Oh my gosh! Thank you for watching! To anyone that doesn't know (because I somehow didn't mention it in the video) Mr. Bunch was the puppeteer of Treelo, Pop, and other characters in the show!
Defunctland can you do another episode of DefunctTV about Barney and friends? Because I’m anxious to see about the history of the show’s run and cancellation.
Defunctland I'm a British member of gen z. Until I was 8 I watched a tv channel called cbbc. They still aired some programmes from the 90s, my favourite being the adventures of Tracy Beaker. I'd love it if you did that!
What I will always remember of this show: My little sister sitting on the floor and watching it while eating a banana. Bear starts sniffing around going "what's that smell? Is that you? Are you eating a banana because you smell just like bananas." To which my sister, wide eyes and impressed replied enthusiasticly. "I am! I am eating a banana!"
Dude, that literally just happened to me in this video! I just showered a few hours ago and put on clean pajamas, and then Bear asked if I’m wearing clean pajamas! What a coincidence!
I want to know how his suit works. big bird only had full use of one arm because the actors other arm was controlling the head, but bear has both arms and an articulated head and face, even when he's not on set. I'm stunned. Edit: I looked it up, he doesn't actually have use of the hand, it's almost the same setup as big bird, the puppet has a filament connected to each hand, and passes through a ring hidden in the costume to let the actor adjust the arms with one movement. Selling it is all in the performance
I feel like bear only uses one arm at a time, and that Noel can quickly transition from using either of Bear's stubby arms to manning the facial controls within the suit. I also suspect that he can pull a string to provide semi-articulation for the "limp" arm even when he's manning the facial controls. This way, he can appear to sing and dance at the same time. It is masterful work.
Neil Lancia yeah I looked it up, i made an edit but I think the post is collapsed. He said in an interview the other arm is stuffed and attatched to the suit in a way that let's him move both suit arms with the one articulate hand
As a female child born in the 90s, I was never diagnosed with autism or adhd but there WAS something oddly comforting about that big bear. I remember loving him smelling me at the beginning of the episode, and I was a big fan of Tutter and Treelo. I was fascinated by his eyebrows, and they reminded me of my dentist's.
"I didn't grow up in a very supportive family, but it gave me a lot of time to figure out what one was." Damn, that is deep, I'd hope to be able to use my past to make something so positive for others...
Looking back at it now, as an adult, I’m kind of astonished by just how well crafted Bear is. Between the incredible craftsmanship of the puppet itself, the control by the puppeteer inside, and his wonderful voice, it’s no wonder people fell in love with that character.
I am actually stunned as well in retrospect by how well it was designed too. Most puppet animals rarely look like what they were designed from but I generally like how Bear looked like he could have an actual animal. Not to mention his personality was very welcoming and refreshing where he actually acted much more,, calm mature but fun-loving. I can see why people liked him over Barney.
The voice actor for Bear will always be Magellan from Eureeka's Castle for me. Bear in the Big Blue House has a lot of Eureeka's Castle vibes to it actually...
Barney seems more like a loud and always-there-for-you friend, but Bear seemed more like a caring and sweet father figure, which is so much better in my opinion.
If I had to CHARITABLY describe the difference, Barney was the one who said "Don't be afraid!" and Bear was the one who said "It's okay, take your time." Some kids are just waiting for permission to cannonball off the diving board. Others would rather hang out in the shallows for a while.
same here ;-; i grew up undiagnosed and with an abusive, chaotic, and toxic home life and bear in the big blue house *always* managed to make me feel better. didn’t think i’d end up crying when i clicked on this video oml
Along with kids with ADHD. I don’t remember watching this as a kid-but according to my Mom I loved this show along with The Wiggles and Oobi. But watching this-I can already tell why I loved this show as a kid. Something about the soft yet array of colors of the set and characters and Bear’s gentle, calm demeanor and loving voice…along with the music…man, the music is great. Also-the texture of bear’s fur looks very soft and nice to touch along with the other puppets-they just look so well-loved and soft, like stuffed animals. When I have kids, I’ll most certainly have them watch this show.
You know you all might like this my little cousin had a kid recently and she saw it was on disney+ played it for her kid next generation big blue house lover couldn't have been more proud.
@@Chairdolf That makes me so happy! Old shows like this make me think about how new generations won't get to experience them, since they're not really on cable TV, etc. So glad this is available on Disney+ now! And some episodes on RU-vid.
His mechanisms are actually similar to how Big Bird is operated. Its genius. And also big kudos to the puppeteers. They have made a huge impact on our childhoods.
You should watch the show Jim Henson's Dinosaurs, with an entire full suit dinosaur family of the 90s. They're incredibly impressive, even by today's standards.
*The creators, writers, and puppeteers cannot be praised enough for this show.* The simple, sincere, kindness and love that the show conveyed to young children was such a worthy endeavor. Young minds are so impressionable and this sort of positive and creative encouragement can mean a great deal to a child, especially one living in an unloving and dangerous home.
I remember seeing a post about the final episode, "This Is Your Life, Bear". A misunderstanding where everyone thinks he's leaving for good when he's just going on vacation, that included a video of that episode's goodbye song. Tears were shed, seeing him saying goodbye to Luna for the last time. It's heartbreakingly meta.
I remember I grew up in an abusive home. The memories hurt to look back on, I’m literally crying while writing this. But this bear got me through so much. I know they’ll never read this but god bless the creators, show runners, and everyone involved in this show. You have absolutely no idea the impact you’ve made on the lives of the children you touched. Thank you for being there when my parents weren’t. You guys are unsung heroes.
I remember crying when they started to sing at the end. Just because I was not allowed to have friends and my family abused me my whole life. I have autism and this series was my whole world. Today I bought myself the big blow house- play house. I had it as a child and I just wanna play like in my childhood again. It made me so happy.
@@mariechucho3967 that’s really cool. I hope you’ve been able to surround yourself with people who care about you and support you. It’s amazing how one show can inspire sad kids to keep going. God bless
I remember when my dad was watching some talk show for adults (my little kid brain just lumped them all together), and Bear came on to trade banter with the host. I had no idea what they were chatting about, and it was the sort of thing I could’ve easily written off as a false childhood memory composed of multiple real ones if not for this video.
Bear had such a calming effect on the viewer (children and adults). Once the 'student' feels safe (physically & emotionally) learning is so much easier. There was a feeling of warmth and safety when watching that show.
@@AnInkStick I get where you’re coming from and I FULLY blame the school for that... Schools should promote safety of all kinds for the children, not the opposite!
one there was a child (a few years old) who had special needs and didn't react to things but the first time he sniffed the camera really closely she jumped back (in a good/excited way) so he continued to do it
One of the few shows ever produced that I'd describe as "cuddly." It's not overly cute, like some cartoons try to do...but it's like watching your favorite stuffed animals come to life! Just the bits shown in this video just inspire that warm, fuzzy feeling, in an almost literal sense!
Honest to God, I started to tear up when I saw Bear open the door and sniff around at the start of the video; I haven't seen this show in any way, shape, or form for almost 20 years, and I just got hit by this wave of nostalgia and the feeling that everything is going to be alright. Very nice to see it again
I know the feeling man, when the video ended I shed tears of nostalgia for the simple times of childhood when my only worried was to wake up early to see Saturday morning cartoons and my mama was by my side. God, I miss those days so much.
Same here! I used to watch it in 5th grade because I was stuck at home with mono for a few months, so even though I felt a little too old for it there wasn't much else for me to do/watch at the time. There was something very charming and soothing about the show, and the goodbye show made me tear up a few times.
It seems like bears are good at that (Winnie the Pooh, The Berensteins [Mama, Papa, Sister, Brother, and the newest addition to the family, baby Honey], The Country Bears [at least, where they still perform in Critter Country at Walt Disney World], and of course, the Big Blue House main character himself [as well as female bear cub Ojo & Bear's sporadically recurring female counterpart Ursa]).
My dad was verbally and physically abusive when I was a kid plus my parents fought a lot and eventually got divorced so my eldest sibling would put a BITBBH VHS to calm me and and my siblings with special needs. It worked every time.
I sincerely hope that somewhere out there, someone is taking really good care of those puppets. If they're never to be used again, then they're hopefully being kept somewhere safe.
Well, the puppets were originally designed by Paul Andrejco, who now has his own workshop, Puppet Heap. From what I've not heard, it seems like the puppets are in a dark corner of the workshop, their fabric falling apart.
@@tysargent9647i know you're joking but tbh you're probably not far off, a lot of screen-used puppets like the ones used in dinosaurs (another jim henson show, relatedly) we straight up just don't have anymore because of how fragile they were even during production and then being too expensive to maintain afterward unless they were particularly iconic, e.g. the original 60s and 70s muppets
Even at 21, these short clips of Bear put me at ease. I grew up in a pretty abusive household and struggled a lot with comprehension and emotions due to my ADHD, but this show was such a calming, relaxing escape from everything going on around and within me.
When I was little I thought my dad was bear. He was the tallest person I knew and I always saw him putting his work bag in his trunk, so I thought he was putting the bear costume in there. This brought instant tears to my eyes
Makes you think... Everything has an end. Listen to 'Goodbye, Friends, Goodbye" (the outro) again. One day in your childhood, you heard that song for the last time on television, and you didn't even know it. It's kind of sad but also kind of beautiful, especially when it's something like this, a show that taught so much good and was loved by so many.
Calebrated Gamer this show scared me as a kid I don’t remember why but now I look back and shows like this are like doors to my child hood and it’s sad we no longer can have tv series like this
@@ATARI800XLfan Sadly I think it's more of a cost issue. Animation is infinitely cheaper, TV shows on PBS demonstrate this perfectly, what was once puppetry is now animation.(with the exception being sesame Street) The decline in puppetry is very similar to the decline and death of Saturday morning cartoons (or basically cartoons at all on network TV) what was once a perfect medium has become defunct, I mean I would say television as a whole has basically become defunct at this point but they had their place in time.
What always gets me is that at one point you and all your friends went outside to play for the last time and none of you knew it was the end of an era.
@@eltontaylor162 Children's entertainment (on TV at least) has been heading down hill for a little over 20 years now and doesn't show any sign of stopping. The quality level of most shows now is at best subpar especially considering where the bar was on even network TV in the 80's and most of the 90's. It seems a bit cliche to say hindsight is 20/20 or you don't know what you got till it's gone but it's so true. Didn't know and couldn't possibly have known as kids the massive downturn in quality that was to come, and how lucky we were to experience what most people would call the last gasp of the renaissance of children's entertainment. Looking back, you can see the fall coming and the aftermath.
but truth be told i was actually in middle school i know i was too old so i watched playhouse disney since there was nothing else on before going to school.
this show was so special to me as a child. i’ve always felt neglected (attention-wise) as a child and always felt misunderstood as someone who was (then) undiagnosed autistic. But Bear always made me feel better. I even used to send him emails in the old disney channel website almost every day for one summer.
Interviewer: What can you never keep your eyes open while doing? Bear: watching C-span! I mean, representative of the state of *snores* wow, bear was a savage!
FYI that was when Bear appeared on Hollywood Squares. I remember he was asked about shaving in one episode, and he went "why would I know anything about shaving?"
@@nitromenace1424 Your Lord Zedd profile pic is AMAZING. Just started the original Mighty Morphin last week for the umpteenth time in my life. It is SUCH the best thing ever lol.
Bear in the Big Blue House is a prime example of what a kids show should be: realistic but varied color pallette (as opposed to high contrast and unrealistic), a calming atmosphere (as opposed to a hyperactive), slow to moderate paced songs (as opposed to techno and rock), realistic stories and morals (as opposed to gimmicks and forced morals), and finally, characters that have an appropriate IQ (as opposed to seemingly everyone, even adults, making childish mistakes). Simply put, Bear focused on quality and some quantity, not marketing and merchandise
As a close friend of many of the puppeteers on this show, I am glad you have taken the time to share the story. Oh man I have so many great stories about the behind the scenes. hahaha Thanks for the video Kev!
Wasn't keen on the show as I loved things like Ren and Stimpy, and Pete and Pete but the puppeteering skill was amazing, as you would expect on a Henson production.
One of Disney's purest properties, I would watch it with my Romanian family and scream "Ursu! Ursu!" At the screen when Bear was there. My family gifted me a Bear plush and I still have it. The feels.
Me too. I realised that this was one of those shows I watched as a kid that really impacted me in a good way. Thanks to all of the creators that worked on it!
I'm sat here in tears as I listen to the goodbye song after so long. I'm 27 years old, but had difficulty making friends growing up as a child. I was very much a bullied child, who only ever wanted to belong, and bear in the big blue house ALWAYS made me feel wanted and needed, even if it was for only 30 minutes a day. I'd sing every song with passion, and I'd say goodbye when luna came to say goodnight. I'm currently going through one of the toughest moments of my life, but hearing that song brought me so much joy, even for a short while. Thank you for this, and thank you to everyone that made that show possible. You gave lonely children a place to feel at home where they could belong.
Erenura GG So sorry to hear that you have gone through so much, both past and present. This show was definitely a comforting place for children to “escape” to when they couldn’t find that comfort in real-life, and I’m glad that it was able to help you. Whatever you may be going through right now, just know that you’re not alone, and that you have so much worth. I may be a stranger, but I care about you, and I hope that life starts getting a little easier for you soon. I will be praying for you! God bless! 🙏🏻💕
One of my earliest memories was watching Bear in the Big Blue House, when suddenly my dad changed the channel to the news. I was mostly upset because I wasn't going to hear the Goodbye Song. That day was September 11, 2001.
My sister is special needs and was born in 2009, long after Bear was out of production, and it wasn’t even airing on Playhouse Disney. But we have several DVDs and she loves the show so much, especially Tutter and Bear himself. We often use songs from the show to communicate with her, and it calms her during scary doctor visits (when we put it in a portable player). This show is still impactful even years after it ended, and I’m so grateful to those involved for making something that makes my sister’s life so much better
I would always feel sad when Bear visited Luna. It meant that our fun time would be over and I didn't want him to go. The childhood is a curious thing.
Huge Thank you for mentioning the influence Bear had on kids on the spectrum. I wasn’t diagnosed until 21, but it makes a lot of sense why those memories of Bear still are so vivid to me; he really was the most gentle soul I knew as a child, and that was by pure creation of the kind of character he was. Kids, especially those who are special needs, really need that gentle voice, and without Bear, a lot of kids would not have gotten that voice to tell them “it’s okay” and “you’re loved”. That’s why these characters like Bear and Big Bird and Mr. Rogers are so important and memorable. They teach the world to love a little more when there isn’t a lot of love in the world already. They create love. The characters, the people working on them... don’t ever let anyone tell you kids programming isn’t important in that regard. It’s those gentle voices that make a big difference. As always, great stuff, Kevin. I can’t tell you how much I appreciated this one as a fan of Defunctland :) keep the hits coming!
Yeah, I agree. I was diagnosed at 12 with Aspergers, and Mr. Rodgers and Big Blue House were a vouple of my favorite shows when I was little. Their calm, steady demeanors were very soothing. As a contrast, the more chaotic the newer shows got the more I disliked them. For example, my youngest sister used to watch The Doodlebops on Playhouse Disent, and I absolutely hated it. On the other hand I can still go back and watch and enjoy shows like BitBBH.
I actually was diagnosed with the same thing at the same age. Mr. Rodgers along with Big Blue House where some of my favorites, but my absolute favorite was Blues Clues, I remember being really sad when Steve left the show even after I had gotten a bit older. I also remember liking the wiggles and Loving Crocodile Hunter as well.
i wasn't diagnosed on the spectrum til sophomore year of high school (and probably would've been diagnosed a lot later if it wasn't for our family therapist at the time). i loved this show as a kid, and have always been drawn to characters/people who exude a gentle, warm, and supportive presence. Such unconditional kindness and love is an underappreciated form of strength in media, and especially with male characters. I appreciate the kind of environment that characters like Bear created and I hope media doesn't forget how important it is to have characters that create that kind of environment.
I was born in 1998 and grew up watching this show on VHS. My dad was a music major and loved the music of the show too. My sister is autistic and she really loved the show too. It's so comforting and the bear reminds me a lot of my dad. Tall, sweet, and a little fuzzy.
Hello. Good afternoon. My name is Brian López. What is your favorite Bear in the Big Blue House episode? Please let me know in the comments down below.
I couldn't watch Bear in the Big Blue house when I was young. Didn't have the channel and when I did I grew out of it. However when I had a horrible depressive spout, I just stayed in bed and would watch the show. It was soft and comforting and just made me calm down and relax. I can't say this show was my childhood, but it near enough saved me a lot of trouble and will always have a fond spot in my heart.
I'm 54 years old and the goodnight song got me too! I watched this on VHS with my daughter who was born in 1999. We both loved it and watched those tapes almost every day during her toddler years, she always told me "...put on Big Bear in the Blue House daddy..."
Michael Krawczyk I was also born in ‘99 and I remember watching with my Dad when I was little. I can tell you from a daughter’s perspective that it was a really special time and bonding experience
That's so sweet. I was a teenager when this show originally aired, but I fondly remember watching it with my (much younger) brother and sister. They loved it and even I enjoyed, although I would have never admitted that to my friends, lol.
On a rather serious note about this children's show about puppets, I think it saved me as a kid. I grew up in low income housing, on food stamps and living paycheck to paycheck if mom even had a job. My mom was in a punk band and people wouldn't let their kids in the apartment play with me because my mom had a Mohawk and piercings and her band practiced at our place so I felt very alone. School wasn't much better since I was the only kid that count afford new things. We didn't have cable but we had 5 bright blue VHS tapes that had bear in the big blue house on it. It inspired me to be kind even when people weren't kind to me. It inspired me to draw which I do for a living now. Like the creator said, it's a happy, supportive family which is something I never ever had. My father died when I was 5 and this is the only kids show he would watch with me. I guess there's a lot of reasons I love this show. I'm just being sappy! I love bear in the big blue house! I still tell Luna goodnight every night and sing the goodbye song to my pets and plants. One day I'll sing it to my kids. Loved the video!
The goodbye song was our year 6 leavers song for when we went up to high school everyone cried and it was beautiful but it was over 10 years ago and now I feel old thinking about it
I used to watch this when I was young. Honestly, even to this day this remains one of the most well designed and genius shows to ever air on TV. I don’t just mean that for children’s shows, but I mean for all shows.
I don't want to sound weird, but this show taught me how to talk. I didn't start talking until I was three, but I was obsessed with Bear and Luna, especially Luna. I don't what was about Luna, but I loved her. My first was " Luna". My mom said that one night coming home from church I pointed to the moon and just said "Luna!" Over and over. My parents were so happy that I was finally speaking 😅.
Well, Henson himself died before this was even a thing, so it's really his team that deserve the thanks. There's no doubt Jim definitely would've loved this, though, were he still alive and well at the time of the show's production phase. In fact, I can imagine him smiling at the sight of the Bear character.
“Looking forward to the next visit.” “Cause we’ll see you very soon, I know!” That heartbreaking, crestfallen moment when you realize that one day you heard that song.....or rather that song was sung.....for the last time......
As someone with autism, it broke my heart when they stopped airing this show as a young child. Really wish they had kept it around longer, it was one of my favorites.
Honestly, it's a show that so exceeded its mission and its contemporaries that it's a shame it only lasted as long as it did and a miracle that it was made at all. Incredible puppeteering, high production values, and a really sweet nature. What a gem.
I'm still impressed by the puppets, they all move and fell like actually cartoon characters on real life, not some guy in a cheap suit like Barney. Also, being they all are modeled so simple, with small eyes, they felt harmless and genuinally friendlly, i never liked those big colorful eyes.
I loved this one Kev! I watched this when I was young, and I absolutely adored it. I honestly think the main reason was that everything on the show was so calm and loving. That's something a lot of kids shows miss out on, and it was very comforting.
It's sorta sad how with RU-vid, something like this could be done for kids, but no they get money hungry weirdos who show off either toys or strange stories. I loved this show as a child too with Mr. Roger's and Thomas.
Something about Bear just makes him look so warm and huggable...Like I’m a nineteen year old grown ass man and if I ever saw or met the puppet I would hug him immediately.
I was around 21 XD and I thought exactly that when I saw it the first time. And the sniffing... OMG, the sniffing! It breaked the fourth wall so adorably I would still giggle and smiled. I'm 41 now and I still love it 😅
My dad still does the “you smell like blueberries” thing to me. We also had a stuffed Ojo. This show was around more when my sister was a kid, but I still got to enjoy it. I think we may have even had a vhs for it.
Jena McLean I think the show and the old tv alone made the ambiance more real, like someone was watching the show and reminiscing the simpler times in a much complex world. I found that sad and nearly teared up a bit.
Why did almost every clip you show bring back nostalgia? I had a huge smile on my face thinking back to these shows. I'm so ready for more of this series
@@glh2000 Correct. Great video and all, but the creator really dropped the ball on that. The whole reason of the hiatus and cancellation of Bear and the Big Blue House was due to Lynne’s passing. Several crew members said that “their hearts just weren’t in it anymore” after her death.
Part of the fun of the show was Bear getting so up close to the camera and sniffing. Cuddly and inviting as Bear was, you couldn’t help but recoil every time his superpower of 4th wall smelling was activated.
I genuinely wasn't surprised when you said that this show was popular with kids on the spectrum. I loved this show growing up, and have vivid memories of watching it, and I also happen to be on the spectrum. It was so wholesome.
I wanna hug that bear so hard right now. This show was a part of my early childhood, and I'm so thankful for that and for you Defunctland for talking about it. I just hope one day I can thank the creators of this show for providing such a calm, fun, and relaxing experience for my younger self. If you're reading this, thank you, and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day!
This was my favourite show as a young child. I struggled with my first year at school and this used to really brighten my day when I got home. My mum said I used to cry after the goodbye song because I wanted to keep watching. I don't know what children's shows are like these days but I'm glad I grew up with things like bear in the big blue house. It was educational, fun and very loving
Alejandro Flores-Ibarra hahahaah yessss. I was looking at the dates of the comments and then thought "do they now know...?" But you know. And I thank you.
I remember this from my childhood. Me and my brother were born in 03 and 02 but because we were on the poorer side of things a lot of our tv was handmedown dvds and VHS tapes, this included. Even now the show warms my heart and makes me smile. Everything about it is so happy and pure I love it, thank you
My bro was 04 and I was 02, I had a similar situation, but not really poor, just used VHS tapes for a long time. I remember this vaguely but remember many shows around this era.
Brandy Adams I hate when people say things like that! Theres no difference in growing up with a show when its originally airing, and growing up with a show but on VHS. I used to watch many 90s shows on VHS (being born 2000) and those shows are just as dear to me as they are to ny older siblings who saw them on tv
Show went on hiatus largely due to Lynne's passing and no one having the motivation to make more episodes without her there, especially since Luna was in pretty much every episode. This show was my childhood and arguably their night time scenes is why I developed such a love for night time environments in shows and games.
I grew up in a household that was pretty broken, nothing against my parents they tried their best. But my dad was military and so we didn't have much of a relationship, and my job quickly even at a child was to take care of my mother with severe social anxiety and Paranoia. Needless to say I was a very anxious child and I didn't have friends. I was an only child as well. Bear in the big blue house was my second home. A place I felt safe and with my friends. It was calm, I always knew no one was going to tell at me, or make me feel uncomfortable. And whenever we said goodbye I knew it wasn't for long. I've named countless hamsters after tutter. And I named my dog I own now Luna. This show is my absolute favorite ❤️
The Blues Clues series would be super good show to see on DefunctTV. Blues Clues and Blues Room was such a hit, it was my favorite show growing up, and since they’re making a comeback it would be cool to look at the history of the show.
One of the shows I’ll be showing to my children 100% Please put this on Disney+ I don’t care that I’m now 19 I’ll rewatch this to relive the good times.
Same I wish they would add bears in the big blue house to Disney plus I don’t want bear in the big blue house to be forgotten and they’re adding dinosaurs on Jan 29 2021 they need to add this show it was another great show that showed the great collaboration between the Disney company and The Jim Henson Company
@@jessicarechani1280 yeah and it’s one of the top shows requested to be added to Disney plus I hope they add it in 2021 it was an amazing show from Disney and The Jim Henson Company
This show was my childhood. I'm 20 and I'm already crying from nostalgia from watching this. I want to watch the show whenever I want because it only gives me joy
@@aldinoguy1698 March 2022 and Bear's still not on Disney+. Come on! What is wrong with these people? You have Bear in the Big Blue House, a cornerstone of many a childhood, one of the many things most '90s kids think when they hear about Playhouse Disney, a show that made a 7 ft. brown bear puppet bring fond memories to the children who watched the show and the parents who gladly watched it with them, one of the big four of the Henson Mt. Rushmore (the other three being, of course, Sesame Street, The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock), one of the greatest preschool shows Disney has ever broadcast, easily one of the greatest children's television shows not only of its time but of all time...and Disney, the entertainment conglomerate that it is, the multimedia juggernaut that it is, the corporate empire that owns about 65% of the goddamn world...doesn't want to introduce it to a whole new generation?! Are they out of their minds? UPDATE: Bear's coming to Disney+ on Oct. 19!
Idk but as someone who watched this show as a kid and as well as someone with autism i love how just heartwarming and accepting the show was and watching this brings back some great memories
Y'know what's weird about that anti-Barney comment? Bear actually teamed up with Barney for a DVD released by FedEx called We Are Family. The two teamed up with a whole bunch of characters like that, and they even included Between the Lions too.
Dude I never understood why this show hit me so hard til now. Bear's voice most completely mirrors my dad! He was super calming and chill and helped when I was not doing too well as a kiddo (undiagnosed ADHD). This show ruled as a kid!
"Hey this was really fun, We hoped you liked it too. Seems like we've just begun, When suddenly we're through. Goodbye, goodbye, good friends, goodbye, 'Cause now it's time to go. But hey, I say, well that's OK, 'Cause we'll see you very soon I know! Very soon I know. Goodbye, goodbye, good friends, goodbye, And tomorrow, just like today; The Moon, The Bear, and the Big, Blue House. We'll be waiting for you to come and play, to come and play, to come and play. Bye now~"
I was 17 and in uni when this came out and I would watch it with my younger sister. But since she has adhd, she would just run off after bear “smells” her, leaving me to watch by myself. I would cry whenever bear and luna would sing the goodbye song. I didn’t understand it then, but kinda understand it now. Bear is just so calming. I didn’t want the episode to end. Now I have 3 kids and I let them watch Bear in the big blue house too. :)
This was literally the one and only show that my autistic daughter as a toddler watched over and over for hours on end while rocking endlessly on her rocking horse, and she would flip out if I turned it off. Bear made her toddler years, and gave me a much-needed breather that an exhausted Mom of that autistic toddler needed. I tear up whenever I see stuff like this on BITBBH because it made such an impact on our lives at that time.
This show was also big in Germany when I was little. Throughout my entire time in Kindergarden, my mom used to drop me off at my grandparents before driving to work. There I would have breakfast and watch The Bear in the Big Blue House and Sesame Street before my grandpa would put me on his bike and push me up the hill to my kindergarden. Thank You so much for bringing back those sweet memories!