 | |
| EPISODE GUIDE CHARACTERS • MORE | |
| Premiere | October 20, 1997 |
| Finale | April 28, 2006 |
| Network | Disney Channel |
| Seasons | 4 |
| Episodes | 117 |
Disney's Bear in the Big Blue House Behind the Ears
Disney Channel's Behind the Ears feature
Behind the scenes of taping an episode.
Behind the scenes: Noel MacNeal rehearses partially wearing the Bear suit with the other puppeteers.
Another crew shot behind the scenes.
Big Bird visits the Big Blue House: "When the first season was shot upstairs from Sesame, Caroll snuck Bird upstairs."[1]
Bear in the Big Blue House is a TV series that ran for four seasons, from 1997 to 2003. The show was created by Mitchell Kriegman and developed with The Jim Henson Company for Disney Channel.
In 2005, the series was followed by a programming block titled Breakfast with Bear, featuring Bear visiting the homes of real-life children.
Show Structure and Content[]
Bear in the Big Blue House is aimed at teaching lessons to preschool and early school-age children. In each episode, Bear explores learning concepts such as feelings, the alphabet, nature, science and more with the kids of the Big Blue House and/or out in Woodland Valley.
At the beginning of each episode, Bear welcomes viewers to his house and tells them that he thinks they smell good. After talking with one or more of the characters, he introduces the show theme, or "Word of the Day" and sometimes sings a song about it. This segment, in the first three seasons, is often followed by one in which real kids discuss the topic of the day. Afterwards, Bear usually explores the house or valley, talking with the kids and aiding/assisting them as necessary. He will also sometimes stop to find Shadow, who shares a story related to the theme of the day. At the end of each program, Bear heads to the attic of the house and talks with his friend Luna, the moon, about the day's events. The two sing "The Goodbye Song" and notable scenes from the episode are shown in brief. Bear then shares a final thought for the day.
Sometimes, at the opening of the program, Bear will have a talk with Ray. In the fourth season of the program, Woodland Valley, the community at large, is featured much more heavily. Tutter the mouse is shown attending school, many new characters are introduced and the "Good Morning" song and real-kids segments are no longer featured.
Distribution[]
The series was developed for Disney Channel, where it premiered in October of 1997 and was seen daily throughout the majority of its run. The first three seasons were broadcast subsequently through 2003, with eight additional episodes airing later in 2006. Reruns continued to air until May 6, 2007.[2]
Home video offerings began on VHS in 1998, with the first DVDs being released in 2000. See Bear in the Big Blue House Videography for a comprehensive list. Each release included a selection of episodes; the full series was never distributed on physical media.
On October 19, 2022, the series began streaming on Disney+ with nine episodes missing at time of launch.
Episodes[]
117 episodes were produced including two 2-parters and an unaired pilot.
Cast[]
- Noel MacNeal - Bear, Moss, Billy
- Peter Linz - Tutter, Pip, Jacques the Beaver, Big Old Bullfrog, Jack the Dog (season 4), Shadow (puppetry), Luna (puppetry), Ray the Sun (puppetry)
- Vicki Kenderes-Eibner - Ojo, Etta Otter, Tally Otter, Grandma Flutter (1998-2003), Keisha, Lois, Annette
- James J. Kroupa - Otto Otter, Jeremiah Tortoise, Benny the Bat, various
- Tyler Bunch - Treelo, Pop, Doc Hogg, Rocko
- Jennifer Barnhart - Miss Maxwell (credited in season 4)
- Lynne Thigpen - Luna (voice)
- Tara Mooney - Shadow (voice)
- Geoffrey Holder - Ray the Sun (voice)
- Additional Performers
- Dave Goelz - Jack the Dog ("A Berry Bear Christmas" two-parter)
- Eric Jacobson - Harry the Duck, Yukker Tutter (credited in "Welcome to Woodland Valley" two-parter)
- Heather Asch
- Stephanie D'Abruzzo - Juner
- Alice Dinnean - Grandma Flutter (1997-1998)
- Tim Lagasse - Jet Setter Tutter, ensemble
- Rick Lyon
- Amanda Maddock
- Jim Martin
- Anney McKilligan - Rita Mouse
- Alison Mork
- Carmen Osbahr - Ursa (voice)
- John Tartaglia
- Matt Vogel - Ursa (puppetry)
- Victor Yerrid - Cousin Whiner, various
- Guest Voices
- Whoopi Goldberg - Edwina Badger
- Gilbert Gottfried - Big Possum
- Brad Garrett - Little Possum
Crew[]
- Creator: Mitchell Kriegman
- Producers: Erica Levin, Andy Yerkes, Mitchell Kriegman, Alex Rockwell, Brian Henson, P. Kevin Strader, Claudia Silver, Deborah Mayer, James Sabatini
- Directors: Mitchell Kriegman, Dean Gordon, Hugh Martin, Richard Fernandes, Tom Guadarrama, Lisa Simon, Jim Martin, Chuck Vinson, Noel MacNeal
- Associate Directors: Phil Alcabes, Andrea Giles-Rich, Dean Gordon
- Editors: Tony Breuer, Rob Hall, Marybeth Benivegna
- Stage Manager: Adam Matalon
- Muppet Designer: Paul Andrejco
- Jim Henson's Muppet Workshop:
- Season One: Ed Christie, Kip Rathke, Christine Moyes, Tim Miller, Connie Peterson, Fred Buchholz, Larry Jameson, Larry Galanter
- Season Two: Ed Christie, Mary Brehmer, Christine Moyes, Tim Miller, Connie Peterson, Fred Buchholz, Larry Jameson, Larry Galanter, Rob Gardner
- Season Three: Mary Brehmer, Ed Christie, Fred Buchholz, Connie Peterson, Isabelle Dufour, Matthew Brooks, Larry Jameson, Victoria Ellis, Goran Sparrman, Tim Miller, Larry Galanter
- Season Four: Lara MacLean, Anney McKilligan, Andrea Detwiler, Vanessa Gifford, James Wojtal (uncredited)
- Graphics Designer: Chris Renaud
- Production Designer: Cabot McMullen
- Art Director: David B. Ellis
- Lighting Designer: Randy Nordstrom
- Animator: Jim Spieler
- Score: Peter Lurye, Julian Harris, Brian Woodbury
- Songs: Peter Lurye, Bill Obrecht, Brian Woodbury, McPaul Smith, Julian Harris, Bobby Lopez, Jeff Marx, Tyler Bunch, Tony Fennell, Michael Webster, David Yazbek, Steve Charney, Jon Ludwig, Mitchell Kriegman, Tara Mooney, Robert Cole, Deena Cole, Dave Kinnoin, Billy Cobin, Andrew Wyatt
- Opening Titles Sequence and Digital Compositing by Shadow Digital
- Produced by Shadow Projects and Jim Henson Television
- Taped at Silver Screen Studios at Chelsea Piers, NY
See also[]
- Bear in the Big Blue House Characters
- Bear in the Big Blue House Episodes
- Bear in the Big Blue House Locations
- Bear in the Big Blue House Videography
- Bear in the Big Blue House Merchandise
- Pre-existing puppets used on Bear in the Big Blue House
Sources[]
- ↑ Noel MacNeal on Facebook, October 18, 2018 (private post)
- ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/image/511128677/