”, native to much of North America. This is a frog of larger, permanent water bodies, swamps, ponds, and lakes, where it is usually found...

     living in Woodland Valley. He is a recycled version of Bufo the Toad
    Toad
    A toad is any of a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura characterized by dry, leathery skin , short legs, and snoat-like parotoid glands...

     from "Jim Henson's Animal Show
    Jim Henson's Animal Show
    Jim Henson's Animal Show is a children's television series from The Jim Henson Company which aired from October 1, 1994 to January 1, 1997.-Plot:...

    ".
  • Jacques the Beaver (performed by Peter Linz
    Peter Linz
    Peter Linz is an American puppeteer. He is perhaps best known as the voice of Snook in It's a Big Big World and Theo Lion in Between the Lions....

    ): A French beaver
    Beaver
    The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...

     living in Woodland Valley. He is a recycled version of Morton the Beaver from "Jim Henson's Animal Show
    Jim Henson's Animal Show
    Jim Henson's Animal Show is a children's television series from The Jim Henson Company which aired from October 1, 1994 to January 1, 1997.-Plot:...

    ".
  • Miss Maxwell (performed by Jennifer Barnhart
    Jennifer Barnhart
    Jennifer Barnhart is a puppeteer, American actress and voice-over talent, with a portfolio of television and theatre performances...

    ): A mouse
    Mouse
    A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...

     who is a teacher at the Mouse School.
  • Rita Mouse
    Mouse
    A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...

    (performed by Anney McKilligan): A mouse who attends Mouse School with Tutter. She needs some help with painting but is very good at soccer.
  • Keisha (performed by Vicki Eibner): A mouse
    Mouse
    A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...

     who attends Mouse School with Tutter.
  • Moss (performed by Noel MacNeal
    Noel MacNeal
    Noel MacNeal is a puppeteer, writer, and director of children's television, best known as the voice and puppeteer of Bear in Bear in the Big Blue House and Breakfast with Bear...

    ): A mouse
    Mouse
    A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...

     who attends Mouse School with Tutter.
  • Cousin Titter (performed by Sean Choi):
  • Harry the Duck
    Duck
    Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...

    (performed by Eric Jacobson
    Eric Jacobson
    Eric Jacobson is a puppeteer and Muppet performer, who has been the primary replacement puppeteer for Frank Oz's characters since 2001.-Career:...

    ): A duck who has been seen several times through the show who addresses bear as "Mister Bear" and quacks repeatedly when he is upset.
  • Otto and Etta Otter (performed by Jim Kroupa and Vicki Eibner): Pip and Pop's grandparents who run the Woodland Valley Library.
  • Ursa (performed by Carmen Osbahr
    Carmen Osbahr
    Carmen Osbahr is an American actress who has puppeteered Rosita in the popular US children's series Sesame Street, since 1991. Osbahr has also puppeteered Kiki Flores in The Puzzle Place...

    ): Bear's friend from Spain.


Most of these characters appeared in a music video for the We Are Family Foundation
We Are Family Foundation
The We Are Family Foundation is an American 501 nonprofit organization founded in 2001 by songwriter, musician, and producer Nile Rodgers in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks...

.

Season 1

# Title Original airdate Prod. code

Season 2

# Title Original airdate Prod. code



Season 3

# Title Original airdate Prod. code

Season 4

# Title Original airdate Prod. code

BearintheBigBlueHouse.com

BearintheBigBlueHouse.com was the official homepage for the television show Bear in the Big Blue House in 1998. In later years, it was housed on the Playhouse Disney
Playhouse Disney
Playhouse Disney was Disney Channel's television block for programs aimed at entertaining preschool aged children, often airing as its own channel outside the United States. It was introduced in 1997 after Disney Channel's move to basic cable from premium cable, with a target audience of children...

 extension of Disney's Go.com network and featured a Flash layout with a number of different sections filled with online content for children. The site was operational through at least 2006. Since the show was retired, the URL now redirects to the main Playhouse Disney page. Even in 2011, since Playhouse Disney
Playhouse Disney
Playhouse Disney was Disney Channel's television block for programs aimed at entertaining preschool aged children, often airing as its own channel outside the United States. It was introduced in 1997 after Disney Channel's move to basic cable from premium cable, with a target audience of children...

 was changed into Disney Junior
Disney Junior
Disney Junior is a current program block on Disney Channel and an upcoming American basic cable and satellite television network intended to replace SOAPnet in February 2012. It began airing on February 14, 2011, replacing Playhouse Disney....

, the URL redirects to the 404 Not Found Error page.

You can now visit the UK website here:
http://www2.disney.co.uk/DisneyChannel/playhouse/friends/bear/index.htm

Disney UK shut all the activities down in about May 2011. There are no references to it yet. While Disney looks over classic shows and newer shows on the Playhouse Disney
Playhouse Disney
Playhouse Disney was Disney Channel's television block for programs aimed at entertaining preschool aged children, often airing as its own channel outside the United States. It was introduced in 1997 after Disney Channel's move to basic cable from premium cable, with a target audience of children...

 and Disney Junior
Disney Junior
Disney Junior is a current program block on Disney Channel and an upcoming American basic cable and satellite television network intended to replace SOAPnet in February 2012. It began airing on February 14, 2011, replacing Playhouse Disney....

 brands, it is unknown if the site will be back online, or if a brand new Bear in the Big Blue House site (with the same content) will be available on the UK Disney Junior
Disney Junior
Disney Junior is a current program block on Disney Channel and an upcoming American basic cable and satellite television network intended to replace SOAPnet in February 2012. It began airing on February 14, 2011, replacing Playhouse Disney....

 site sometime in the future.

Popularity

Bear in the Big Blue House became a long-running hit on the Disney Channel. The program was initially produced from 1997 - 2003. After a three-year hiatus and the spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...

 Breakfast with Bear
Breakfast with Bear
Breakfast with Bear is an hour-long television show that aired on Playhouse Disney in 2005 and 2006.In each episode, Bear , visited a different house and followed one child's morning ritual, finishing with breakfast...

, new episodes returned to the Disney Channel in April 2006 and the last episode aired on September 25, 2007.

Disney announced plans for several events and new merchandise to celebrate the show's 10th anniversary in 2007. Despite this, the anniversary passed without event.

The show was shown throughout the world including in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 on five and Playhouse Disney UK, on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...

 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and on RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...

 in Ireland.

In early 2007, Playhouse Disney
Playhouse Disney
Playhouse Disney was Disney Channel's television block for programs aimed at entertaining preschool aged children, often airing as its own channel outside the United States. It was introduced in 1997 after Disney Channel's move to basic cable from premium cable, with a target audience of children...

 was closing its doors to Bear in the Big Blue House in the US, marking the time that it was changing out with newer programs, such as Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is a children's television series, that premiered in prime time on Disney Channel on May 5, 2006. The program was originally part of the Playhouse Disney daily block intended for preschoolers...

, Handy Manny
Handy Manny
Handy Manny is a Disney animated children's television program that premiered on September 16, 2006. The program was originally part of the Playhouse Disney daily block intended for preschoolers...

, My Friends Tigger & Pooh
My Friends Tigger & Pooh
My Friends Tigger & Pooh is a computer animated television series, inspired by Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne. The television series features Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends, including two new characters: a brave 6-year-old red-headed girl named Darby and her dog Buster...

, etc. It will be returning in February 2012 on the new Disney Junior channel, which will replace the soon-to-be defunct channel SOAPnet
SOAPnet
SOAPnet is an American cable television channel that broadcasts current and past soap operas and primetime dramas, along with some original programming. The channel launched on January 20, 2000, and is owned by Disney-ABC Television Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...

.

Awards

  • Multiple Daytime Emmy Award Winner
  • Parent's Choice Gold Award Winner
  • Director's Guild Award - Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs - "Episode 225: Love Is All You Need"

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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