Bear in the Big Blue House

Bear in the Big Blue House is an American children's television series created by Mitchell Kriegman. The series aired on Playhouse Disney from October 20, 1997 to April 28, 2006.

Plot
Bear lives in the Big Blue House where he is caregiver for his friends bear cub Ojo, mouse Tutter, lemur Treelo, otters Pip and Pop, and narrator Shadow. He and his friends have many adventures together. Those normally include solving problems, sharing, cooperating with each other and developing social/life skills.

Each episode opens with the welcome song and appearance of the characters. Each show focuses on a theme (ex; "sleep", "doctors", "Thanksgiving") which folds into a lesson at the end. Songs and jokes accompany the episode. The character "Shadow" narrates a segment with shadow puppets in each episode. Most of the segments are in song, while some are simply a short story relating to the episode's theme. At the end of the program, Bear sings the goodbye song with Luna, the moon.

Main

 * Noel MacNeal as Bear
 * Peter Linz as Tutter
 * Peter Linz and Tyler Bunch as Pip and Pop
 * Vicki Eibner as Ojo
 * Tyler Bunch as Treelo
 * Peter Linz and Tara Mooney (Voice) as Shadow
 * Lynne Thigpen as Luna the Moon
 * Geoffrey Holder as Ray the Sun

Supporting

 * Alice Dinnean and Vicki Eibner as Grandma Flutter
 * Victor Yerrid as Cousin Whiner
 * Tim Lagasse as Uncle "Jet Set Tutter"
 * Tyler Bunch as Doc Hogg
 * James Kroupa as Benny the Bat / Jeremiah Tortoise
 * Vicki Eibner as Annette / Henrietta Vanderpreen / Keisha
 * Skippy
 * Peter Linz as Big Old Bullfrog / Jacques the Beaver
 * Jennifer Barnhart as Miss Maxwell
 * Anney McKilligan as Rita Mouse
 * Noel MacNeal as Moss
 * Sean Choi as Cousin Titter
 * Eric Jacobson as Harry the Duck
 * James Kroupa and Vicki Eibner as Otto and Etta Otter
 * Carmen Osbahr as Ursa

Episodes
See Also: List of Bear in the Big Blue House Episodes

Cancellation
Bear in the Big Blue House was initially produced from 1997 to 2003. The sudden death of Lynne Thigpen, who voiced 'Luna' the moon, led to production being put on hiatus for three years, along with a planned film.

In 2005, two years after Thigpen's death, Tara Mooney, who voiced Shadow, told Irish radio station Today FM that "the crew's hearts just weren't in it anymore". Thigpen's friends and family established a non-profit foundation, The Lynne Thigpen - Bobo Lewis Foundation, to help young actors and actresses learn how to survive and succeed in New York theatre and to mentor the next generation of Broadway stars.

After the hiatus and the spin-off Breakfast with Bear, a final run of new episodes aired on the Disney Channel in April 2006, with the very last episode airing on April 28, 2006. Repeats of the show ceased altogether in May 2007 (December 2010 in the UK). Thigpen was posthumously nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for voicing Luna the moon in Bear in the Big Blue House, but lost to Jeff Corwin.

Locations

 * Woodland Valley - Woodland Valley is the area/village in which events on the show are situated. The Big Blue House is the main landmark, but there is also a general store, post office, mall, library, movie theatre, mouse school and many other locations. Many of these are not seen (or not seen in much detail) until the fourth season. In "History, Herstory, Bearstory," Jeremiah Tortoise reveals that his grandfather Hepahestus Tortoise was the town's first settler. He initially decided to call it Who'd Have Thought I Would Land in This Valley Valley, but decided it was too long and changed it to Would Land Valley. Jeremiah says he's been trying to get the official spelling changed for years. Sequoia City is a neighbouring town of Woodland Valley.
 * The Big Blue House - The Big Blue House is where most of the main action of the series Bear in the Big Blue House takes place. Located in Woodland Valley, it looks somewhat small from the outside, but large and roomy on the inside. Bear lives here and runs a sort of daycare/group-home. Tutter has his mousehole in the house, while most of the other young characters only spend the day here. The Big Blue House is often described as warm and cozy. The Big Blue House has five rooms. The kitchen and the living room are downstairs. Bear has his very own swing where he sometimes sits and reads in the living room. Tutter's mousehole is in the kitchen. The front-door, where Bear greets the viewers at the beginning of each episode, is also downstairs. Upstairs are the bathroom and Bear's bedroom. Finally, Bear stores various items in the attic. There's also a landing there where Bear visits each night to talk with his friend Luna, the moon. Bear once gave the following directions on how to reach the Big Blue House: just take the path that leads into the woods, make the right past the big oak, go right, past the pond and then you're there.
 * Otter Pond - Pip and Pop often hang out at the Otter Pond. It is also home to Harry the Duck, his mum and his sister, Hallie. Additionally, various other creatures sometimes hang out at the Otter Pond, including Benny, Christine and Big Old Bullfrog. The general area of the Otter Pond is filled with plants, including bushes filled with berries. Bear and Ojo visit there to pick berries for triple-berry pie in "If at First You Don't Succeed..." The Otter Pond was the site of a special nighttime party in "And to All a Good Night."
 * Woodland Valley Library - The Woodland Valley Library is a place for everyone in Woodland Valley to go for research and resources. It is managed by Otto and Etta Otter. It is located directly in the centre of the town. In addition to books, it also offers DVDs, CD-ROMs, Internet access and various other resources. Woodland Valley Library is featured in the two-part "Welcome to Woodland Valley" story. A tree falls on the library and the entire community works together to help get it cleaned up. There is damage to the collection and so donations are made. When Ojo discovers two unnamed opossums (voiced by Gilbert Gottfried and Brad Garrett) living in the tree that fell, the tree itself is made into a part of the library as the Book Nook. The library is featured in the song, "Everything's Great About the Library." Harry the Duck wonders what's so great about the library and so Tutter, Treelo, Pip and Pop sing a song to explain it. They tell him that there's something for everyone at the library, but the library is a place to read, so you have to keep your voices down; no disturbing allowed.
 * Woodland Valley Cinema - The Woodland Valley Cinema is a local movie theatre for everyone in Woodland Valley to relax and watch films. Annette is the owner of the movie theatre and does all the jobs from box office to ticket taker. The screening room has three rows of seats in the auditorium and a concession stand. The concession stand accepts dollars and cents as payment instead of clams, Woodland Valley's official currency. Woodland Valley Cinema was first introduced in "Welcome to Woodland Valley." However, in "Words, Words, Words," the Woodland Valley Gazette says the movie theater is named "Woodland Valley Multiplex."
 * Woodland Valley Post Office - The Woodland Valley Post Office is Woodland Valley's own facility for posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail. The post office also sells stamps for stamp collections and does clammygrams if asked. Jeremiah Tortoise works there in addition to running his general store. Most of the mail ends up arriving late due to Jeremiah Tortoise, who is slow at delivering the mail. In "A Strange Bird," Bear received a two-week-old postcard from a penguin named Puck from the South Pole and finds out Puck is paying a visit to the Big Blue House today. The store accepts clams, Woodland Valley's official currency, as payment and it has to be exact change only. Woodland Valley Post Office was first introduced in "Read My Book" and was seen more in later episodes.
 * Mouse School - The Mouse School is a fun place to learn for Tutter and his classmates, including Keisha, Luke, Lily, Rita and Moss. Learning and other activities are overseen by Miss Maxwell. It's a one-room schoolhouse, but there's plenty of places to play and an occasional field trip. Tutter first begins attending Mouse School in the fourth season. He joins the school soccer team, coached by Bear, but considers quitting in "Show Your Stuff." In "Teacher Appreciation Day," Tutter joins with Lily to figure out a way to show Miss Maxwell how much the mice kids all appreciate her. Tutter holds a sleepover for his Mouse School classmates in "Tutter's First Big Sleepover Bash."
 * Doc Hogg's Office - Doc Hogg's Office is where Doc Hogg treats his patients on Bear in the Big Blue House. Bear, Tutter and Ojo visited the office when Tutter hurt his tail in "That Healing Feeling." The office has a waiting room with toys and books to keep children entertained.
 * Sequoia City - Sequoia City is a neighbouring town of Woodland Valley and Woodland Valley may be considered a suburb of it. They are known to have a baseball team called the "Big Bats." Sequoia City is the hometown for two radio stations that reach Woodland Valley; WWTL (a news and weather station) and Bear's favourite music station WCHA-CHA. Sequoia City was one of the locations on a signpost in "The Great Bandini." The other location names on that signpost (other than the library) have not been used again, but Sequoia City has been mentioned in other episodes. Bear and the kids of the Big Blue House went on vacation at a nice hotel in Sequoia City in "This Is Your Life, Bear."
 * River City - River City is a town mentioned on Bear in the Big Blue House. Not much is known about it, but Grandma Flutter was an all-star player for their baseball team: the River City Rodents.

Songs

 * "Welcome to the Blue House"
 * "What's That Smell?"
 * "The Bear Cha-Cha-Cha"
 * "Dear Grandma"
 * "Happy, Happy Birthday"
 * "Good Morning"
 * "Brush, Brush Bree"
 * "Look at You Now"
 * "That's My Name"
 * "Everybody Say Ah"
 * "What's In The Mail Today?"
 * "Making Sense Of The World"
 * "The Grandma Mambo"
 * "Remember When"
 * "The Otter Dancing School"
 * "Shadow's Lullaby"
 * "When I'm Older"
 * "Everybody In The Tub"
 * "Rhythm In The Air"
 * "Why Can't The Dirt Just Leave Me Alone?"
 * "Imagine That"
 * "Smellorama"
 * "When I Find The Great Lost Cheese"
 * "Under Your Blanket"
 * "Love Is Incredible"
 * "Your Grandma And Grandpa"
 * "What Kind Of Mouse Am I?"
 * "Picture This"
 * "Hello Doctor"
 * "Worth The Wait"
 * "Friends Forever"
 * "Surprise!"
 * "What's Mine Is Yours"
 * "The Toileteers"
 * "Next Stop Dreamland"
 * "Great to Be at Home"
 * "Go to Bed, Sleepy Head"
 * "Take Time to Smell the Cheese"
 * "Clean Up the House"
 * "Oops! I Goofed Again"
 * "Quiet Time"
 * "Otter Love"
 * "Shape of a Bear"
 * "Baby, Baby"
 * "When You Make Yourself a Friend"
 * "Oh, Boy"
 * "You Go, Ojo"
 * "Need a Little Help Today"
 * "Goodbye Song"

Broadcast
The show was shown throughout the world including in the United Kingdom on Five and Playhouse Disney UK, on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Australia and on RTÉ Two in Ireland.