Gummibär or Gummy Bear (; German for "gummy bear") is a German-origin Euro-Dance multilingual character and

virtual band In entertainment, a virtual band (also called a virtual idol, virtual singer, virtual group, cartoon group, cartoon idol, cartoon singer or cartoon band) is a band or music group whose members are not depicted as corporeal musicians, but animat ...

that performs

gummy bear Gummy bears (German: ''Gummibär'') are small, fruit gum candies, similar to a jelly baby in some English-speaking countries. The candy is roughly long and shaped in the form of a bear. The gummy bear is one of many gummies, popular gel ...

-related songs on various albums, including '' I Am Your Gummy Bear'' (2007) and '' La La Love to Dance'' (2010). The video for the song " I'm a Gummy Bear" has nearly 3 billion views on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

Name origins and appearance

The name "Gummibär" is taken from a German brand of bear-shaped gum candies from

Haribo Haribo ( ) is a German confectionery company founded by Hans Riegel Sr.. It began in Kessenich, Bonn, Germany. The name "Haribo" is a syllabic abbreviation formed from Hans Riegel Bonn. The company created the first gummy candy in 1960 in the ...

introduced in 1920. The highly stylized green blue-eyed

obese Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...

gelatinous Gelatin or gelatine (from la, gelatus meaning "stiff" or "frozen") is a translucent, colorless, flavorless food ingredient, commonly derived from collagen taken from animal body parts. It is brittle when dry and rubbery when moist. It may also ...

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the No ...

character wears an orange Y-front

briefs Briefs (or a brief) are a type of short, form-fitting underwear and swimwear, as opposed to styles where material extends down the thighs. Briefs have various different styles, usually with a waistband attached to fabric that runs along the pe ...

underwear Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled o ...

and white

sneakers Sneakers (also called trainers, athletic shoes, tennis shoes, gym shoes, kicks, sport shoes, flats, running shoes, or runners) are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but which are now also widely used fo ...

. Gummibär also seems to be bitten with a small portion of the upper left ear missing. The bear's muzzle or, allowing for

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

, his

mustache A moustache (; en-US, mustache, ) is a strip of facial hair grown above the upper lip. Moustaches have been worn in various styles throughout history. Etymology The word "moustache" is French, and is derived from the Italian ''mustaccio'' ( ...

and goatee, appear to be carpet (in earlier media, seemingly sugar-frosted), and the character only has two small teeth spaced far apart on his lower jaw. Gummibär's right

iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...

and

pupil The pupil is a black hole located in the center of the Iris (anatomy), iris of the Human eye, eye that allows light to strike the retina.Cassin, B. and Solomon, S. (1990) ''Dictionary of Eye Terminology''. Gainesville, Florida: Triad Publishing ...

are greater in size than the corresponding left-sided features.

Popularity

Gummibär's popularity as a phenomenon is very similar to that of fellow European music phenomenon Crazy Frog, characterized by repetition of lyrics and singing of catchy melodies. Variants of the character's music have been released in various languages internationally. The related products are marketed by Gummybear International, which is responsible for the creation, development, and branding of Gummibär animations, as well as musical content and production. Merchandise includes musical and video products (CDs, DVDs, downloads and ringtones) and video games. The company is headquartered in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. In June 2012, Gummybear International gained a licensing and co-branding deal with the Greek toy manufacturer Jumbo and Brazilian record label

Som Livre Som Livre (Portuguese for "''Free Sound''") is a Brazilian record company that was founded in 1969 in order to commercialize its soap opera soundtracks. It later expanded to recording studio albums. Today, Som Livre is Brazil's largest domestic l ...

in August that includes deals on merchandising and releases on different formats. In July 2017, Gummybear International launched a new character named Paperotti, who is a yellow duck with a blue feather on his forehead, Paperotti's channel features music videos and animated shorts. Paperotti has since featured in several Gummibär videos.

Video

The video, a 30-second CGI pop promo animated in

Softimage XSI Autodesk Softimage, or simply Softimage () was a 3D computer graphics application, for producing 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling, and computer animation. Now owned by Autodesk and formerly titled Softimage, XSI, the software has been predomina ...

, was directed, designed and

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

by Pete Dodd and produced through Wilfilm in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

for

Ministry of Sound Ministry of Sound or Ministry of Sound Group is a multimedia entertainment business based in London with a nightclub, shared workspace and private members' club, worldwide events operation, music publishing business and fitness studio. Jame ...

GmbH in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

. The original video was a 30-second version of the Hungarian version, "Itt Van A Gumimaci" which was posted on site Mojoflix.com

DVD

''Gummibär: I Am Gummy Bear - The Gummibär Video Collection'' was released on April 28, 2009, in the United States. The DVD contains a video collection of "I'm a Gummy Bear" in nine different languages, as well as some of the character's other releases. They promote their merch by putting it in their videos at the beginning of the music videos.

Other media

Film

''Gummibär: The Yummy Gummy Search for Santa'' was released in the United Kingdom on October 8, 2012, and in the United States on November 6, 2012 from

Lionsgate Home Entertainment Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

. It's Gummibär's first feature-length film. Aside from the titular character, it stars Harry, a male chameleon, Vampiro, a Draculaesque vampire bat, and Kala, a female cat, as they embark on a search for Santa Claus, who is reported missing on Christmas Eve. The film aired on December 1 of the same year on The CW's

Vortexx Vortexx was a short-lived American Saturday morning children's television programming block that aired on The CW from August 25, 2012 to September 27, 2014. Programmed by Saban Brands, it replaced Toonzai, a block that was programmed by 4Kids ...

Saturday morning cartoon block, which billed the airing as a "world premiere".

Web series

In 2016, a YouTube animated web series called '' Gummibär and Friends'' was released online on the official Gummibär YouTube channel, consisting of one season of 39 episodes. The International versions were released on a channel named "Gummy Bear Show International" starting on April 1, 2020.

Discography

* '' I Am Your Gummy Bear'' (2007) * '' La La Love to Dance'' (2010) * ''Christmas Jollies'' (2010) * ''Party Pop'' (2015) * ''The Gummy Bear Album'' (2019) * ''Gummy Bear Album 2020'' (2020) * ''Holiday Fun Time'' (2021)

References

External links

*
Gummybear International website
* *
Gummy Bear on LastFM
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gummibar Internet memes Internet humor Fictional characters introduced in 2006 2000s fads and trends Fictional bears Dance-pop musicians German house musicians 2006 establishments in Germany German pop musicians Confectionery in fiction German comedy musical groups