Oh, hi! It's you. We're so glad you're here! It's only a few days until the 28th anniversary of Bear in the Big Blue House premiering on the Disney Channel. On October 20, 1997, a new show would debut on Disney Channel's preschool television block, Playhouse Disney.
Josie and I are both huge Bear in the Big Blue House fans who are now able to relive one of our favorite childhood shows all over again through our children's eyes! We released a special piece inspired by the show that's available on our site now. Shop our Home is Where the Bear is Necklace here!
To celebrate almost three decades of Bear in the Big Blue House, I wanted to deep dive into this special show sharing some history, facts, and events you probably forgot about! As Bear says, "now you're here, so let's begin!"
Bear in the Big Blue House Facts & Notable Moments
If you've always felt like Bear in the Big Blue House was something special, it's not just in your head! This show's impact rippled far past its initial run on Playhouse Disney, so let's dive into the details.
Bear in the Big Blue House is a children's television show where viewers would visit Bear and his friends at his Big Blue House. Each episode would cover a theme, like going to the potty or sharing, and it featured original songs performed by the cast of characters:
Bear was joined by a girl bear cub named Ojo, a playful lemur named Treelo, twin otters named Pip and Pop, and a small and sometimes sassy mouse named Tutter. Each episode would end with a visit from Luna, the moon and the always iconic "Goodbye Song." Other frequent visitors of the Big Blue House included Ray, Shadow, Doc Hogg, and Grandma Flutter to name a few.
Did you know that Pip and Pop were originally brown in an unaired pilot? Pip was also originally named Pummel!
So how did Bear in the Big Blue House get its start?
The Start of Playhouse Disney
As a Playhouse Disney kid, it's hard to imagine a time before this early morning block was a part of the Disney Channel. Now replaced with Disney Junior, Playhouse Disney was Disney Channel's preschool television block, providing content for younger audiences -- aimed mainly at children ages two to seven.
In May of 1997, the Disney Channel officially launched Playhouse Disney. To compete with other cable preschool television blocks, they knew original programs would need to be created. A few original programs were created for this initial launch, but the first show created was Bear in the Big Blue House!
Bear in the Big Blue House was created by Mitchell Kriegman and produced by Jim Henson Television. The show would go on to have 117 episodes over 4 seasons from its debut on October 20, 1997 through its finale on April 28, 2006.
Award Winning Show
Bear in the Big Blue House racked up quite a few awards over the years. If you ever had any of the Bear in the Big Blue House books, they proudly shared that the show was a winner of Daytime Emmy Awards.
In 2000, the show won a Daytime Emmy for "Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series (Mitchell Kriegman)" and "Outstanding Sound Mixing (Peter Hefter/John Alberts)." In 2003, Bear in the Big Blue House would win another Daytime Emmy for "Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series."
Other notable awards for Bear in the Big Blue House includes 1998 Young Artist Award for "Best Educational TV Show," 1998 International Monitor Award for "Children's Programming - Best Achievement," 1999 Directors Guild of America Award for "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs," and a Parent's Choice Gold Award Winner in 2000 and 2002.
Bear's Spinoff Show
Did you know that Bear in the Big Blue House had a spinoff series? Breakfast with Bear was a show for Playhouse Disney featuring our favorite Bear visiting the real homes of preschoolers while following their morning routine!
The show was on Playhouse Disney from June 20, 2005 until September 15, 2006 and there were 20 episodes. The episode was broken up and stretched out over an hour with other Playhouse Disney shows and content throughout. There were four original songs created for Breakfast with Bear and each episode was titled after the real child that Bear was visiting!
You can watch Episode 1 where Bear visits Kayla from Poughkeepsie, NY below.
Lost Episodes of the Show
While there were a total of 117 episodes of Bear in the Big Blue House, if you're streaming it on Disney Plus you'll notice there's currently only 108 episodes available. This means that 9 episodes are considered lost at the moment, and I'm sharing the list below!
Season 1
- "Why Bears Can't Fly"
- "Music To My Ears"
- "Working Like A Bear"
Season 2
- "The Ojolympics"
- "Love is All You Need"
- "And To All A Good Night"
Season 3
- "I For-Got Rhythm?"
- "A Berry Bear Christmas Part 2"
Season 4
- "A Strange Bird"
After a quick search on Youtube, there are multi-part videos for these episodes, so if you want to relive them you can find them there! Hopefully these episodes will eventually find their way back to Disney Plus? Only time will tell.
Bear's Stage Show
If you're a Bear in the Big Blue House fan, you've probably seen Defunctland's video about the television series and his podcast interview episode with Bear's voice and performer, Noel MacNeal. If you missed it, you can find the Defunctland episode here and the podcast interview with Noel MacNeal here!
Noel shared his experience as Bear visiting Disney-MGM Studios meeting guests while they were trying to gauge excitement for Bear in the Big Blue House in the parks. After this experience, the Disney Parks would add a Bear in the Big Blue House stage show at Disney-MGM Studios!
In the Animation Courtyard, there was a building that was previously home to the Soundstage Restaurant. This space would be transformed for a new stage show, Bear in the Big Blue House: Live on Stage! The live stage show was interactive and featured Bear, Ojo, Tutter, Treelo, Pip and Pop, Shadow, and even Luna. This stage show was very popular and would run at Disney-MGM Studios from June 7, 1999 until August 4, 2001. It was even nominated for a Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement in a Live Show by the Themed Entertainment Association in 2000!
To build on the excitement of the Playhouse Disney block on Disney Channel, the stage show would be transformed into Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage! which would debut as a part of the 100 Years of Magic celebration on October 1, 2001. The show would still feature Bear and his friends in the beginning and end of the live show with segments for other Playhouse Disney shows in the middle. Other featured Playhouse Disney shows included Rolie Polie Olie, Stanley, and Book of Pooh.
This new version of the stage show proved to be a hit with younger audiences in the park and was duplicated for Disney California Adventure in April of 2003! In March 2008, a new version of Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage! would open, replacing Bear in the Big Blue House as the host with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage! would eventually close to make way for Disney Jr. - Live on Stage! in 2011.
So, in case you missed it -- the reason we ever had a Playhouse Disney or Disney Junior stage show at Disney's Hollywood Studios was because of Bear in the Big Blue House and its popularity!
You can watch the original Bear in the Big Blue House: Live on Stage show at Disney-MGM Studios below:
You can watch the original Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage show below:
Disney Stars & Motor Cars Parade
In 2001, Walt Disney World was celebrating Walt Disney's 100th Birthday with the 100 Years of Magic celebration. Disney-MGM Studios was the star of this celebration with the new Sorcerer Hat park icon and new attractions like One Man's Dream and Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage! Each of the four parks got their own parades for the celebration, too. Disney-MGM Studios' parade was called Disney Stars & Motor Cars and Bear was one of the featured stars!
Each of the cars in this special parade were themed after the character, movie, or show. Bear's car was pink and Playhouse Disney-themed! He would ride in the passenger seat waving to guests while Stanley, P and J Otter, and Treelo were behind him in the house in the backseat.
Although there would be changes to this parade during its 2001 to 2008 run, the Playhouse Disney car was a constant. You may recognize this car from another Walt Disney World parade experience too!
If you want to hear all about Disney's 100 Years of Magic Celebration, you can listen to our Carousel Project Podcast episodes on it here. It was actually such a BIG celebration that we had to do a separate bonus episode!
I also have a playlist devoted to the 100 Years of Magic Celebration on my TikTok, so if you want to see some visuals you can find that here.
A Beary Merry Christmas Day Parade
From 2002 to 2005, Disney fans of all ages who would watch the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade would find Bear in the Big Blue House as a part of the holiday cheer!
In 2002, Bear was featured in the parade riding down Main Street USA in Magic Kingdom in his car from the Disney Stars & Motor Cars Parade! He even gets out to perform the Bear Cha Cha Cha with some kids. You can watch his segment starting at 35:25!
2004 was a pretty special year for Bear's feature in the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade Special! His car was still in the parade, but Bear was featured as a "Cub Reporter" for Regis and Kelly sharing experiences from each of the Walt Disney World parks.
He starts by talking about his Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage show in Disney-MGM Studios, but then he went on to experience Mickey's PhilharMagic in Magic Kingdom, The Living Seas in EPCOT, and Triceratops Spin in Disney's Animal Kingdom! For me, it was so fun to see Bear experiencing attractions I loved to do when I was visiting Walt Disney World. You can watch his "Cub Reporter" segment starting at 36:30!
Bear Beyond the Big Blue House
In addition to his presence in the Disney Parks and on Playhouse Disney, Bear would appear on television shows and specials quite a few times over the years. Bear would be a guest on talk shows like Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, Donny & Marie, and the Rosie O'Donnell Show. He even visited show across the pond like Playhouse Disney (UK), Milkshake!, and Open House with Gloria Hunniford. He has a feature in the Behind the Ears Preview in 1997, and he made appearances on the television game show Hollywood Squares over the years, too.
Unlike most Muppets, Bear had the ability to walk around and talk in a television studio, Disney Park, and beyond. It's really cool to see how many places Bear got to go that would make us feel like home when we would see him there!
Book of Pooh Connection
There was another Playhouse Disney show in the early 2000's that was bringing stories to life through puppetry and it was inspired by Disney's Winnie the Pooh. The Book of Pooh joined the Playhouse Disney block in 2001 and it's currently available to stream on Disney Plus, just like Bear in the Big Blue House!
I watched both of these shows as a kid on Playhouse Disney, so I was so excited to introduce them to my daughter and experience them with her. Little did I know there was a reason that these two shows felt so familiar in style and theming to me. Both Book of Pooh and Bear in the Big Blue House were created by Mitchell Kriegman and produced by his company, Shadow Projects!
The connections don't stop there, though. The puppeteers and voices behind Bear (Noel MacNeal) and Tutter, Pip, and the puppetry for Shadow, Luna, and Ray (Peter Linz) were puppeteers for Book of Pooh as well. MacNeal was puppeteer for Rabbit and Linz was puppeteer for Pooh. For me, it's just that much more meaningful that these two special shows are tied together in more ways than just both being on Playhouse Disney.
Merchandise Madness
If you're any sort of Bear in the Big Blue House fan, you know how difficult it is to find merchandise for the beloved show. Plus, in most cases, if you find something -- you probably won't be able to afford the price tag. We're talking hundreds of dollars for books. Don't get me started on games, toys, and plushes! Those who held on to their Bear in the Big Blue House pieces for almost three decades seem to know they have something extremely valuable on their hands.
Since I was so young when the show was on television, I didn't have the opportunity to buy nearly enough Bear in the Big Blue House merchandise in its heyday. Now, it's officially my favorite online treasure hunt collecting what I can as I find it! My daugher's collection of Bear in the Big Blue House books keeps growing and she loves each one more than the last. It's honestly been so fun to watch her fall in love with this show like I did all those years ago.
In case you missed it, Bear in the Big Blue House wasn't just popular on television. The merchandise was extremely popular too! You'd be surprised to learn just how many Bear in the Big Blue House pieces were created and often resurface online from time to time.
So what kind of merchandise was even available for Bear and his friends? You're not surprised to know Bear had his own line of VHS tapes, CDs, plushes, and books, but did you know there were Bear in the Big Blue House valentines, clothing, and even wrapping paper?
In the late 90's and early 2000's, if you loved Bear and his friends, you could find plenty of products featuring them! It's so fun to see what new (old) products pop up in my searches. I keep hoping that with the show now streaming on Disney+ we will see a relaunch of Bear in the Big Blue House toys, clothing, books, and more. Hopefully someday -- we still have 2 years until the show's 30th anniversary.
That being said, if you have any Bear in the Big Blue House merchandise you're interested in parting with, Josie and I will gladly take it off of your hands!
Home is Where The Bear is
To celebrate 28 years of our favorite childhood show, today we launched our Home is Where the Bear is necklace! This design is inspired by a Big Blue House and the Bear that lives there who always made us feel at home. Named for the show's first episode, this necklace features that iconic house we know and love, but if you turn it over, you'll find a special bear and his friends so we can always keep them close to our hearts.
Like most of our designs, Home is Where the Bear is comes in gold and silver. It's made with hypoallergenic, stainless steel and the chain length features adjustable loops at 16, 17, and 18 inches, making it perfect for any necklace stack.
We wanted a design that would be subtle enough for every day life, but just detailed enough for fellow Bear fans! It is so hard to find pieces based on this show these days, so we felt inspired to make a necklace for the Playhouse Disney kids like us. It has been so fun connecting with others who know how special Bear and his Big Blue House are.
If you're planning to shop this new design, you can find it here! Don't forget to use code "SPINNING10" to save 10% at checkout!
Bear in the Big Blue House made its debut on Playhouse Disney almost 28 years ago, but its comforting presence, songs, themes, and characters are still delighting kids after all this time. Between us Millennials becoming parents and new parents out there looking for low stimulation television shows for their children to watch, Bear in the Big Blue House becoming available to stream on Disney Plus allows audiences to continue to cherish him or become new fans of him. I'm so glad that I'm able to give my daughter a piece of my "90s childhood" through one of my favorite childhood comfort shows!
From spinoff shows, television appearances, and awards to merchandise madness and a Disney Parks presence, I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into my favorite Bear. If you like Disney history deep dives like this, you can check out my Disney Throwback section on my blog or our Disney History podcast, the Carousel Project Podcast!
Which Bear in the Big Blue House character is your favorite?
FAQs
How many episodes did Bear in the Big Blue House have?
117 episodes over 4 seasons! While 108 of them are currently available to stream on Disney Plus, there are still 9 missing that are considered lost.
What channel was Bear in the Big Blue House on?
Bear in the Big Blue House aired on Disney Channel during its Playhouse Disney preschool television block from 1997 until 2006. Today, you can stream Bear in the Big Blue House on Disney Plus.
What were the names of the characters on Bear in the Big Blue House?
Bear in the Big Blue House starred Bear and his friends:
- a girl bear cub, Ojo
- twin otters, Pip and Pop
- a mouse, Tutter
- a lemur, Treelo
