On this day 29 years ago, Bear in the Big Blue House debuted on Disney Channel’s Playhouse Disney block. Creator Mitchell Kriegman developed the series with Jim Henson Television, and Noel MacNeal brought the lovable title character to life. The first episode, “Home Is Where the Bear Is,” gave viewers a tour of Bear’s cozy home. It also introduced the show’s opening theme and the beloved “Goodbye Song.”
Welcome to the Big Blue House
Each episode opened with Bear greeting viewers and telling them they smelled good. From there, he looked after his young friends Ojo, Tutter, Treelo, Pip and Pop. Most episodes also featured Shadow, who told stories with shadow puppets. At the end of each day, Bear headed to the attic to recap everything with Luna the moon. Together, they closed nearly every episode by singing the “Goodbye Song.” Puppeteers Peter Linz, Tyler Bunch and Vicki Eibner performed Bear’s friends alongside MacNeal.
The first season ran 26 episodes, and new episodes continued until April 28, 2006. The spinoff “Breakfast with Bear” premiered in 2005, and Playhouse Disney kept airing reruns until May 2007. Fun fact: the Season 2 episode “And to All a Good Night” almost became the series finale. MacNeal told Defunctland the team wasn’t sure the show would get another season.
Bear Takes the Stage at Disney World
Fans could also see Bear in person at Disney-MGM Studios, now Disney’s Hollywood Studios. “Bear in the Big Blue House – Live on Stage” opened in the Animation Courtyard on June 7, 1999. The 7-foot-tall Bear even gave the audience a good sniff, just like on TV. That show closed on August 4, 2001, to make room for “Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage.” Bear and his friends still opened and closed the new show until January 2008.
A Permanent Home at Disney
On February 17, 2004, Disney agreed to buy the show, along with the Muppets, from The Jim Henson Company. The deal covered all the Bear characters, the TV library, and the show’s copyrights and trademarks. Lisa Henson said her father believed “Disney would be a perfect home for the Muppets.” Today, the show lives under Disney’s Muppets Studio. Fans can also stream it on Disney+, where it arrived on October 19, 2022.
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