Little Bear (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Maurice Sendak's Little Bear is a Canadian children's television series starring a Little Bear voiced by Kristin Fairlie
. Originally produced by Nelvana
for Nickelodeon
, it currently airs on Treehouse TV
in Canada and Nick Jr. in the United States. A direct-to-video full-length feature film was also created after the series ended. In The Little Bear Movie, Little Bear and his friends help a bear named Cub to help find his parents.
It is based on the Little Bear
series of books which were written by Else Holmelund Minarik
, and illustrated by Maurice Sendak
.
Most of the characters are moderately anthropomorphic animal
s, exhibiting both animal and human behaviors, but generally dealing with human problems and concerns. However, Little Bear's friend, Emily, and her grandmother are human and Tutu, their dog, is mostly a normal pet. Other characters in the series include Little Bear and his parents Mother and Father Bear, his paternal uncle Rusty, his two grandparents, the eponymously named animals Duck, Cat, Owl and Hen, in addition to many recurring characters.
Reruns of Little Bear can currently be seen on Nick Jr.
) - Little Bear is a small grizzly bear
cub. Throughout the series, he has grown somewhat, as his voice is slightly deeper, and he doesn't take naps as often. He is the only character whose parents are shown with the exception of Ducks mother in one show. Little Bear lives in a stucco, timber, plaster, and brick house. He is always kind and loves to explore. He and all his other animal friends are, and always play barefoot
and without clothes, while the adult characters such as Mother and Father Bear are usually seen wearing shoes and clothes. Despite this, He has worn clothes on certain occasions, like a scarf and winter hat when the weather is cold, a fishing hat when taken fishing or hiking, and finally on one occasion a black dress suit with a red necktie and black shoes.
Emily (voiced by [Jennifer Martini) - Emily is Little Bear's seven-year-old friend. In the summer, she vacations with her parents by the river near Little Bear's home. Emily carries around a doll
named Lucy everywhere she goes and is very attached to her. Emily gave Little Bear Lucy when she was leaving to go back to school but then took her back, saying that she just remembered that "Lucy has to go to school", too. Emily eventually moves to the forest permanently and lives there with her grandmother.
Hen
(voiced by Elizabeth Hanna) - Hen is a fussy, feisty chicken who lives in a large chicken coop. She is classy and sophisticated and enjoys cleanliness, though her several nieces and nephews often mess up her spotless house. However, she never turns down the opportunity for fun. Hen has also been shown to be fond of opera
, but it seems that she isn't good at it.
Mother Bear (voiced by Janet Laine-Green) - Mother Bear is Little Bear's mother. She seems to enjoy cooking and is always there to help Little Bear if he needs it. She also seems to be very tidy and does not like it when the house becomes messy. She normally wears a pink shirt and a blue skirt with a white apron.
Cat
(voiced by Andrew Sabiston
) - Cat is a laid back, slothful feline who enjoys prowling at night, playing tricks on passersby, and eating. When he and his friends must get to a certain place in the woods, Cat often leads them through one of his shortcuts.
Father Bear (voiced by Dan Hennessey
) - Father Bear is Little Bear's father and Mother Bear's husband. His occupation is a fisherman
and sometimes takes Little Bear out fishing. He has been to many places and likes to keep things that are old, even if they have to be thrown away. He usually wears a blue suit with a purple tie and brown shoes.
Owl
(voiced by Amos Crawley) - Owl is someone who is sometimes pompous, but very wise. He lives in a treehouse. Although Owl enjoys fun games, he'll only participate if the gameplay is sensible. Reading is his hobby.
Duck
(voiced by Tracy Ryan
) - Duck is a domesticated duck with yellow feathers, an orange beak and a long neck. Slow and smart at the same time, Duck is one who gets herself into comical situations. She lives in a nest, although in one episode, she expressed longing for a house and tried to live in a house boat. It floated downriver filled with frogs and Duck lived happily in her nest. She loves playing "princess" and pretend. She was hatched in a nest of chicks, because "some eggs got mixed up", and Little Bear taught her to fly when she was a duckling. She never has any ducklings of her own, but she is sometimes seen babysitting a group of them, the youngest named Little Peep.
Mermaid
- Mermaid is a mermaid who Little Bear occasionally meets when he goes to the lake, she is friendly and takes Little Bear to see places underwater.
Frog
- Frog is a frog that dispenses zen-like wisdom between his meditations.
Moose
(voiced by Ray Landry) - A Moose who sometimes helps Little Bear and his friends when they're in need.
Grandfather Bear (voiced by Sean McCann
) - Grandfather Bear is Little Bear's grandfather and Mother Bear's father. He once worked at a circus
with his wife and sister. He wears a green suit but with khakis and a dark-red tie with brown shoes.
Grandmother Bear (voiced by Diane D'Aquila
) - Grandmother Bear is Little Bear's grandmother and Mother Bear's mother, and Grandfather Bear's wife. She likes to cook and tell stories.
Lucy - Lucy is a doll who belongs to Emily. She has short blond hair and wears a red dress and bonnet with brown shoes. In one episode, Lucy fell from a tree and her porcelain arm was broken. Little Bear fixed it with tape. Another time, Duck sat on Lucy mistakenly and they had a funeral, where she was proved to be "alive" in the end. Emily is the only one who can "understand" and "talk" to Lucy.
Otters - Four silly siblings that appeared in a few episodes resided in the local river.
No Feet (voiced by Rick Jones
) - No Feet is a friendly, gentle and green gardener snake (hence the name) that lives in Mother Bear's garden.
Rusty Bear - Rusty is Father Bear's younger brother. He mentions that he lives in the woods, and that he would prefer to live there because it is quiet and peaceful. He is a very big bear, slightly taller and huskier than Father Bear. He has a deep voice, wears overalls, and has a red handkerchief around his neck. He is seen in only a few of the Little Bear episodes. Little Bear is fascinated with Rusty's outdoor ethic, and whenever he shows up, Little Bear is tempted to emulate his rustic character.
Granny - Emily's Grandmother, who she lives with in the summer and then permanently, has traveled the world and has many odd pieces of furniture. She is the owner of Tutu.
Tutu (voiced by Tara Strong
) - Tutu is Granny's dog
. She acts very hyper and she can understand humans. According to Granny, she only speaks French, yet she understands English.
Little Ick - Little Ick is a baby raccoon
and only appears in an episode where his mother went to visit his grandmother and dropped him off with Mother Bear. Little Bear and Little Ick form a bit of a sibling relationship together like Little Bear feeling left out because Mother Bear seems to be paying more attention to Little Ick. Little Ick is the baby raccoon's nickname from Little Bear because "Ick" is the only thing the baby can say.
Mitzi (voiced by Ashley Taylor) - Mitzi is a mischievous, sometimes rather unthoughtful tomboyish monkey
who lives in a tree house
in the forest around Little Bear's home. She feels bad after slighting somebody's feelings or misleading them (as when she played for keeps by declaring "keepsies" too fast to be understood, and won all of Little Bear's marbles
). She somtimes has green or white eyes.
Marshmallow - Marshmallow is a baby albino skunk
. She is found by Owl and Little Bear in an episode and plays with Duck, Little Bear, Owl, and Cat in the episode "Little Footprints".
and Nickelodeon Movies
decided to create The Little Bear Movie
.
Both tours are presented by Paquin Entertainment, and were produced by Koba Entertainment.
Kristin Fairlie
Kristin Fairlie is an actress and was a child actress. She was the voice of Little Bear on Little Bear. In 1998 she won a Young Artist of Hollywood Award for Best Ensemble for her lead role in the Showtime original movie The Sweetest Gift. Past Winners include Jena Malone and Leonardo DiCaprio...
. Originally produced by Nelvana
Nelvana
Nelvana Limited is a Canadian entertainment company founded in 1971 known for its work in children's animation. It was named by founders Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith after a Canadian comic book superheroine created by Adrian Dingle in the 1940s...
for Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
, it currently airs on Treehouse TV
Treehouse TV
Treehouse TV is a Canadian English language cable television specialty channel with programming targeted towards preschoolers that was launched on October 17, 1997. Its name comes from YTV's old children's programming block, The Treehouse...
in Canada and Nick Jr. in the United States. A direct-to-video full-length feature film was also created after the series ended. In The Little Bear Movie, Little Bear and his friends help a bear named Cub to help find his parents.
It is based on the Little Bear
Little Bear (book)
Little Bear is a series of children's books, primarily involving the interaction of Little Bear and Mother Bear . The first book in the series was published in 1957, written by Else Holmelund Minarik and illustrated by Maurice Sendak...
series of books which were written by Else Holmelund Minarik
Else Holmelund Minarik
Else Holmelund Minarik is the author of the Little Bear series of children's books, which were successful as books, and were also made into a successful children's TV series...
, and illustrated by Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak
Maurice Bernard Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963.-Early life:...
.
Most of the characters are moderately anthropomorphic animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s, exhibiting both animal and human behaviors, but generally dealing with human problems and concerns. However, Little Bear's friend, Emily, and her grandmother are human and Tutu, their dog, is mostly a normal pet. Other characters in the series include Little Bear and his parents Mother and Father Bear, his paternal uncle Rusty, his two grandparents, the eponymously named animals Duck, Cat, Owl and Hen, in addition to many recurring characters.
Reruns of Little Bear can currently be seen on Nick Jr.
Characters
Little Bear (voiced by Kristin FairlieKristin Fairlie
Kristin Fairlie is an actress and was a child actress. She was the voice of Little Bear on Little Bear. In 1998 she won a Young Artist of Hollywood Award for Best Ensemble for her lead role in the Showtime original movie The Sweetest Gift. Past Winners include Jena Malone and Leonardo DiCaprio...
) - Little Bear is a small grizzly bear
Grizzly Bear
The grizzly bear , also known as the silvertip bear, the grizzly, or the North American brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear that generally lives in the uplands of western North America...
cub. Throughout the series, he has grown somewhat, as his voice is slightly deeper, and he doesn't take naps as often. He is the only character whose parents are shown with the exception of Ducks mother in one show. Little Bear lives in a stucco, timber, plaster, and brick house. He is always kind and loves to explore. He and all his other animal friends are, and always play barefoot
Barefoot
Barefoot is the state of not wearing any footwear. Being barefoot is regarded as a human's natural state, though for functional, fashion and social reasons footwear is worn, at least on some occasions...
and without clothes, while the adult characters such as Mother and Father Bear are usually seen wearing shoes and clothes. Despite this, He has worn clothes on certain occasions, like a scarf and winter hat when the weather is cold, a fishing hat when taken fishing or hiking, and finally on one occasion a black dress suit with a red necktie and black shoes.
Emily (voiced by [Jennifer Martini) - Emily is Little Bear's seven-year-old friend. In the summer, she vacations with her parents by the river near Little Bear's home. Emily carries around a doll
Doll
A doll is a model of a human being, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have traditionally been used in magic and religious rituals throughout the world, and traditional dolls made of materials like clay and wood are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. The earliest documented dolls...
named Lucy everywhere she goes and is very attached to her. Emily gave Little Bear Lucy when she was leaving to go back to school but then took her back, saying that she just remembered that "Lucy has to go to school", too. Emily eventually moves to the forest permanently and lives there with her grandmother.
Hen
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
(voiced by Elizabeth Hanna) - Hen is a fussy, feisty chicken who lives in a large chicken coop. She is classy and sophisticated and enjoys cleanliness, though her several nieces and nephews often mess up her spotless house. However, she never turns down the opportunity for fun. Hen has also been shown to be fond of opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, but it seems that she isn't good at it.
Mother Bear (voiced by Janet Laine-Green) - Mother Bear is Little Bear's mother. She seems to enjoy cooking and is always there to help Little Bear if he needs it. She also seems to be very tidy and does not like it when the house becomes messy. She normally wears a pink shirt and a blue skirt with a white apron.
Cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
(voiced by Andrew Sabiston
Andrew Sabiston
Andrew Sabiston is a Canadian actor, theatre and television writer and lyricist. He went to St. Michaels University School in Victoria, British Columbia, graduating in 1982, the same year as classmate Leslie Hope. Both had been cast in their final year in the Paul Almond movie, Ups & Downs, which...
) - Cat is a laid back, slothful feline who enjoys prowling at night, playing tricks on passersby, and eating. When he and his friends must get to a certain place in the woods, Cat often leads them through one of his shortcuts.
Father Bear (voiced by Dan Hennessey
Dan Hennessey
Dan Hennessey is a Canadian voice actor who, early on in his career, performed with a children's comedy troupe,...
) - Father Bear is Little Bear's father and Mother Bear's husband. His occupation is a fisherman
Fisherman
A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishermen and fish farmers. The term can also be applied to recreational fishermen and may be used to describe both men...
and sometimes takes Little Bear out fishing. He has been to many places and likes to keep things that are old, even if they have to be thrown away. He usually wears a blue suit with a purple tie and brown shoes.
Owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
(voiced by Amos Crawley) - Owl is someone who is sometimes pompous, but very wise. He lives in a treehouse. Although Owl enjoys fun games, he'll only participate if the gameplay is sensible. Reading is his hobby.
Duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
(voiced by Tracy Ryan
Tracy Ryan
Tracy Ryan is an Australian poet and novelist. She has also worked as an editor, publisher, translator, and academic.-Life:Tracy Ryan was born in Western Australia, where she grew up as part of a large family...
) - Duck is a domesticated duck with yellow feathers, an orange beak and a long neck. Slow and smart at the same time, Duck is one who gets herself into comical situations. She lives in a nest, although in one episode, she expressed longing for a house and tried to live in a house boat. It floated downriver filled with frogs and Duck lived happily in her nest. She loves playing "princess" and pretend. She was hatched in a nest of chicks, because "some eggs got mixed up", and Little Bear taught her to fly when she was a duckling. She never has any ducklings of her own, but she is sometimes seen babysitting a group of them, the youngest named Little Peep.
Mermaid
Mermaid
A mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk"...
- Mermaid is a mermaid who Little Bear occasionally meets when he goes to the lake, she is friendly and takes Little Bear to see places underwater.
Frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
- Frog is a frog that dispenses zen-like wisdom between his meditations.
Moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
(voiced by Ray Landry) - A Moose who sometimes helps Little Bear and his friends when they're in need.
Grandfather Bear (voiced by Sean McCann
Sean McCann
Sean McCann may refer to:* Sean McCann , Lieutenant General and Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces, succeeding Dermot Earley* Sean McCann , Canadian television actor...
) - Grandfather Bear is Little Bear's grandfather and Mother Bear's father. He once worked at a circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
with his wife and sister. He wears a green suit but with khakis and a dark-red tie with brown shoes.
Grandmother Bear (voiced by Diane D'Aquila
Diane D'Aquila
Diane D'Aquila is an United States-born Canada-based actor. She has appeared in both television and film roles, but is best-known for her stage appearances at the Stratford Festival. She originated the role of Elizabeth I of England in Timothy Findley's play, Elizabeth Rex...
) - Grandmother Bear is Little Bear's grandmother and Mother Bear's mother, and Grandfather Bear's wife. She likes to cook and tell stories.
Lucy - Lucy is a doll who belongs to Emily. She has short blond hair and wears a red dress and bonnet with brown shoes. In one episode, Lucy fell from a tree and her porcelain arm was broken. Little Bear fixed it with tape. Another time, Duck sat on Lucy mistakenly and they had a funeral, where she was proved to be "alive" in the end. Emily is the only one who can "understand" and "talk" to Lucy.
Otters - Four silly siblings that appeared in a few episodes resided in the local river.
No Feet (voiced by Rick Jones
Rick Jones
Rick Jones may refer to:*Rick Jones , fictional character from the Marvel Universe*Rick Jones , BBC children's programme presenter *Rick Jones , MLB pitcher...
) - No Feet is a friendly, gentle and green gardener snake (hence the name) that lives in Mother Bear's garden.
Rusty Bear - Rusty is Father Bear's younger brother. He mentions that he lives in the woods, and that he would prefer to live there because it is quiet and peaceful. He is a very big bear, slightly taller and huskier than Father Bear. He has a deep voice, wears overalls, and has a red handkerchief around his neck. He is seen in only a few of the Little Bear episodes. Little Bear is fascinated with Rusty's outdoor ethic, and whenever he shows up, Little Bear is tempted to emulate his rustic character.
Granny - Emily's Grandmother, who she lives with in the summer and then permanently, has traveled the world and has many odd pieces of furniture. She is the owner of Tutu.
Tutu (voiced by Tara Strong
Tara Strong
Tara Lyn Strong is a Canadian actress, voice-over artist, singer, who is best known for her voice work in cartoons.-Early life and career:...
) - Tutu is Granny's dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
. She acts very hyper and she can understand humans. According to Granny, she only speaks French, yet she understands English.
Little Ick - Little Ick is a baby raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
and only appears in an episode where his mother went to visit his grandmother and dropped him off with Mother Bear. Little Bear and Little Ick form a bit of a sibling relationship together like Little Bear feeling left out because Mother Bear seems to be paying more attention to Little Ick. Little Ick is the baby raccoon's nickname from Little Bear because "Ick" is the only thing the baby can say.
Mitzi (voiced by Ashley Taylor) - Mitzi is a mischievous, sometimes rather unthoughtful tomboyish monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
who lives in a tree house
Tree house
Tree houses, treehouses, or tree forts, are platforms or buildings constructed around, next to or among the trunk or branches of one or more mature trees while above ground level...
in the forest around Little Bear's home. She feels bad after slighting somebody's feelings or misleading them (as when she played for keeps by declaring "keepsies" too fast to be understood, and won all of Little Bear's marbles
Marbles
A marble is a small spherical toy usually made from glass, clay, steel, or agate. These balls vary in size. Most commonly, they are about ½ inch in diameter, but they may range from less than ¼ inch to over 3 inches , while some art glass marbles fordisplay purposes are over 12 inches ...
). She somtimes has green or white eyes.
Marshmallow - Marshmallow is a baby albino skunk
Skunk
Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
. She is found by Owl and Little Bear in an episode and plays with Duck, Little Bear, Owl, and Cat in the episode "Little Footprints".
Series 1: 1995-1996
| № | Cartoons | Original airdate |
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Series 2: 1997-1998
| № | Cartoons | Original airdate |
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Series 3: 1998-1999
| # | Cartoons | Air Date |
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Series 4: 1999-2000
| № | Cartoons | Original airdate |
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Series 5: 2000-2001
| № | Cartoons | Original airdate |
|---|
Movie
In 2001 Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
and Nickelodeon Movies
Nickelodeon Movies
Nickelodeon Movies is the motion picture production arm of children's cable channel Nickelodeon, originally launched in 1995. Its first film was Harriet the Spy. It has produced films based on Nickelodeon programs, as well as other adaptations and original projects...
decided to create The Little Bear Movie
The Little Bear Movie
The Little Bear Movie is a film based on the television series Little Bear, which in turn is based on the book series of the same name which was written by Else Holmelund Minarik and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, and produced by Nelvana Limited for Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies...
.
United Kingdom
- CBBCCBBCCBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
(1996-1999) - Nick Jr. (1997-2009)
- Nick Jr. 2Nick Jr. 2Nick Jr. 2 is Nick Jr.'s second channel in the United Kingdom, generally presenting popular Nick Jr. programming at other times of the day. It launched 24 April 2006. Currently, Nick Jr. 2 carries a schedule separate from the main Nick Jr. channel; however, during the first week after launching, it...
(2006-2009) - Tiny PopTiny PopTiny Pop is a free-to-air television channel in the UK. It is owned by CSC Media Group, and launched on 24 July 2004, and broadcasts cartoons and pop music videos for pre-schoolers.Its sister channel is Pop which was launched on 29 May 2003...
(2009-present) - KidsCoKidsCoKidsCo is an international children's entertainment brand founded by Canadian broadcaster Corus Entertainment's Nelvana Enterprises, American-based producer DIC Entertainment, and European broadcaster Sparrowhawk Media Group in April 2007. By the end of 2007, Sparrowhawk was purchased by media...
(2011-present)
Canadian Live and New York Musical Theatrical Version
In Canada, Little Bear has been turned into a live theatrical show, "Little Bear: Winter Tales" which originally toured across Canada in 2007. The show is due to tour Canada again in late 2009.Both tours are presented by Paquin Entertainment, and were produced by Koba Entertainment.