''Old Bear Stories'' is a
BAFTA award-winning stop frame animation
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
series for children based on the
Old Bear and Friends books by
Jane Hissey
Jane Hissey (born 1952) is a British author and illustrator of children's books. She is best known for her series of children's books '' Old Bear and Friends,'' which became the basis for a BAFTA award-winning television series ''Old Bear Stories ...
. Jane Hissey also created the television series, starting it on 24 September 1993, and creating 3 seasons, which ended on 24 December 1997 with a double-length
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
special. In all, 41 episodes were made.
The series was produced by Ealing Animation (
El Nombre
''El Nombre'' is a children's educational programme about an anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic Mexico, Mexican gerbil character, originally from a series of educational sketches on ''Numbertime'', the BBC schools programme about mathematics. He ...
) and was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
. Episodes have subsequently been repeated on
Channel 5 in the UK, and are also broadcast in the United States and other countries worldwide. The show also aired for a short time on the
CBC morning children's block in Canada. It also aired in the United States as part of
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
's ''
''Small World'''' as well as
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
in Australia,
M-Net
M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...
,
SABC 2
SABC 2 is a South African family public television channel owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). SABC 2 broadcasts programming in English, Sepedi, Afrikaans, Venda, and Tsonga.
As of August 2018, the channel started broadc ...
and
Bop TV
Bop TV was a television station run by the Bophuthatswana Broadcasting Corporation in the former Republic of Bophuthatswana in South Africa.
History
Commencing operations in 1984, it primarily transmitted imported programmes in an unedited for ...
in South Africa,
MediaCorp Channel 5
Channel 5 (Chinese: 五頻道) is a free-to-air, English-language television channel in Singapore. Owned by state broadcaster Mediacorp, it broadcasts general entertainment, news, and sports programming. The channel's logo is a big white number ...
in Singapore,
Channel Eye in Sri Lanka,
ČT1
ČT1 (ČT Jedna, Česká televize 1, "''Jednička''") is the Czech public television channel, operated by Česká televize. ČT1 is a general purpose channel, showing family-oriented television, Czech movies, children's programming, news and docum ...
in the Czech Republic,
TVP1
TVP1 (TVP Jeden, ''Program I Telewizji Polskiej'', ''"Jedynka"'') is the main public television channel of TVP (Telewizja Polska S.A.), Poland's national television broadcaster. It was the first Polish channel to be broadcast and remains one ...
in Poland,
SVT Barnkanalen in Sweden and
TV2 and
TV One in New Zealand. The series was also screened on armed forces television on
BFBS
The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides radio and television programmes for His Majesty's Armed Forces, and their dependents worldwide. Editorial control is independent of the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces themselve ...
(and its former network
SSVC Television) where it was shown in several countries such as Germany and the Falkland Islands.
Episodes of the series were released on VHS by
Carlton Video
ITV Studios is a British multinational television production and distribution company owned by the British television broadcaster ITV plc. It handles production and distribution of programmes broadcast on the ITV network and third-party broadca ...
.
Plot
The animals at the play room had remembered that Old Bear disappeared long ago. He had been put into the loft. They rescued him and brought him back down to the Play room. He became the most respected toy and guides the others in their many adventures, both in the play room and in the garden.
Characters
* Old Bear: an elderly dusty
teddy bear
A teddy bear is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy bear, ...
, he was put up in the attic when he reached an advanced age, but was rescued by the other toys. They now looked up to him as a fearless, yet wise, leader.
* Bramwell Brown: a wise old bear, often considered second to Old Bear. Liked to cook things for the other toys.
*
Duck
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...
: a gloomy but amiable toy duck. He sometimes wished he could fly, and he didn’t like to get his feet wet.
*
Rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
: an impulsive toy rabbit.
* Little Bear: a small white bear who wore overly baggy orangey red trousers. Being the youngest of all the toys, he was very enthusiastic and inquisitive, rather like a young child. He also sometimes had good ideas for solving problems or playing games.
* Jolly Tall: a toy
giraffe
The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...
who despite his height didn’t like heights - he said his head thought it was high enough already.
*
Sailor
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship.
The profession of the s ...
: a toy sailor who enjoyed sailing in his toy boat.
*
Zebra
Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: the Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. zeb ...
: a female toy zebra.
* Hoot the
Owl
Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...
: a toy owl living in the attic. Originally had a nest made of a bunch of socks that didn't match, until Little Bear gave her an old bobble hat to use instead.
* Ruff the
Dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
: a bouncy toy dog which resembled a
Fox Terrier
Fox Terriers are two different breeds of the terrier dog type: the Smooth Fox Terrier and the Wire Fox Terrier. Both of these breeds originated in the 19th century from a handful of dogs who are descended from earlier varieties of British terr ...
.
*
Dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
: a toy black
Scottish Terrier
The Scottish Terrier ( gd, Abhag Albannach; also known as the Aberdeen Terrier), popularly called the Scottie, is a breed of dog. Initially one of the highland breeds of terrier that were grouped under the name of ''Skye Terrier'', it is one o ...
who liked to bury his rubber bones in some plant pots.
*
Camel
A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...
: a toy camel who was almost as tall as Jolly Tall. Once tried to use Little Bear's trousers as hump warmers.
*
Cat
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
: a toy cat who liked to nap in any place she found.
* Rabbit's cousin: female cousin of Rabbit, who occasionally stayed with the toys. She wore a straw hat, and seemed to like to cause mischief, and didn’t like cleaning.
* The dolls: a family of 3 dolls (a father, a mother (Mrs. Doll) and a daughter) who lived in a dolls' house in a corner of the play room.
Episodes
Series 1
#Old Bear
#Little Bear Lost
#There Were Five In A Bed
#Jolly Tall
#Little Bear's Trousers
#The Circus
#The Rainy Day
#The Fancy Dress Competition
#Little Bear's Big Race
#The Apple Tree
#The Winter Picnic
#Jolly Snow
#The Doll's House Christmas
Series 2
#Ruff
#The Play
#The Boat Race
#Jigsaw
#Little Bear's Book
#The Birthday Band
#Hot and Spotty
#Hoot
#Ruff Follows His Nose
#Spring Clean
#Old Bear's Chair
#Market Day
#The Car
Series 3
#Hoot and the Mystery Eggs
#The Clock
#The Castle
#The Colour Chase
#Little Bear's Snowmen
#The Painting
#Duck Tries to Fly
#The Jolly Dragon
#Rabbit and the Visitor
#Little Bear's Cold Day
#Ruff and the Big Wheel
#The Birthday Camp
#The Treasure Hunt
Christmas Specials
# Little Bear and the Christmas Star
# The Perfect Presents
Cast and crew
* Writer:
Jane Hissey
Jane Hissey (born 1952) is a British author and illustrator of children's books. She is best known for her series of children's books '' Old Bear and Friends,'' which became the basis for a BAFTA award-winning television series ''Old Bear Stories ...
* Director: Kevin Griffiths
* Assistant Director: Liz Whitaker
* Producer: Richard Randolph
* Executive Producer: Peter Gillbe
* Composer
Paul Castle* Film Editor: Nick Follows
* Assistant Editor: Nick Aleck
* Dubbing Mixer: Nick Glynn-Davies
* Puppet Makers: Monique Brown, Alix Hardwood, Val Johnston, Helen Ranch
* Animators: Fin and Humphrey Leadbitter, Tobias Fouracre, Geoffrey Walker, Dan Ryan, Aziz Samuels
* Props: Pippa Randolph, Sue Phillips, Geoffrey Walker, Donna Joy
* Sets: Colin Armitage, Graeme Owen
* Production Manager: Lynne Pritchard
* Production Assistants: Jilly Clarke, Geoffrey Walker
* Narrator:
Anton Rodgers
Anthony "Anton" Rodgers (10 January 1933 – 1 December 2007) was an English actor and occasional director. He performed on stage, in film, in television dramas and sitcoms. He starred in several sitcoms, including ''Fresh Fields'' (ITV, ...
* Characters Copyright by
Jane Hissey
Jane Hissey (born 1952) is a British author and illustrator of children's books. She is best known for her series of children's books '' Old Bear and Friends,'' which became the basis for a BAFTA award-winning television series ''Old Bear Stories ...
, licensed by
Random House
Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
UK Ltd.
* An
Optomen Television
Optomen is an Independence, independent television production company, with Optomen Television Ltd. for the United Kingdom and Optomen Productions Inc. (launched in 2002) for the United States.
Broadcasting United Kingdom and the United States
...
Production in association with Ealing Animation and
Carlton Television
Carlton Television (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties from 9.25am every Monday to 5.15pm every Friday. The company is now managed with London Weekend Televi ...
Copyright
Carlton Television
Carlton Television (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties from 9.25am every Monday to 5.15pm every Friday. The company is now managed with London Weekend Televi ...
UK 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997
Theme music
The theme tune was composed by Paul Castl
and consists of the lyrics:
''Please read us a story Old Bear, we'll all gather round''
''Dear Old Bear.''
''Sit in your favourite chair,''
''We'll sit all around, all around dear Old Bear.''
Liste
The harmony vocals were provided by
Alison Goldfrapp
Alison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp (born 13 May 1966) is an English musician and record producer, known as the vocalist of English electronic music duo Goldfrapp.
Early life
Goldfrapp was born on 13 May 1966, in Enfield, London, the youngest o ...
of the band
Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser).
Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, their ...
.
Awards
The series was very well critically received and won a lot of awards:
* 1995 Chicago International Children's Film Festival - Outstanding Achievement Award
* 1994
Royal Television Society
The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...
- Best Children's Series
* 1993
BAFTA - Best Children's Programme
* 1993
New York Film Festival
The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is a film festival held every fall in New York City, presented by Film at Lincoln Center (FLC). Founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel with the support of Lincoln Center president William Schuman, it is ...
- Gold Medal
* 1993
Chicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...
- Silver Plaque
See also
*
Old Bear and Friends
*
Jane Hissey
Jane Hissey (born 1952) is a British author and illustrator of children's books. She is best known for her series of children's books '' Old Bear and Friends,'' which became the basis for a BAFTA award-winning television series ''Old Bear Stories ...
References
External links
*
TV.com entry
{{Teddy bears
1993 British television series debuts
1997 British television series endings
1990s British children's television series
1990s British animated television series
British children's animated adventure television series
ITV children's television shows
British television shows based on children's books
British stop-motion animated television series
BAFTA winners (television series)
Television series by ITV Studios
Carlton Television
English-language television shows
Animated television series about bears