The Country Bears also known as the Country Bear Band are the eponymous group of characters from the Country Bear Jamboree.
Description[]
The Country Bears are a musical group of anthropomorphic singing bears in the American country. The group was primarily based out of Grizzly Hall in the "North Woods" of an unidentified U.S. state. The group was best known for "The Country Bear Jamboree", a musical show in Grizzly Hall. Outside of Grizzly Hall is "Big Al's", a gift-shop for the Country Bears run by band-member Big Al, out of his cabin.
The Country Bears have also been associated with the American southwest region of Critter Country, with their likenesses appearing in the Hungry Bear Restaurant. The Country Bears may have (at some point) at a venue here called the Country Bear Playhouse (or alternatively in "Bear Country") though the canonicity or details of this location are unknown.
The Country Bears and Grizzly Hall had various sponsors and associated groups which they promoted. These groups have included the American Bear Association, Beehive Realtors, the Bruin Cycle Co., Clamp's Toggery, the dentist Dr. Winch, and Scalp Bros Furriers.
Members[]
- Big Al: "Big Al" is "Resident bard and balladeer" of the Country Bear Jamboree. He plays guitar, sings, runs the Country Bears' gift-shop from his cabin outside of Grizzly Hall, and has gone on various farewell tours. Big Al was also the contact for "Talented Bear" casting-calls through the Disneyland Casting Agency.
- Gomer: Gomer is the pianist of the Country Bear Jamboree and would frequently drink alcoholic, fermented honey while performing on stage.
- Ernest: Ernest "The Country Bear Beau Brummell" is a dandy-dressed bear who plays a fiddle with such intensity that it causes smoke to burn out from the instrument.
- Five Bear Rugs: The Five Bear Rugs are a hillbilly country-band which perform with the Country Bears.
- Fred: Fred is the biggest member of the band who is a married bear that, ironically, plays the smallest instrument, which is a harmonica.
- Little Oscar: Little Oscar is Zeb's small bear cub that's a part of the band, but does not play any instrument. Little Oscar accompanies the band while his mother is modelling her fur-coat
- Ted: Ted, also known as "Brother Ted" is a tall skinny brown bear that plays a corn jug and a washboard.
- Tennessee: Tennessee is a brown bear that plays a unique instrument, called the one-stringed "Thang". He also wears a red bandana (or blue in Disneyland). He hopes to acquire more strings for his Thang some day.
- Zeb: Zeb is a bear with a bandana around his neck, brown fur and a light brown chest. He plays a fiddle and has a fur-model wife who models at a boutique near Grizzly Hall. With this wife, Zeb has a son named, "Little Oscar".
- Zeke: The leader of the Five Bear Rugs, and only member capable of reading. He wears a top hat and a pair of glasses. It is said that he is the only one in the band who can read music. He strums a banjo and bangs on a dishpan.
- Henry Bear: Henry is the master-of-ceremonies of the Country Bear Jamboree, as well as grandson of jamboree founder Ursus H. Bear. Henry would lead certain songs, write some numbers, organize the shows, and later play electric guitar.
- "Romeo" McGrowl: "Romeo McGrowl", formerly known as "Liver Lips" McGrowl, is a thick-lipped bear who sings and plays guitar. As Romeo, he is known to sing love songs. On occasion, McGrowl has also performed as an Elvis Presley impersonator.
- Sammy: Sammy is a skunk who was turned into a still-living hat in Henry's possession. Sammy would go on to sing in some musical numbers in the Country Bear Jamboree, such as duets with Henry.
- Shaker: Shaker is a singing and guitar-playing bear with a quivering lip.
- Sun Bonnet Trio: The Sun Bonnet Trio are three female bears who started as child performers. They used to do homework behind-the-scenes of the Country Bear Jamboree while being considered the band's "Babies". Eventually, the three girls would join the performance of fellow Country bear, Trixie.
- Beulah:
- Bubbles:
- Bunny:
- Teddi Barra: Teddi Barra is a singing bear who performs from a swing over the main stage, suspended from the rafters. She is believed to have had a romantic affair with the Country Bears' master-of-ceremonies, Henry.
- Trixie: Trixie is a large, singing, female bear. She eventually had the Sun Bonnet Trio act as her back-up singers.
- Wendell: Wendell is a diminutive, singing and acoustic instrument-playing bear.
Others[]
- Dolores the Octopus: Dolores was Shaker's octopus girlfriend who he sang with in the Vacation Hoedown.
- Melvin, Buff, and Max: Melvin, Buff and Max are three still-living taxidermy animal heads which hang in the Country Bear's theater, and sometimes in the Mile Long Bar. These three would talk and sometimes sing during the show.
- Randy the Skunk: Randy was a skunk who snuck his way into Henry's hat during the Country Bear Vacation Hoedown.
- Rufus the Bear: Rufus the Bear is the technician of the Country Bear Jamboree.
- Ursus H. Bear: Ursus H. Bear was the founder of the Country Bear Jamboree and Grizzly Hall.
- Webster the Penguin:
History[]
Background[]
Origins[]
The Country Bears were assembled by Ursus H. Bear, who invited bear performers from around the world. The band may have been a successor to that which Ursus travelled the world with when he was a yearling. In 1898, Ursus created Grizzly Hall which served as the base of the Country Bear Jamboree. The construction of this cabin was nearby the cabin of jamboree member Big Al. After the success of the Country Bears, Big Al turned his cabin into a gift-shop called, "Big Al's".
1920s[]
Ursus H. Bear died in 1928 at the age of 80 and was paid tribute over Grizzly Hall's stage. Ursus' grandson, Henry, took over as master-of-ceremonies after Ursus' death. The Country Bears appeared to have some activity in Critter Country during the 1920s.[1]
Several members of the Country Bears appeared to meet the stuffed toy-bear "Winnie the Pooh" from the Hundred Acre Wood who also lived in Critter Country. Portraits were made showing Pooh using his balloon to float alongside Teddi Barra's swing, and Pooh sitting atop Gomer's piano on stage drinking Gomer's alcoholic honey. Melvin, Buff, and Max also appeared in Winnie the Pooh's nightmares about "Heffalumps and Woozles". Teddi Barra was also namesake for "Teddi Barra's Swingin' Arcade" which appeared to share a building with the shop "Pooh Corner".
Country Bear Jamboree[]
Henry would lead a successful version of the Country Bear Jamboree. This version of the Country Bear Jamboree would be fairly popular, and Grizzly Hall received fan-mail for the bears in the 1960s and 1970s. On the September 29th of 1964, a young bear named Teddy sent Grizzly Hall a fan-letter, saying he was inspired to play on a washboard himself and became a professional musician. This letter was later put on display in Grizzly Hall.
In 1971, a documentary called "Singing Wild: Behind the Scenes with the Country Bear Jamboree" was created by documentarian Ken Bearns. The footage was marked to be developed prior to September 24th, 1971. On the October 1st, 1971, fan-mail was sent to the Country Bears from "Frontierland". Another piece of fan-mail was sent to the Country Bears in Grizzly Hall from Bear Country on the March 24th of 1972. An issue of "Hiber-Nation" magazine was released in the December of 1978, covering how the Country Bears Jamboree was named "Show of the year".[2]
At some point, Ernest starred alongside Trixie in the film "Beary Poppins", seemingly taking on the role of Bert.
Christmas Special & Vacation Hoedown[]
At one point, the Country Bears did a Holiday version of their show.
On one summer, the Country Bears went on vacation. While the bears seemed to have gone on separate vacations, some of the vacation seemed to include them as a group (including the heads of Melvin, Max and Buff) on the beach. A post-card was sent to the bears from Davey F. and Michael S., wishing them happy holidays, hoping their vacation was great, and saying that they'd see each other soon. The Country Bears would make a show based around their vacations called the "Country Bear Vacation Hoedown".
Wendell, to the dismay of the taxidermy heads, would show his vacation slideshows during this show while singing. Wendell photographed an audience of bears for this slideshow, causing a cast-member to tell him that the no flash-photography rule applied to him as-well. Liver Lips used this show to sing as an Elvis Presley impersonator, while Shaker sang a romantic duet with his octopus girlfriend Dolores before exclaiming at her on stage "This just ain't workin' out, Dolores!". Elements of the Country Bear Christmas special were accidentally used at parts of this show, and a skunk called Randy snuck into Henry's hat then joined the Country Bears for the finale.
World Tour[]
Liver Lips rebranded himself as "Romeo McGrowl". The Country Bear Jamboree would go on World Tour, with Wendell documenting the tour in photographs. Big Al's birthday party happened on this trip, and Sammy popped out of Big Al's cake. Also photographed on this tour was Wendell being carried by an audience of bears, Henry bringing fast-food to Teddi Barra's swing as a flirtation, and the Five Bear Rugs playing music while Sammy snuck their coffee and the Sun Bonnet Trio rested in their van.
In September, Trixie performed in Royal Ursa Hall with the Sun Bonnet Trio as her special guests. One of the locations visited on World Tour was Grizzlyville, deemed "Grizzlyville's Biggest Night of Music". The Five Bear Rugs did a one-night-only performance on October 6th. The Five Bear Rugs' performance was recorded in as a musical record by "Grizzly Gulch Records". In November, Teddi Barra had a one-night-only show in an unknown location.
Country Bear Musical Jamboree[]
At some point, the Sun Bonnet Trio became the backup singers for Trixie, while trading in their bonnets for stetsons.
About a century after Ursus H. Bear's death, Henry planned a new show for the Country Bears called the "Country Bear Musical Jamboree". Henry made plans for this show on a napkin in Critter Country's Hungry Bear Restaurant. He went on to write a new opening song for the show with the Five Bear Rugs.
This new iteration of the show was well received by several critics. The National Growl said "Don't hibernate on this one! Go!", the Grizzly Gazette said "A show the whole pack with love!" while giving it five paw-prints, and Hiber-Nation Magazine said "It'll have you growlin' in the aisles".
Development history[]
The characters of the Country Bear Jamboree were originally created by animator Marc Davis for Disney's Mineral King Ski Resort, a planned ski resort in Mineral King Valley, California, which was ultimately scrapped. Marc Davis' last encounter with Walt Disney before Disney's death was when Disney saw designs for the Country Bears and said the characters were funny. The characters first appeared in Walt Disney World's Frontierland, with the show then opening the next year in Disneyland's Bear Country.
In 1984, Disneyland integrated "The Country Bear Christmas Special" seasonal overlay. As the Country Bears alone could not bring guest traffic to Bear Country, Splash Mountain was developed and Bear Country was switched to "Critter Country". In 1986, Disneyland's Country Bear Jamboree changed to the "Country Bear Vacation Hoedown". The Magic Kingdom had their own iteration of the Country Bear Vacation Hoedown until 1992 when they returned to the original show. Tokyo adopted the vacation hoedown in 1994, albeit as a seasonal overlay rather than a permanent fixture.
In 2000, Disneyland stopped integrating the Country Bear Christmas Special. Disneyland's Country Bear Jamboree was closed on September 9, 2001. Imagineers attempted to preserve the Country Bear characters by proposing the attraction to be replaced by a Country Bear themed attraction called the Critter Country 500, however this idea was turned down. Instead, The Country Bear Jamboree was replaced by the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
In 2002, the Country Bear Jamboree was subject to the critically panned live-action film "The Country Bears". In 2006, the Magic Kingdom stopped integrating the annual Country Bear Christmas Special seasonal overlay.
In 2024, a refurbishment updated the Magic Kingdom's Country Bear Jamboree into the "Country Bear Musical Jamboree". This involved updates to the character's designs, having the characters primarily cover Disney songs (possibly to avoid growing controversy for some of the original songs' subject-matters; namely the child characters of the Sun Bonnet Trio singing sexual songs), and expanding the Country Bears' history.
Appearances[]
Critter Country/Bear Country[]
Before becoming Critter Country, this section of Disneyland was known as "Bear Country" and was largely themed to the Country Bear Jamboree.
Country Bear Jamboree[]
The Country Bears appeared in this attraction until it was replaced by the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in 2001.
Hungry Bear Restaurant[]
The likenesses of the bears appear in this restaurant, and their names appear in the names of the restrooms. In 2024, a Country Bear Jamboree inspired re-theming was announced for this restaurant.
Pooh Corner[]
Teddi Barra's name appears on the building exterior, while portraits of her and Gomer with Winnie the Pooh appear inside of the shop.
Frontierland[]
Various Country Bears appear as meet & greet characters in Frontierland.
Country Bear Bandwagon[]
This Tokyo Disneyland shop stand is themed to the Country Bears.
Country Bear Jamboree/Country Bear Musical Jamboree[]
The Country Bears are central characters of this attraction.
Grizzly Peak[]
The Country Bears sometimes appear as meet & greet characters in this area. A wood Big Al interactive sculpture was added to the area as-well.
Main Street Cinema[]
The Disneyland Casting Agency has the posting "Openings for Talented Bears: Sought for Country Western Musical. Must play an instrument. Singing experience preferred. Trainers contact Big Al at C.B. Playhouse.".
Trivia[]
- Documentarian Ken Bearns from 1971 is a reference to documentarian Ken Burns.
- The technician Rufus is a tribute to Disneyland's extinct "Bear Country" which had the Country Bear Jamboree as well as the cave where Rufus could be heard snoring.
- The Country Bears and Br'er Bear from the Song of the South (1946) are notable bear characters from defunct Critter Country attractions.
- Individual Country Bears have had several cameos and references:
- Brother Ted used to be referenced on a washboard in the Magic Kingdom's Splash Mountain.
- Sammy was namesake for "Sammy's Recycalatin' Corner" along Disneyland's Splash Mountain.
- Melvin, Buff and Max's heads appear in the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in Disneyland.
- Teddi Barra and Gomer are referenced in Disneyland's Pooh Corner.
- Brother Ted might be referenced in the Critter Co-op, where there is a jug labelled "C sharp".
- Big Al is referenced in the queue for Goofy's Sky School.
- The Sun Bonnets Trio are referenced on the poster for "Bunny, Bubbles, and Beulah's Beautiful Bonnets" on the Disney Springs Christmas Tree Trail while "Max, Buff, & Melvin's Stuffing & Mounting Crafting Characters" is referenced in Twenty Eight and Main in Disney Springs.
- An inanimate Delores the Octopus appears in the Collector's possession in the queue for Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT!.
- The Country Bears' portrait cameos alongside Winnie the Pooh are similar to those alongside the characters of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride in the Magic Kingdom version of the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
- Tiana's Bayou Adventure features a family of instrument playing bears.
- Luggage in the Country Bear Vacation Hoedown featured stickers from Grizzly Gulch, referencing a land in Hong Kong Disneyland, and Humphrey National Park, referencing the Mickey Mouse universe character Humphrey the Bear.[3]
- Grizzly Gulch Records which recorded the Five Bear Rugs' performance on World Tour, is another reference to Hong Kong Disneyland's Grizzly Gulch area.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Crossover references to Winnie the Pooh, which is set during Christopher Robin's childhood in this decade
- ↑ https://allears.net/2024/07/10/answering-your-biggest-question-about-the-new-country-bear-jamboree-show-in-disney-world/
- ↑ https://www.disneytouristblog.com/country-bear-jamboree-vacation-hoedown-tribute/