Little Bear (TV series)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Little Bear
Format	Children's series
Created by	Else Holmelund Minarik
Starring	Kristin Fairlie, Jennifer Martini, Elizabeth Hanna, Janet Laine-Green, Andrew Sabiston, Dan Hennessey
Country of origin	Toronto,  Canada
No. of episodes	67 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time	approximately 30 mins
Broadcast
Original channel	Nickelodeon
Original run	November 6, 1995 – February 1, 2000
External links
IMDb profile

Little Bear (November 6, 1995-February 1, 2000) was a children's television series. Originally produced by Nelvana for Nickelodeon, it currently airs on Noggin.

It is based on the Little Bear series of books which were written by Else Holmelund Minarik, and illustrated by Maurice Sendak.

Most of the characters are moderately anthropomorphic animals, exhibiting both animal and human behaviors, but generally dealing with human problems and concerns. However, Little Bear's friend, Emily, and her grandmother are human and Tutu, their dog, is mostly a normal pet. Other characters in the series include Little Bear and his parents Mother and Father Bear, his paternal uncle Rusty, his four grandparents, the eponymously named animals Duck, Cat, Owl and Hen, in addition to many recurring minor characters.

[edit] Characters

Little Bear - Little Bear is a small grizzly bear cub. An animal version of an average child, 7 year-old. Throughout the series, he has grown somewhat, as his voice is slightly deeper, and he doesn't take naps as much. He is the only character whose parents are shown. Little Bear lives in a stucco, timber, plaster, and brick house.

Owl - Owl is the brainy character, who is sometimes pompous, but very wise indeed. He lives in a treehouse. Although Owl enjoys fun games, he'll only participate if the gameplay is sensible.

Duck - Duck is a domesticated duck with yellow feathers and a long neck, making her somewhat similar to a goose. Slow and smart at the same time, Duck is a nerdy type who gets herself into comedic situations. She lives in a nest.

Hen - Hen is a fussy, feisty chicken who lives in a large chicken coop. She is classy and sophisticated and enjoys cleanliness, though her several nieces and nephews often mess up her spotless house. However, she never turns down the opportunity for fun. Hen is also fond of opera though she is not a very good singer.

Cat - Cat is a slothful, pompous feline who enjoys prowling at night, playing tricks on passersby, and eating. When he and his friends must get to a certain place in the woods, Cat often leads them through one of his shortcuts, which often turn out to be longer than a regular path.

Mitzi - Mitzi is a mischievous, sometimes rather unthoughtful monkey who lives in a tree house in the forest around Little Bear's home. She feels bad after slighting somebody's feelings or misleading them (as when she played for keepsies by declaring keepsies too fast to be understood, and won all of Little Bear's marbles - to his great dismay). She does not appear in as many episodes as the rest of the cast.

No Feet - A green garden snake that lives in Little Bear's garden.

Frog - A frog that dispenses zen-like wisdom between his meditations.

Mermaid - A mermaid who Little Bear occasionally meets when he goes to the lake, she is friendly and takes Little Bear to see places underwater. Usually, only Little Bear is only able to converse with her, so it is not certain if she is imaginary or if she just happens to appears when nobody else is able to see her.

Emily - A good friend of Little Bear's, Emily is a human girl who moved into a cottage in the forest with her Grandmother and dog Tutu. Emily's most prized possession is her doll named Lucy which she takes everywhere.

[edit] Voice cast

Actor	Role
Kristin Fairlie	Little Bear
Amos Crawley	Owl
Tracy Ryan	Duck
Andrew Sabiston	Cat
Dan Hennessey	Father Bear
Janet Laine-Green	Mother Bear
Tara Strong	Tutu
Elizabeth Hanna	Hen
Jennifer Martini	Emily
Sean McCann	Grandfather