Bear in the Big Blue House

Context & Trivia

Created by Mitchell Kriegman, "Bear in the Big Blue House" was a foundational series for Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney preschool block. The series was praised for its main character, Bear, designed by Paul Andrejco, who offered a kind, calm father figure, often drawing positive comparisons to "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood". Noel MacNeal was the puppeteer and voice of Bear, operating the full-body puppet from within, similar to Big Bird, using an internal monitor to see and a string system to manipulate the arms. Other main characters designed by Paul Andrejco include Ojo, Tutter, Pip and Pop, Ray the Sun, Doc Hogg, and Harry the Duck. The series also incorporated shadow puppetry, with the character of Shadow narrating segments using this technique. Initial production of the series ran from 1997 to 2002, with the final episodes airing in April 2006. Contrary to rumors, the show was not canceled due to the death of Lynne Thigpen (the voice of Luna) in 2003, as production had already wrapped. The show had a spin-off series, "Breakfast with Bear," which aired from 2005 to 2006, and a live stage show, "Bear in the Big Blue House: Live on Stage!", which ran at Disney-MGM Studios from 1999 to 2001.