Bear in the Big Blue House isn't as great as The Muppets or Sesame Street, but it's still great regardless! I loved it when I was a little kid, but I lost interest in it and quit watching it altogether when I was 4 years old because I started to be scared of Bear, especially when he'd sniff the audience. I hadn't watched it for a long time because of that, but I rediscovered it on YouTube a few years back and heard others say good things about it that I completely forgot about, and now I enjoy watching it again, although Bear's sniffing still scares me a bit. I'm glad it's now on Disney+ and I watch it there sometimes.
Noel MacNeal, Bear's puppeteer and voice, confirmed that Bear is intended to be the anti-Barney. Some have described Barney as loud and childlike, with a dopey-sounding voice, and Bear as calm and fatherly, with a voice that doesn't make parents want to bulge their eyes out. Noel has also described the latter as a "furry Mr. Rogers." Unlike Barney, Bear has more depth in his personality, and he doesn't talk down to the audience. The show is popular with kids and adults alike because of these aspects, but Barney, on the other hand, is exclusively for kids, and it receives a lot more hate from people other than the target audience, even though I'm neutral to the purple dinosaur show. Similar to Steve and Joe from Blue's Clues, whenever Bear asks the audience a question (e.g., "What do you like to do with your friends?", "Who do you love most?", "What do you do when you're scared?", "What do you like to share with your friends and family?"), real kids appear on the screen and answer it, and his pauses after questions are short and sweet. Like Barney, the show addresses some everyday aspects of life, albeit in a more relatable manner, like the importance of sharing, friendship, forgiveness, potty training, discovering the world around you, good sportsmanship, hygiene, and more.
Bear's gentle and soothing nature, along with his understanding and laid-back approach to handling his friends' issues, make him a great caregiver. He helps his friends overcome their fears and worries in a nurturing way. In one episode, Tutter is scared of Bear's skunk cuckoo clock, so he takes it apart to understand it better and overcome his fear. Bear is initially confused, but he understands after Tutter explains why he took it apart and says, "The more you know about something, the less you'll be afraid of it." Bear shows his gentleness in another episode by comforting Ojo hours after a tree falls on the local library and destroys it. He assures her that the entire population of Woodland Valley will work together to fix it and sings a reassuring song. I'm amazed at how he handles those situations because they may be hard for other caregivers and parents to understand. Some parents, including mine, tend to expect their kids' negative attitudes or demeanors to magically change from bad to good, but thankfully I can't say the same about Bear. I hate when that happens because it's impossible, and I believe that nobody ever has a positive attitude just for the sake of it. Furthermore, I've heard multiple times that it's okay to feel upset, and I feel like I'm being lied to whenever that happens. Bear has a soft, soothing voice, which strengthens the tone. The series has been popular with children, especially those with special needs like autism, due to its calming nature and Bear's gentleness. Coincidentally, I've had autism ever since I was born, and I've been sensitive to loud noises all my life.
Not only is Bear understanding, nurturing, laid-back, gentle, and the anti-Barney, but he's also one of the most expressive, energetic, and realistic muppets I've ever seen. Unlike most muppets, he can open and close his eyes, twitch his eyebrows, sleep while his face is on screen, droop his eyelids, and more. He can also do a wide variety of dance moves, most notably his signature dance, the Bear Cha Cha Cha.
Unlike some other preschool shows, "Bear in the Big Blue House" uses humor throughout, making it even more enjoyable to watch. Some of its funniest moments include Bear shaking his head while dancing during the theme song, the said character saying "I'm curious. Were you cha-cha-chaing?", and Tutter screaming and ending his conversations with a calmer "Thank you, Bear!" I'm not good at describing what's funny, but these moments really stand out.
The show has a wide variety of music genres, including jazz, rock, hip-hop, the blues, and more. The jazz songs are nostalgic, and Bear's vocals are electric. Some songs convey life lessons and give the lessons uniqueness, like Pip and Pop's "Otter Love," which talks about the importance of love. It says you can never get enough love, and I can't argue with that. It's a banger, and it has a hip-hop-like beat and smooth, cool, and calming backup vocals by Bear (I don't know how else to describe his vocals). The Bear Cha Cha Cha is iconic and gets everyone dancing, and the Goodbye Song is surprisingly cheerful, yet quiet, pretty, and emotional, and it always makes me feel the need to cry. The upbeat music from The Book of Pooh also adds to the show's optimistic vibe, and its presence reminded me that the show wasn't as creepy and dull as I remembered before revisiting it.
The Big Blue House set looks very cool! It's so big and roomy. The swing in the living room looks fun and relaxing to sit on. The backyard has plenty of trees, logs, and a pond nearby, and it resembles a forest, which is fitting because most of the characters are forest animals. The Big Blue House sounds fun to visit and would also be fun to live in! I don't know how else to describe the set.
Overall, Bear in the Big Blue House is an educational, entertaining, funny, sweet, and engaging show! I consider it a good part of my childhood, despite the bad memories I had with it. If you're looking for a show for you and your kid(s) to enjoy together, this is it! I don't have any kids, but if I have any someday, I'll definitely introduce them to Bear!
Noel MacNeal, Bear's puppeteer and voice, confirmed that Bear is intended to be the anti-Barney. Some have described Barney as loud and childlike, with a dopey-sounding voice, and Bear as calm and fatherly, with a voice that doesn't make parents want to bulge their eyes out. Noel has also described the latter as a "furry Mr. Rogers." Unlike Barney, Bear has more depth in his personality, and he doesn't talk down to the audience. The show is popular with kids and adults alike because of these aspects, but Barney, on the other hand, is exclusively for kids, and it receives a lot more hate from people other than the target audience, even though I'm neutral to the purple dinosaur show. Similar to Steve and Joe from Blue's Clues, whenever Bear asks the audience a question (e.g., "What do you like to do with your friends?", "Who do you love most?", "What do you do when you're scared?", "What do you like to share with your friends and family?"), real kids appear on the screen and answer it, and his pauses after questions are short and sweet. Like Barney, the show addresses some everyday aspects of life, albeit in a more relatable manner, like the importance of sharing, friendship, forgiveness, potty training, discovering the world around you, good sportsmanship, hygiene, and more.
Bear's gentle and soothing nature, along with his understanding and laid-back approach to handling his friends' issues, make him a great caregiver. He helps his friends overcome their fears and worries in a nurturing way. In one episode, Tutter is scared of Bear's skunk cuckoo clock, so he takes it apart to understand it better and overcome his fear. Bear is initially confused, but he understands after Tutter explains why he took it apart and says, "The more you know about something, the less you'll be afraid of it." Bear shows his gentleness in another episode by comforting Ojo hours after a tree falls on the local library and destroys it. He assures her that the entire population of Woodland Valley will work together to fix it and sings a reassuring song. I'm amazed at how he handles those situations because they may be hard for other caregivers and parents to understand. Some parents, including mine, tend to expect their kids' negative attitudes or demeanors to magically change from bad to good, but thankfully I can't say the same about Bear. I hate when that happens because it's impossible, and I believe that nobody ever has a positive attitude just for the sake of it. Furthermore, I've heard multiple times that it's okay to feel upset, and I feel like I'm being lied to whenever that happens. Bear has a soft, soothing voice, which strengthens the tone. The series has been popular with children, especially those with special needs like autism, due to its calming nature and Bear's gentleness. Coincidentally, I've had autism ever since I was born, and I've been sensitive to loud noises all my life.
Not only is Bear understanding, nurturing, laid-back, gentle, and the anti-Barney, but he's also one of the most expressive, energetic, and realistic muppets I've ever seen. Unlike most muppets, he can open and close his eyes, twitch his eyebrows, sleep while his face is on screen, droop his eyelids, and more. He can also do a wide variety of dance moves, most notably his signature dance, the Bear Cha Cha Cha.
Unlike some other preschool shows, "Bear in the Big Blue House" uses humor throughout, making it even more enjoyable to watch. Some of its funniest moments include Bear shaking his head while dancing during the theme song, the said character saying "I'm curious. Were you cha-cha-chaing?", and Tutter screaming and ending his conversations with a calmer "Thank you, Bear!" I'm not good at describing what's funny, but these moments really stand out.
The show has a wide variety of music genres, including jazz, rock, hip-hop, the blues, and more. The jazz songs are nostalgic, and Bear's vocals are electric. Some songs convey life lessons and give the lessons uniqueness, like Pip and Pop's "Otter Love," which talks about the importance of love. It says you can never get enough love, and I can't argue with that. It's a banger, and it has a hip-hop-like beat and smooth, cool, and calming backup vocals by Bear (I don't know how else to describe his vocals). The Bear Cha Cha Cha is iconic and gets everyone dancing, and the Goodbye Song is surprisingly cheerful, yet quiet, pretty, and emotional, and it always makes me feel the need to cry. The upbeat music from The Book of Pooh also adds to the show's optimistic vibe, and its presence reminded me that the show wasn't as creepy and dull as I remembered before revisiting it.
The Big Blue House set looks very cool! It's so big and roomy. The swing in the living room looks fun and relaxing to sit on. The backyard has plenty of trees, logs, and a pond nearby, and it resembles a forest, which is fitting because most of the characters are forest animals. The Big Blue House sounds fun to visit and would also be fun to live in! I don't know how else to describe the set.
Overall, Bear in the Big Blue House is an educational, entertaining, funny, sweet, and engaging show! I consider it a good part of my childhood, despite the bad memories I had with it. If you're looking for a show for you and your kid(s) to enjoy together, this is it! I don't have any kids, but if I have any someday, I'll definitely introduce them to Bear!