Bear in the Big Blue House

Infobox Television
bgcolour =
show_name = Bear in the Big Blue House.


caption = "Bear in the Big Blue House" title card
format = Children's / Infant's
camera =
picture_format =
audio_format =
runtime = approx. 35 minutes
creator = Mitchell Kriegman
developer = The Jim Henson Company and Walt Disney
producer = The Jim Henson Company and Shadow Projects
executive_producer = Mitchell Kriegman
starring = Noel MacNeal
director = Mitchell Kriegman, Dean Gordon, Rick Fernandes, Hugh Martin and others
opentheme = Bill Obrecht and Peter Lurye
endtheme = Peter Lurye
country = USA
language = English
network = flagicon|UK Five
Playhouse Disney UK
flagicon|Australia Australian Broadcasting Corporation
flagicon|Ireland RTE Two
first_run =
first_aired = October 20, 1997
last_aired = May 6, 2007
num_episodes = 119
website = [http://www2.disney.co.uk/DisneyChannel/playhouse/friends/bear/index.htm]
imdb_id = 0173664
tv_com_id = 1058

"Bear in the Big Blue House" is a television program for young children produced for the Disney Channel by Mitchell Kriegman and The Jim Henson Company. The program taught simple life lessons by following the title character and his puppet friends as they went through their day.

In 2004, The Jim Henson Company sold "The Bear in the Big Blue House" franchise to The Walt Disney Company. The characters and show are currently owned and operated by The Muppet Holding Company, LLC.

Overview

The gentle, soft title character of "Bear in the Big Blue House" is a talking, seven-foot (213 cm) light brown bear who lives in a house and loves to help children learn. Despite his enormous size, Bear is child-friendly. He addresses the kids at home directly, talking to them as if they were all his close friends. "Bear in the Big Blue House" was created for the very young, teaching concepts like shapes, gravity, helping, seasons, and even toilet training. Joining the ever-curious Bear are an assortment of woodland creatures — excitable lemur Treelo, headstrong mouse Tutter, peppy otter twins Pip and Pop and imaginative little bear cub Ojo — all of whom help illustrate the day’s lesson. At the end of every episode, Bear goes out on his balcony to talk about what everyone has learned with his friend Luna, the wise moon.

Bear interweaves learning with playtime. After the musical call, "Where oh where oh where is Shadow?", Bear's friend Shadow appears. Together with other shadow friends, the girl puts on shadow plays of brief, amusing stories, often with grown-up humor lurking just under the surface.

Cast

The cast for the show including:
* Bear: a tall, gentle bear who always gives great advice. Portrayed by Noel MacNeal
* Luna: the moon. Bear and Luna often meet on Bear's balcony and Bear tells her what he has done during the day and they sing the "Goodbye Song". Her name comes from the word "Luna" the earth's moon. She was portrayed by the late Lynne Thigpen
* Tutter: a small blue mouse, portrayed by Peter Linz
* Pip and Pop: two purple otters (twins), also portrayed by Peter Linz and Tyler Bunch
* Ojo: a girl bear cub portrayed by Vicki Eibner
* Treelo: a colorful lemur, respectively portrayed by Tyler Bunch. His voice and speech pattern are identical to that of Sesame Street characters Elmo and Cookie Monster.
* Grandma Flutter: Tutter's grandmother mouse portrayed by Alice Dinnean
* Cousin Whiner: portrayed by Victor Yerrid
* Tutters Uncle "Jet Set Tutter": portrayed by Tim Legasse
* Benny the Bat portrayed by Jim Kroupa
* Ray the Sun portrayed by Geoffrey Holder
* Miss Maxwell portrayed by Jennifer Barnhart
* Rita Mouse portrayed by Anney McKilligan
* Shadow portrayed by Tara Mooney
* Cousin Teeter portrayed by Sean Choi
* Harry the Duck portrayed by Eric Jacobson

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 "Breakfast with Bear", new episodes returned to the Disney Channel in April 2006. The show attained such popularity that Bear himself sometimes appeared on Hollywood Squares.

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

The show was shown throughout the world including in the United Kingdom on five and Playhouse Disney UK, on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Australia and on RTÉ Two in Ireland.

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"

ongs

* "Oops! I Goofed Again" (1:49), sung by Bear, included by "Songs From Bear In The Big Blue House"
* "So Much To Be Thankful For [Who could ask for more?] " (1:26), sung by Bear, Doc Hogg, Flutter, Pip, Pop, Ojo, Tutter and Treelo, included on "Bear's Holiday Celebration"
* "What's Mine Is Yours", sung by Bear, included on "More Songs From Bear In The Big Blue House"
* "What's That Smell?," sung by Bear in several episodes
* "What's in the Mail Today?," sung by Bear in several episodes
* "Everybody Say Ah!," sung by Old Doc Hog, Bear, Tutter, Ojo, Treelo, Pip, and Pop
* "Rub-a-Dub-Dub," sung by Bear, Tutter, Treelo, Ojo, Pip, and Pop in several episodes
* "A Little Quiet Time," sung by Bear and Tutter
* "Goodbye," sung by Bear and Luna (and sometimes others) at the end of every episode
* "Rock-A-Bye," sung by Bear and Shadow
* "The Shape of a Bear," sung by Bear (and, later, Bear, Ojo, Pip, and Pop)
* "Good Morning," sung by Bear and Ray
* "Colors," sung by Bear
* "Clean Up," sung by Ojo Tutter Treelo & Pip & Pop
* "Take Time to Smell the Cheese", sung by Bear and Tutter
* "The Bear Cha Cha Cha" sung by Bear
* "Dear Grandma" sung by Bear and Tutter
* "We're All Different" sung by Bear(2:30)
* "Dancing the Day Away" sung by Bear(1:47)
* "You Will Find Your Way" sung by Bear and Cousin Whiner(1:56)
* "It's Great to Be at Home" sung by Bear(1:41)
* "Let the Rhythm Take You" sung by Bear,Pip, and Pop(1:46)
* "Just Listen" sung by Bear and Luna
* "Rhythm of Life" sung by Bear
* "Brush Brush Bree" sung by Bear, Tutter, Treelo, Ojo, Pip, and Pop in several episodes
* "Look At You Now" sung by Bear and Treelo
* "That's My Name"
* "Everybody Say Ah" sung by Doc Hog, Bear, Tutter and Ojo
* "Great To Be At Home"
* "Go To Bed, Sleepy Head" sung by Bear
* "Take Time To Smell The Cheese" sung by Tutter
* "Clean Up The House" sung by Bear, Tutter, Treelo, Ojo, Pip, and Pop in several episodes
* "Oops! I Goofed Again" sung by Bear
* "Quiet Time" sung by Bear and Tutter
* "Otter Love" sung by Bear, Pip and Pop
* "Baby, Baby" sung by Tutter
* "When You Make Yourself A Friend" sung by Bear
* "Here in Woodland Valley" sung by Doc Hog and Bear

Other media

Ubisoft released in 2002 a video game of Bear in the Big Blue House under license from the Jim Henson company, on the Game Boy Color platform.

External links

*
* [http://www.tv.com/bear-in-the-big-blue-house/show/10581/summary.html TV.com Show Guide]
* [http://www.ultimatedisney.com/bear-storytelling.html Bear in the Big Blue House DVD Reviews]