In mid-1997, the Walt Disney Company began making significant changes to their underperforming cable venture, The Disney Channel. Debuting as a premium subscription-based service in 1983, the channel had slowly been transitioning into basic cable in the early 1990s. This introduced the Disney Channel to a much wider audience, but it was still having a difficult time catching up to the other popular children's networks of the time. Nickelodeon, for instance, was doing exceedingly well. On top of their popular cartoons, the channel had been airing hit live-action TV shows such as Are You Afraid of the Dark in 1991 and All That in 1994. The success of these shows was attributed to their young cast and kid-oriented writing. As the company's president described it, "The Nickelodeon perspective is that it's tough being a kid in an adult world... Kids are the ultimate underdogs." Disney Channel, on the other hand, rejected this route. They wanted to remain kid-oriented throughout all of their shows. The senior vice president of programming, Rich Ross, explained: "Our humor cannot just arise from dissing parents. What I think we're doing is providing situations where kids and families see themselves in a positive way. While Disney wanted to stay within its mission, it was clear that something would need to change in order to compete with the other channels. In 1997, Disney decided to structure the channel's programming differently. The morning would consist of shows and animations directed toward the preschool demographic, as older children would be at school during this time. In the afternoon and evening, There would be a heavier focus on programming for other children and preteens. This essentially meant that, for the first half of the day, Disney Channel would be competing with Nickelodeon's preschool block, Nick Jr., as well as PBS KIDS which, at the time, was airing shows such as Sesame Street, Barney and Friends, and their newest hit, Arthur. With the new structure of the channel in place, Disney began green-lighting original series that would fit within the new blocks. One of these shows would premiere that same year, on October 20th, 1997, and before they knew it, the newly branded Disney Channel had a hit on their hands. "Welcome to the blue house!" "Hello from the small mouse!" "Things to do!" "Fun for you!" "Howdy from the big bear!" "Want some fun?" "Here's where," "just for you," "all is new!" "In the house of blue!" Bear in the Big Blue House was created by writer and producer Mitchell Kriegman, who had previously created the early 90s Nickelodeon sitcom, Clarissa Explains it All. When creating bear in the Big Blue House, Kriegman created a warm atmosphere with a group of characters that truly loved each other and the audience. In interviews, Kriegman would explain that "I didn't grow up in a very supportive family, but it gave me a lot of time to figure out what one was." The show's cast of characters consisted of Tutter (a small blue mouse) Pip and Pop (twin otters) Treelo (a childlike lemur) Ojo (a red bear cub) and the star of the show, a light brown bear named Bear. There were also supporting characters such as a shadow, who would appear on the walls of the house, Ray the sun, who [sic] Bear would talk to during the day, and Luna the moon, who would come out at night to talk and sing with Bear. The majority of the show would take place within the Big Blue House, but characters would occasionally explore the surrounding area and the town of Woodland Valley. The show was produced by Jim Henson Television, with puppet designer Paul Andrejco creating the characters. Bear was operated and voiced by Noel MacNeal, a longtime puppeteer most known for starring in another children's puppet show, Eureka's Castle on Nickelodeon, which ran from 1989 to 1995. Many of the characters, including Tutter and Pip, were puppeteered by Peter Linz, now known for portraying Walter in the new Muppet movies. Luna the moon was voiced by Lynne Thigpen, well-known for her career on Broadway and for portraying the chief in the Carmen Sandiego TV series. A never-aired pilot episode of Bear in the Big Blue House reveals that the characters of Pip and Pop were originally brown instead of purple, and Pip's name was supposed to be Pummel. Disney supposedly wanted the latter changed due to "pummel" sounding too violent. The first season consisted of 26 episodes, all airing within a little over one month between October 20th and November 24th of 1997. Each episode of the first season of the show followed generally the same format, with the goal of each one being to explain a simple concept or scenario. Examples of these from the first season are exercise, birthdays, sharing, and the mail. Each episode would begin with the show's theme, immediately followed by Bear opening the door to the big blue house and greeting the viewer. He would then sniff around, asking "What's that smell?" "Wait a second." "What's that smell?" He would then realize that it was actually his guest. Bear would then compare their smell to something else of good scent such as pancakes or berries. "It's you!" "Ooh, tell me do you have your pajamas on? Because you smell like clean pajamas." He would then introduce today's activities and focus, typically running into the other characters. "...the crickets, the wind..." "Hey, Bear!" "...Ojo." "Ojo?!" Bear would sing an original song relating to the episode's topic. The show utilized a variety of music styles, such as jazz, lassen, and even hip hop. The most recurring song was for Bear's signature dance, the Bear Cha-Cha-Cha. "Ooh-la-la, time to cha-cha-cha!" "The Bear Cha-Cha-Cha!" After the song, a segment of interviews with real kids would be shown, in which the children comment on the topic. The show then returns to Bear and his friends, continuing the plot of the episode. Many times, Bear would run into Shadow, who would tell him a classic children's story. At the end of each episode, Bear would find Luna, typically by going to the attic's balcony. The two would then sing the goodbye song, remembering the fun activities of the day and looking forward to the viewer's next visit. "But hey, I say, well that's okay" "'Cause we'll see you very soon, I know!" Afterwards, Bear would then say a final word and a personal goodbye to his guest. "Welcome to the blue house..." "He's the bear who's singing and dancing his way into your family's hearts..." "I sure do love to cha-cha-cha!" "...with friends your children will fall in love with..." "...and an adventurous spirit that makes learning exciting!" "It's a magnifying glass!" "So put a song in their hearts!" "Clean up the house! (Tidy it up, tidy it up!)" "With Bear in the Big Blue House! He's what's fun on video from Jim Henson Television!" "See you soon!" The show was an instant success, with children and parents alike falling in love with the characters and setting. Positive comparisons were made between Bear in the Big Blue House and Mister Roger's Neighborhood, and the character of Bear was applauded as being the anti-Barney, a kind, calm father figure, as opposed to the loud, childlike dinosaur. Bear in the Big Blue House was a breakout hit, and it was by far the most successful show on Disney Channel's newly branded preschool block, Playhouse Disney. A second season of Bear in the Big Blue House was already in production by the time the first one premiered. Season two would air throughout 1998, with the last episode airing in February of 1999. This finale was arguably the show's most popular episode, entitled When You've Got To Go, which tackled the difficult issue of potty training. The show was praised for its handling of the topic. As the show grew in popularity, more merchandise was created. These included albums, books, parade balloons, video games, and a variety of toys. Noel MacNeal would also appear on shows and events as Bear. "And that is how you do the Bear Cha-Cha-Cha!" "Bear, scientists say it's physically impossible to keep your eyes open when you do it, when you do what?" "Watch C-Span. Have you seen it? ...speaker the great state of *snores*" In June of 1999, a month before the third season a bear would begin airing, a live stage show based on the series would begin playing at Disney-MGM Studios, in the location formerly occupied by the soundstage restaurant. The show featured the main characters and the Big Blue House, hitting many of the same beats commonly found in Bear's episodes. The show would play until August 4th 2001. It would be replaced by Playhouse Disney Live in October of that same year, Which now featured more characters from other Playhouse Disney shows, with the Bear characters only appearing at the beginning and the end of the program The new show would also appear in Disney California Adventure in Hollywoodland in 2003, replacing the ABC Soap Opera Bistro. Bear and his friends would be included in the show until 2007, when they would be replaced with puppet versions of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse characters. The third season of Bear in the Big Blue House would air through the end of 1999. After this, the show would go on hiatus for nearly three years. In between, a live show entitled Bear in the Big Blue House Live, Surprise Party, would tour the U.S. and Canada. A filmed version would later air in September of 2002. A week later on September 9th, Bear in the Big Blue House would return for a fourth season. This season was much different in style than those that come before it. The show was retooled to put more focus on the characters and locations of Woodland Valley. The theme song and intro were rewritten to the new setting, and the show featured plot lines such as Tutter attending mouse school and Bear volunteering in the town. "Hello, everybody!" "Welcome to Woodland Valley!" The kids' interview segments were removed entirely, Luna had a more orange appearance, and Shadow had a severely reduced presence. The first and second episodes of the season focus on a storyline Loosely responding to the events of September 11th, with the characters dealing with their library being destroyed by a fallen tree. The fourth season also put the show over the 100 episode milestone. The new episodes aired sporadically throughout 2002 and 2003, with eight episodes not being aired. It wouldn't be until 2006 that these episodes would be released, but these were shown for a very limited time. Many of them are considered pieces of lost media, as Disney did not release them on home video. Before the release of the final episode of season 4, a spin-off series was created, entitled Breakfast with Bear. The show featured bear visiting kids in the morning to learn about their daily routine and interact with them, with the goal being to promote healthy living. This series aired in short segments within blocks containing other shows on Playhouse Disney, with the final episode airing on September 15 2006. Both Breakfast with Bear and Bear in the Big Blue House would be completely phased out of Playhouse Disney after this, with no more episodes of either series being produced. What makes the removal of the property so puzzling is the fact that, in 2004, Disney acquired the Muppets and other Jim Henson properties, including bear in the Big Blue House. For whatever reason, after obtaining full ownership of the series, Disney only moved forward with the spinoff. Some have speculated that this is due to the sudden passing of Lynne Thigpen, the voice of Luna, on March 12th 2003, but the real reason seems to be that the show had simply done its job in terms of production. With 118 episodes of the main show produced, Playhouse Disney had plenty of material to re-air should they need to. Plus, Disney Channel wanted to focus on new shows and properties for a new generation of children. Bear in the Big Blue House was a staple of many people's childhoods. With a lifespan of nearly a decade, the image of the seven-foot-tall tan bear sparks memories not only in the children that watched it, but in their parents as well. The show was hugely impactful on children with special needs, specifically those on the autism spectrum. This is believed to be because of Bear's gentleness as a caregiver, and the calming nature of the show. The series was successful in sticking with Disney Channel's family-oriented programming, and it helped launch the developing channel into the mainstream. While it is unfortunate that many of the episodes were never re-released and the property was entirely phased out, if bear taught us anything, it was how to properly say goodbye. "Goodbye, goodbye, good friends, goodbye! tomorrow, just like today, the moon, the bear, and the big blue house will be waiting for you to come and play... to come and play... To come and play! Bye now!"
This is wild to watch. I remember watching this when I was little-- like, super little, to the point where the only thing I remember is Bear and the Cha Cha Cha (and the Bear in the Big Blue House plate I still have), but somehow, everything about it is so familiar.
The weirdest part is that I don't remember the 2000s version of it-- only the bits he showed of the 1990s one. Considering I was born in 2000, that's just kinda weird. Regardless, Kevin, I really like this idea for a series. I've never been to a theme park mentioned in Defunctland, so DefunctTV would be amazing for those of us who not only want to know about no-longer around properties like this, but also want some of the nostalgia some get from the normal Defunctland episodes. Thanks, Kevin (if he even visits the sub). I hope to see more of this!
Can you please do a Where in the World is Carmen Sandiago episode???
So this was, like all the Defunctland videos, a high-quality and informative piece. However, I wonder if picking up a second series will be siphoning KP’s time and resources away from the main Defunctland series we all know and love, which is my concern.
I feel this show made me the gentle person I am today. I always wanted to be kind like bear was.
Really loved this episode, I grew up watching Bear in the Big Blue House and this brought back so many fond and warm memories. Can’t wait to see more content like this in the future!
Third was a great informative episode. I loved Euerka's Castle but never watched Bear as I was a little too old for playhouse Disney shows by the time they launched. That said, it sounds like the Bear format especially seasons 1-3 were awesome.
So rule #1 now includes tv shows as well?
bruh my feels
The actual Big Blue House in the show was a model. In Season 1, it had four windows and a door on the first floor, and four windows (five bays) on the second floor. From Season 2 on, the model was made smaller, with two windows and a door on the first floor, and three windows (three bays) on the second floor.