![Blaubär und Blöd nah by Stepro](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Blaub%C3%A4r_und_Bl%C3%B6d_nah_by_Stepro.jpg)
Captain Bluebear (
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
: ''Käpt'n Blaubär'') is a fictional character created by novelist and comic artist
Walter Moers
Walter Moers (; born 24 May 1957 in Mönchengladbach) is a German comic creator and author.
Life and work
Moers held odd jobs after leaving school before starting a commercial apprenticeship. He taught himself how to draw, and has been publis ...
. Bluebear, an anthropomorphic talking bear with blue fur who originally appeared in the German children's television program ''
Die Sendung mit der Maus'', has since then appeared in a film, a novel, a stage musical and various other media, all of which chronicle the character's life as a sailor and adventurer. Outside of Germany, Captain Bluebear is best known for being the protagonist of Moers' novel ''
The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear''.
The name pokes fun at the relative homophony between the German vowel ''e'' and umlaut ''ä'', when pronounced in a more colloquial, everyday style of language, especially in Northern Germany. In a compound noun the final ''-e'' from ''-beere'' (e.g. ''Erdbeere'' "strawberry", ''Himbeere'' "raspberry", etc.) would very often not be pronounced at all:
''Bär/Beer(e)'' - 'bear/berry' ... 'bluebear/blueberry'
''Die Sendung mit der Maus''
Captain Bluebear originally appeared in ''Käpt'n Blaubärs Seemannsgarn'' (“Captain Bluebear's Sailor's Yarn”), a regular segment in the educational children's television series ''Die Sendung mit der Maus''. Other regular characters of the ''Seemannsgarn'' episodes are Bluebear's sailor companion Hein Blöd (an anthropomorphic rat whose name translates as “Harry Dim”) and his three grandchildren (little bears who have yellow, green and pink fur), all of which live with Bluebear in a ship stranded on a cliff. One episode would usually consist of Bluebear telling a
cock-and-bull story to his grandchildren, with the frame narrative being made with animated
puppets and Bluebear's story itself being a
traditionally animated short film. The stories always take the form of a
tall tale
A tall tale is a story with unbelievable elements, related as if it were true and factual. Some tall tales are exaggerations of actual events, for example fish stories ("the fish that got away") such as, "That fish was so big, why I tell ya', it n ...
and usually have Captain Bluebear overcome some unbelievable obstacle or a seemingly all-powerful adversary who threatens to sink the Captain's ship. The little bears habitually doubt the veracity of their grandfather's tales, while Hein Blöd acts as a
buffoon
A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and ...
character.
The episodes sometimes contained allusions to other popular characters of German children's television like the
Sandmännchen
''Unser Sandmännchen'' ("Our Little Sandman"), ''Das Sandmännchen'' ("The Little Sandman"), ''Der Abendgruß'' ("The Evening-Greeting"), ''Abendgruß'' ("Evening-Greeting"), ''Der Sandmann'' ("The Sandman"), ''Sandmann'' ("Sandman"), ''Sandm ...
, and also to other aspects of Walter Moers' work, e.g. in some episodes one of the little bears wears a pin-back button of Moers' adult comic character ''Das Kleine Arschloch'' (The Little Asshole). Bluebear, Hein Blöd and the three little bears later became part of other children's TV shows as well, such as ''
Käpt’n Blaubär Club'' and ''
Blaubär und Blöd''.
Captain Bluebear also was a part of Mister Moose's Fun Time on
Fox Family Channel
The American cable and satellite television network that is now known as Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through several different owners (and six different name changes) during its h ...
.
Film and novel
In 1999, Captain Bluebear simultaneously appeared in a
made-for-television
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...
feature film and in ''The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear'', Walter Moers' first
fantasy novel
Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fa ...
. The novel reveals that Bluebear is a Chromobear (''Buntbär'') and thus belongs to a fictional race of ursines who inhabit the continent of Zamonia, which became a regular setting for most of Moers' fantasy novels. ''The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear'' is presented as the autobiography of its eponymous hero, which nevertheless covers only the first half of his 27 lives—implying that the other half is covered by the television episodes and making the novel a kind of
origin story
In entertainment, an origin story is an account or backstory revealing how a Character (arts), character or group of people become a protagonist or antagonist, and it adds to the overall interest and complexity of a narrative, often giving reason ...
for the character. The novel ends with Bluebear rescuing his fellow Chromobears from slavery. The Chromobears (although not Bluebear himself) return in Moers' second Zamonia novel ''
Ensel and Krete'', in which they are shown as having established a touristic paradise in their native forest that the Chromobears nevertheless rule in a militaristic, semi-totalitarian way. The novels depart from the concept of the television program in that they are suited not only for children, but for adult readers as well.
The
traditionally animated film ''
Käpt'n Blaubär – Der Film'' was written by Moers and directed by Hayo Freitag. It is based on the television episodes rather than the novel. Its plot centers around the
mad scientist
The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as " mad, bad and dangerous to know" or " insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly a ...
Prof. Dr. Feinfinger, who, in kidnapping the little bears, seeks revenge against their grandfather, who once thwarted Feinfinger's plan to achieve world domination. Feinfinger is voiced by German comedian
Helge Schneider
Helge Schneider (born 30 August 1955 in Mülheim an der Ruhr) is a German entertainer, comedian, musician, author, film and theatre director, and actor. He frequently appears on German television and is probably best known for his song "Katzeklo ...
, who had previously participated in the film adaptations of Moers' Little Asshole character, while Bluebear's voice is provided by actor
Wolfgang Völz
Wolfgang Otto Völz (16 August 1930 – 2 May 2018) was a German actor. He is known for his roles in theatre plays, TV shows, feature films (especially German films based on Edgar Wallace works) and taped radio shows. He was also a very prolifi ...
, who already voice-acted the Bluebear puppet in the ''Seemannsgarn'' episodes. The film also features an end title theme written and performed by Berlin rock group
Die Ärzte
Die Ärzte (; ) is a German rock band from Berlin. The band has released 14 studio albums. The group consists of guitarist Farin Urlaub, drummer Bela B and bass player Rodrigo González. All three write and perform their songs.
History Ea ...
. ''Käpt'n Blaubär – Der Film'' was awarded a
Deutscher Filmpreis in 2000.
Musicals
In 2006, ''The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear'' was adapted into a
stage musical
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
composed by Martin Lingnau and written by Heiko Wohlgemuth. It premiered in the
Musical Dome
The Musical Dome (2012 to 2015: Oper am Dom) is a 1,640-seat theatre in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It opened in October 1996.
It was originally built as a temporary performance venue for musicals in Cologne's inner borough of Inne ...
in Cologne. It was followed by two television musicals in 2008 and 2009 respectively, ''Die drei Bärchen und der blöde Wolf'' ("The Three Little Bears and the Dim Wolf") and ''Abenteuer im Pizzawald'' ("Adventures in the Pizza Forest"), both of which were in turn based on the television episodes.
Video game
In 2001, a Captain Bluebear puzzle video game titled ''Käpt'n Blaubär: Die verrückte Schatzsuche'' () was developed by
Shin'en Multimedia and published by
Ravensburger
Ravensburger AG is a German game and toy company, publishing house and market leader in the European jigsaw puzzle market.
History
The company was founded by Otto Robert Maier in Ravensburg, a town in Upper Swabia in southern Germany. He bega ...
for the
Game Boy Color.
References
External links
Official website for the television episodesOfficial website for the stage musical
{{Authority control
Animated characters
Fictional bears
Fantasy television characters
Characters in fantasy literature
Characters in fantasy novel series of the 20th century
Fictional anthropomorphic characters
Bears in literature
Fox Family Channel original programming