''Bear in the Big Blue House'' is an American children's television series created by

Mitchell Kriegman Mitchell Kriegman (born June 4, 1952) is an American television writer, director, producer, consultant, story editor, and author. He is the creator of ''Clarissa Explains It All'' (1991) for Nickelodeon, ''Bear in the Big Blue House'' (1997) an ...

and produced by Jim Henson Television for

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

Playhouse Disney Playhouse Disney was a brand of programming blocks and international cable and satellite television channels that were owned by the Disney Channels Worldwide unit (now Disney Branded Television) of The Walt Disney Company's Disney–ABC Tele ...

preschool television block. Debuting on October 20, 1997, it aired its last episode on April 28, 2006. Reruns of the program continued to air on Playhouse Disney until May 6, 2007. In 2004, The Jim Henson Company sold the rights to the show, including characters, content library and copyrights, to

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

; it is now owned by

The Muppets Studio The Muppets Studio, LLC is an American entertainment production company and subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, that owns and produces media content for The Muppets franchise. The division was previously formed as The Muppets Holding Company, ...

, a subsidiary of Disney that also owns, and is named after,

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an surreal humor, absurdist, slapstick, burlesque, and self-referential humor, self-referential style of Musical theatre, musical Variety show, variety-sketch comedy. Cre ...

characters and copyrights.

Plot

Bear lives in the Big Blue House where he is a caregiver for his friends Ojo, a bear cub; Tutter, a mouse; Treelo, a lemur; otters Pip and Pop; and storyteller Shadow. He and his friends have many adventures together. Those normally include solving problems, sharing, cooperating with each other, and developing social/life skills. Each episode opens with the welcome song, Bear detecting a scent in the viewers (which he likens to a pleasant smell) and appearance of the characters. Each show focuses on a theme (ex; "sleep", "doctors", "Thanksgiving") which folds into a lesson at the end. Songs and jokes accompany the episode. The character "Shadow" narrates a segment with shadow puppets in each episode. Most of the segments are in song, while some are simply a short story relating to the episode's theme. At the end of the program, Bear sings the goodbye song with Luna, the moon.

Episodes

Characters

Main

* Bear (performed by

Noel MacNeal Noel MacNeal (born September 15, 1961), sometimes credited as Edward Noel MacNeal, is an American puppeteer, actor, director, singer and writer. He is best known as the performer of Bear on ''Bear in the Big Blue House''. He also starred as Kako ...

) – The protagonist of the series, he is a large bear who is very kind and lovable. He is very tall and has light brown fur. Bear acts as a big caregiver to Pip, Pop, Ojo, Treelo and Tutter. He was designed by Paul Andrejco. * Tutter (performed by

Peter Linz Peter Linz (born June 28, 1967) is an American puppeteer and actor. Known for his work with the Muppets, Linz's most prominent role is performing for the character Walter who was introduced in the 2011 feature film ''The Muppets''. Since 1991, L ...

) – A small light blue mouse who loves eating cheese. He lives in a mousehole in the kitchen of Bear's house. He was designed and built by Paul Andrejco. * Pip and Pop (performed by Peter Linz and

Tyler Bunch Tyler Bunch, also known as H.D. Quinn, https://twitter.com/tyler_bunch?lang=en is an American puppeteer, director, and actor. Career Since 1993, Bunch has been a puppet performer for The Jim Henson Company and The Muppets Studio. Under the ...

) – Two purple

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among ...

twins who live in the otter pond by the Big Blue House. They were designed by Paul Andrejco. * Ojo (performed by Vicki Eibner) – A curious red bear cub who has a wild imagination and is very good friends with Treelo. She was designed and built by Paul Andrejco. * Treelo (performed by Tyler Bunch) – A white, blue, and green

lemur Lemurs ( ; from Latin ) are Strepsirrhini, wet-nosed primates of the Superfamily (biology), superfamily Lemuroidea ( ), divided into 8 Family (biology), families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are Endemism, ...

who is very playful, loves to dance, always active and very good friends with Ojo. He was designed by Paul Andrejco and built by Kip Rathke. * Shadow (performed by Peter Linz, voiced by Tara Mooney) – A shadow girl who is always laughing, telling stories, and sneaking up on Bear. * Luna the Moon (operated by Peter Linz, voiced by

Lynne Thigpen Cherlynne Theresa Thigpen (December 22, 1948 – March 12, 2003) was an American actress of stage and screen. She was known for her role as the Chief of ACME Crimenet in the game show '' Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'' and various spino ...

) – A talking Moon. At the end of every episode, Bear walks out onto the balcony and discusses the episode's theme with her. They sing "The Goodbye Song" while playing a montage of the day's events. She was designed by Paul Andrejco and built by

Ed Christie Ed Christie (born May 20, 1956) is an art director and puppet designer. Christie started out as an intern with Henson Associates in 1978. He graduated from UMass Amherst with a BFA/Education in 1979. After years of learning Muppet design techniques ...

. "''Luna''" means "Moon" in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, and

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

. * Ray the Sun (operated by Peter Linz, voiced by

Geoffrey Holder Geoffrey Lamont Holder (August 1, 1930 – October 5, 2014) was a Trinidadian-American actor, dancer, musician, director, choreographer, and artist. He was a principal dancer for the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, before his film career began in 19 ...

) – A talking Sun who would often rise (or set) at the beginning of some episodes, starting from Season 2. He will also occasionally tell Bear what the weather will be like throughout the day. Sometimes, he also sings the "Good Morning song". He was designed by Paul Andrejco.

Supporting

* Grandma Flutter (performed by

Alice Dinnean Alice Dinnean (born May 23, 1969) is an American puppeteer, writer and voice actress who works at The Jim Henson Company. Dinnean has performed on many children's television shows such as '' The Puzzle Place'', ''Sesame Street'', ''Big Bag'', '' ...

in 1997–1998, Vicki Eibner from 1998–2003) – Tutter's grandmother who has a dance called "The Grandma Mambo". She has a granddaughter named Baby Blotter. She was designed by Paul Andrejco and built by Michael Schupbach and Kip Rathke. * Cousin Whiner (performed by

Victor Yerrid Victor Yerrid (born November 13, 1971) is an American actor and puppeteer for the Jim Henson Company and has performed Muppet characters in many films, television commercials and television shows. He is best known in the Muppet World for his wor ...

) – One of Tutter's cousins. * Uncle "Jet Set Tutter" (performed by

Tim Lagasse Tim Lagasse (born 1968/1969) is an American puppeteer, puppet designer, actor and director. He has worked on films and television programs for Sesame Workshop, Nickelodeon, Disney XD, and HBO. He is known for playing the title character on Noggi ...

) – Tutter's uncle. * Doc Hogg (performed by Tyler Bunch) – A pig who is the local doctor. He was designed by Paul Andrejco and built by Eric Englehardt. * Benny the Bat (performed by

James Kroupa The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an surreal humor, absurdist, slapstick, burlesque, and self-referential humor, self-referential style of Musical theatre, musical Variety show, variety-sketch comedy. Cre ...

) – A

fruit bat Megabats constitute the family Pteropodidae of the order Chiroptera. They are also called fruit bats, Old World fruit bats, or—especially the genera ''Acerodon'' and ''Pteropus''—flying foxes. They are the only member of the superfamil ...

living in the attic of the house. * Jeremiah Tortoise (performed by James Kroupa) – An elderly tortoise living in Woodland Valley. * Lois (performed by Vicki Eibner) – A

blue-footed booby The blue-footed booby (''Sula nebouxii'') is a marine bird native to subtropical and tropical regions of the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is one of six species of the genus ''booby, Sula'' – known as boobies. It is easily recognizable by its dis ...

living in Woodland Valley. She usually mishears things that her friends are saying, which is extremely ironic since her job is telephone operator. * Annette (performed by Vicki Eibner) – An

armadillo Armadillos () are New World placental mammals in the order (biology), order Cingulata. They form part of the superorder Xenarthra, along with the anteaters and sloths. 21 extant species of armadillo have been described, some of which are dis ...

who runs the Woodland Valley Cinema and is very shy. * Henrietta Vanderpreen (performed by Vicki Eibner) – An

ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds. Two living species are recognised, the common ostrich, native to large parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa. They are the heaviest and largest living birds, w ...

who is the editor of Woodland House Wonderful, a magazine of interest to residents of Woodland Valley. * Skippy - A blind

red squirrel The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris''), also called Eurasian red squirrel, is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus''. It is an arboreal and primarily herbivorous rodent and common throughout Eurasia. Taxonomy There have been ...

living in Woodland Valley that wears sunglasses and uses a cane. He is good friends with Treelo. * Big Old Bullfrog (performed by Peter Linz) – A

bullfrog ''Bullfrog'' is a common English language term to refer to large, aggressive frogs, regardless of species. Examples of bullfrogs include: Frog species Americas *Helmeted water toad (''Calyptocephalella gayi''), endemic to Chile *American bullf ...

living in Woodland Valley. * Jacques the Beaver (performed by Peter Linz) – A

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

living in Woodland Valley. * Miss Maxwell (performed by Jennifer Barnhart) – A mouse who is a teacher at the Mouse School. * Rita Mouse (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 who attends Mouse School with Tutter. * Moss (performed by

) – A mouse who attends Mouse School with Tutter. * Harry the Duck (performed by

Eric Jacobson Eric Jacobson (born January 15, 1971) is an American puppeteer. He is best known for his involvement with the Muppets, performing Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam Eagle for The Muppets Studio, as well as ''Sesame Street'' characters ...

) – A duck who has been seen several times through the show who addresses bear as "Mister Bear" and quacks repeatedly when he is upset. He was designed by Paul Andrejco. * Otto and Etta Otter (performed by James Kroupa and Vicki Eibner) – Pip and Pop's grandparents who run the Woodland Valley Library. * Ursa (operated by Matt Vogel, voiced by Carmen Osbahr) – Bear's old friend from

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

that appeared twice in "And to All a Good Night" and "You Never Know." She is fluent in both

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and Spanish. * Yukker Tutter (performed by

) - One of Tutter's relatives. He is distinguishable by the bucket he wears on his head. Several of these characters appeared in a music video for the

We Are Family Foundation We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by musician Nile Rodgers and his life partner, Nancy Hunt. Based in New York City—and established in the wake of the 9/11 attacks—WAFF recognizes, funds, and mentors ...

. Bear also appeared as a celebrity in the 2002 revival of ''

The Hollywood Squares ''Hollywood Squares'' (originally ''The Hollywood Squares'', later stylized as ''H2: Hollywood Squares'') is an American game show in which two contestants compete in a game of tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The show originally aired as a ...

''; he noticeably appeared in

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ...

's final episode.

Cancellation

''Bear in the Big Blue House'' was produced from 1997 to 2002. Contrary to a rumor previously reported in numerous media, the show was not cancelled due to the death of

, the voice of Luna, in 2003. According to

, Thigpen's death occurred after production had already wrapped. After the hiatus and the

spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...

''Breakfast with Bear'', a final run of new episodes aired on the Disney Channel in April 2006, with the last episode airing on April 28, 2006. Repeats of the show ceased altogether in May 2007 (December 2010 in the UK). Thigpen was posthumously nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for voicing Luna.

International airings

The show was shown throughout the world including in the United Kingdom on

Playhouse Disney UK Disney Junior, previously known as Playhouse Disney, was a British and Irish preschool pay television channel that ran from 29 September 2000 to 30 September 2020. Owned by the Walt Disney Company Limited with branding obtained from Disney Cha ...

and Channel 5, on the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

in Australia, on

RTÉ Two (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Republic of Ireland, Irish Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, television, RT� ...

in Ireland, on

Treehouse TV Treehouse TV (commonly known as Treehouse) is a Canadian English-language Discretionary service, discretionary specialty channel that was launched in 1997. Its name comes from sister network YTV (Canadian TV channel), YTV's former programming b ...

and

TVOKids TVOKids (stylized as tvokids) is the brand for most of the children's programming aired by TVO (formerly TVOntario) in Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three ter ...

in Canada, and on

and

TV Globo TV Globo (stylized as tvglobo; , ), formerly known as Rede Globo de Televisão (; shortened to Rede Globo) or simply known as Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air Television broadcasting, television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto M ...

in Brazil.

Awards

Daytime Emmy Awards The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

– ''Outstanding Sound Mixing'' – Peter Hefter and John Alberts (won; tied with ''

Bill Nye the Science Guy ''Bill Nye the Science Guy'' is an American science education television program created by Bill Nye, James McKenna, and Erren Gottlieb, with Nye starring as a fictionalized version of himself. It was produced by Seattle public television stat ...

'' and '' Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show''):

– ''Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series'' – Mitchell Kriegman, Richard A. Fernandes and Dean Gordon (won) :

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

– ''Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series'' – Mitchell Kriegman and Dean Gordon (won) * Parent's Choice Gold Award Winner – 2000, 2002 * Director's Guild Award – Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs - "Episode 225: Love Is All You Need"

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bear in the Big Blue House 1990s American children's comedy television series 2000s American children's comedy television series 1997 American television series debuts 2006 American television series endings 1990s preschool education television series 2000s preschool education television series American children's adventure television series American children's fantasy television series American children's musical television series American preschool education television series American television shows featuring puppetry American television series with live action and animation Personal development television series Television shows adapted into plays Television shows adapted into video games American English-language television shows Disney Channel original programming Disney Jr. original programming Television series about bears Television series about mice and rats Children's television series about talking animals Works about friendship Television shows set in the United States Television shows set in forests Television series by Disney–ABC Domestic Television Television series by The Jim Henson Company