Entertainment
 

Little Bear

From Nickelodeon

{{{title}}}
Genre Family
Created by {{{created}}}
Starring Kristin Fairlie
Jennifer Martini
Elizabeth Hanna
Janet-Laine Green
Andrew Sabiston
Dan Hennessey
Country of origin Template:CAN

Template:USA

No. of episodes {{{no_episodes}}}
Production
Running time approximately 30 mins
Broadcast
Original channel Nickelodeon
Original run November 6, 1995 – February 1, 2000
Links
Official Site Nick.com
IMDb profile IMDb
TV.com summary TV.com summary

Little Bear is a children's television series. Originally produced by Nelvana for Nickelodeon, it currently airs on Treehouse TV in Canada and Noggin (replaced by Nick Jr. on September 28, 2009) in the United States. A direct-to-video full-length feature film was also created after the series ended.

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 animals, 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 four grandparents, the eponymously named animals Duck, Cat, Owl and Hen, in addition to many recurring minor characters.

Reruns of Little Bear could be seen on Noggin (soon to be replaced by Nick Jr. on September 30, 2009), ever since it adopted a 24/7 schedule. Reruns of Little Bear will air on Nickelodeon's 24/7 sister station Nick Jr. beginning on September 30, 2009.

[edit] Characters

Little Bear - Little Bear is a small grizzly bear cub, an animal version of an average human 6 year-old. Throughout the series, he has grown somewhat, as his voice is slightly deeper, and he doesn't take naps as much. He is the only character whose parents are shown. Little Bear lives in a stucco, timber, plaster, and brick house. He is always kind and loves to explore.

Owl - Owl is the brainy character, who is sometimes pompous, but very wise indeed. He lives in a treehouse. Although Owl enjoys fun games, he'll only participate if the gameplay is sensible.

Duck - Duck is a domesticated duck with yellow feathers and a long neck, making her somewhat similar to a goose. Slow and smart at the same time, Duck is a nerdy type who gets herself into comedic situations. She lives in a nest.

Hen - 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 is also fond of opera though she is not a very good singer.

Cat - Cat is a slothful, pompous 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, which often turn out to be longer than a regular path.

Mitzi - Mitzi is a mischievous, sometimes rather unthoughtful monkey (despite lacking a tail, which would technically make her an ape) 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 keepsies by declaring keepsies too fast to be understood, and won all of Little Bear's marbles - to his great dismay). She does not appear in as many episodes as the rest of the cast.

No Feet - No Feet is a green garden snake that lives in Mother Bear's garden.

Frog - Frog is a frog that dispenses zen-like wisdom between his meditations.

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. Usually, only Little Bear is able to converse with her, so it is not certain if she is imaginary or if she just happens to appears when nobody else is able to see her.

Emily - Emily is a good friend of Little Bear's. She is a 7-year-old human girl who moved into a cottage in the forest with her Grandmother and her dog Tutu. She is the oldest and likes to be in charge. Although she is sometimes bossy, she is very kindhearted. Emily's most prized possession is her doll named Lucy, which she takes everywhere.

Granny-Granny is Emily's grandmother. She claimes to has visited many places around the world and has a great imagination. Emily says she speaks Toad.

Mother Bear- Mother Bear is Little Bear's mother. She seems to enjoy cooking and is always there to help Little Bear if he needs it. Her actual name is Mother Bear, as in one of the episodes Little Bear discovers a heart with MB + FB on it, and then below LB, which his parents had drawn on the tree a long time ago. She likes to hum.

Father Bear- Father Bear is Little Bear's father. He is a fisherman and sometimes takes Little Bear out fishing.

Tutu- Tutu is Granny's dog. She acts very hyper and like she understands humans. Also, according to Granny, she only speaks French.

Grandfather Bear-Grandfather Bear is Little Bear's grandfather and Mother Bear's father. He once worked at a circus with his wife.

Grandmother Bear-Grandmother Bear is Little Bear's grandmother and Mother Bear's mother. She likes to cook, especially desserts, and tell stories.

Cub- Cub only appears in The Little Bear Movie. He is a wild dark brown bear who lives in the wilderness with his parents. Unlike Little Bear, he walks more on all fours than upright, though he does walk on two paws. He can sometimes be a bit mean, but he becomes a good friend of Little Bear.

Rusty Bear - Rusty is Father Bear's younger brother. He mentions that lives in the woods, and that he would perfer to live their 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 one episode, where he helps Father Bear and Grandfather Bear build a log house for Granny and Emily. He also gives Little Bear a harmonica.

Little Lick - Little Lick is a baby raccoon is only appears in one episode where his mother went to visit his grandmother and dropped him off with Mother Bear. Little Bear and Little Lick 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 Lick. Little Lick also causes sorts of trouble for Little Bear. Little Lick is the baby raccoon's nickname from Little Bear because "lick" is apparently the only thing the baby can say.

[edit] Series finale film

After the last episode aired on February 1, 2000, The Little Bear Movie was released directly-to-video on August 7, 2001 by Paramount Home Entertainment, and was produced by Paramount Pictures and Nelvana (the same company behind this show). Little Bear and Father Bear go camping and encounter another young bear named Cub. When Little Bear learns that Cub has lost his parents, he decides to help Cub find them. And of course, Owl, Hen, Cat and Duck join in the search party too. Along the way, Little Bear, Cub and Duck get separated from the others and must spend the night in the wilderness. When the morning comes, they continue the search for Cub’s parents in a place very different from Little Bear’s world. The trailer of the film can be seen on the VHS release of Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000).

[edit] Voice Cast

Actor Role
Kristin Fairlie Little Bear
Amos Crawley Owl
Tracy Ryan Duck
Andrew Sabiston Cat
Dan Hennessey Father Bear
Janet Laine-Green Mother Bear
Tara Strong Tutu
Elizabeth Hanna Hen
Jennifer Martini Emily
Sean McCann Grandfather
Retrieved from "http://nickelodeon.wikia.com/wiki/Little_Bear"