Adventures of the Gummi Bears facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Adventures of the Gummi Bears |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre |
|
| Created by |
|
| Voices of |
|
| Theme music composer | Silversher & Silversher |
| Opening theme | "Gummi Bears Theme" by Joseph Williams |
| Ending theme | "Gummi Bears Theme" (instrumental) |
| Composer(s) |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 65 (95 segments) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
|
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Walt Disney Television Animation |
| Release | |
| Original network | |
| Picture format | NTSC |
| Audio format | |
| Original release | September 14, 1985 – February 22, 1991 |
Adventures of the Gummi Bears is a fun American animated TV show. It was made by Jymn Magon and Walt Disney Television Animation. The show is inspired by gummy bear candies. It takes place in a magical world with castles and knights.
The story is about seven special Gummi Bears. They are mystical beings with amazing skills. The show follows their adventures as they solve problems. They also help their human friends. And they try to stop bad guys from causing trouble. Each episode usually had one long story or two shorter ones.
This show was very popular and had a big budget. It helped start a new style for Disney animated shows. It also made other TV cartoons better. Everyone wanted to make shows as good as Gummi Bears. The show is famous for its special "gummiberry juice." It also has a catchy theme song. The song was written by Michael and Patty Silversher. Joseph Williams sang the main theme. The series first aired in the United States. It ran for six seasons from 1985 to 1991. Later, it was shown in other countries, like the United Kingdom.
Contents
What is the Story About?
Adventures of the Gummi Bears happens in a fantasy world. It has magic, monsters, and medieval life. Long ago, humans and Gummi Bears lived together peacefully. Gummi Bears were like people, but bears. They were great at magic and building things. But humans became unfriendly. So, most Gummi Bears left for safer lands across the sea. They left small groups behind to watch over their cities and tunnels.
Over many years, humans forgot about the Gummi Bears. The few bears left hid from humans. Eventually, humans thought Gummi Bears were just legends. They became characters in children's fairy tales. The remaining Gummi Bears also became fewer in number. They lost some of their old skills.
The show focuses on one small group of Gummi Bears. There are six of them.
- Zummi is the oldest and the leader.
- Gruffi is good at building and fixing things.
- Grammi cooks for everyone and makes the special juice.
- Tummi is a bit chubby and loves food.
- Sunni is a young girl bear who likes human culture.
- Cubbi is a young boy bear who wants to be a knight.
This group lives in a place called Gummi Glen. It's inside an old tree. It has many tunnels and secret rooms. They also have access to old transport tunnels.
One day, they meet a human boy named Cavin. He is a young page from a nearby castle. They find him after ogres chased him. Cavin has an old Gummi medallion. This medallion can open the Great Book. This book holds all the Gummi Bears' laws and magic. The group becomes friends with Cavin. They decide to help anyone who needs it. They also try to learn more about their own history.
The Gummi Bears also become friends with Princess Calla. She is an adventurous princess from Dunwyn Castle. They help Cavin and Calla protect their kingdom. They fight against many bad guys.
The main villain is Duke Igthorn. He used to be a knight of Dunwyn. But he was kicked out for being bad. Now he wants revenge on King Gregor. King Gregor is the ruler of Dunwyn. Duke Igthorn attacks the castle with his army of ogres. He is one of the few humans who knows Gummi Bears are real. He wants to steal their secrets for himself.
To help them fight, the Gummi Bears use "Gummiberry Juice." This special potion makes them bounce and move very fast. Humans can also drink the juice. It gives them super strength for a short time. But humans can only drink it once a day. Gummi Bears can drink it as many times as they need.
Who are the Main Characters?
- Zummi Gummi (voiced by Paul Winchell and Jim Cummings) is the oldest Gummi Bear. He is the leader of Gummi Glen. He knows a lot about Gummi history and magic. But he can be a bit forgetful with his spells. He also has a fear of heights.
- Gruffi Gummi (voiced by Bill Scott and Corey Burton) is the craftsman of Gummi Glen. He is old-fashioned and a bit grumpy. But he is also very smart and good at planning.
- Grammi Gummi (voiced by June Foray) is like the mom of the group. She cooks all the meals. She also makes the secret Gummiberry Juice.
- Tummi Gummi (voiced by Lorenzo Music) is an older Gummi Bear cub. He is a bit overweight and loves to eat. He is relaxed and easygoing. But he has many hidden talents.
- Sunni Gummi (voiced by Katie Leigh) is a young girl Gummi Bear. She loves human culture and fashion. She is more interested in that than Gummi history.
- Cubbi Gummi (voiced by Noelle North) is the youngest Gummi Bear cub. He dreams of becoming a brave knight. He is adventurous and sometimes acts without thinking. But he is also open-minded and finds new ways to solve problems.
- Cavin (voiced by Christian Jacobs, Brett Johnson, David Faustino, Jason Marsden, and R.J. Williams) is a young human boy. He works as a page at Dunwyn Castle. He is the first human to meet the Gummi Bears. He becomes their friend because he has a special Gummi medallion. He and Cubbi become very close friends. Cavin is brave and kind-hearted.
- Princess Calla (voiced by Noelle North) is a princess of Dunwyn. She is adventurous and can defend herself. She doesn't always like her royal duties. She is friends with Cavin and later with Sunni. Calla is not an official Disney Princess. This is because she is from a TV show, not a movie.
- King Gregor (voiced by Michael Rye) is the good and brave king of Dunwyn. Like most humans, he thinks Gummi Bears are just myths. He doesn't know they are helping protect his kingdom.
- Sir Tuxford (voiced by Bill Scott, Roger C. Carmel, and Brian Cummings) is King Gregor's top knight and friend. He is also Cavin's boss. He is an old, happy man.
- Duke Sigmund Igthorn (voiced by Michael Rye) is the main bad guy. He was a knight of Dunwyn but was exiled. He leads an army of ogres from Castle Drekmore. He wants revenge on King Gregor. He is mean and wants power. He often tries to find new weapons or capture Gummi Bears for their juice.
- Toadwart (voiced by Bill Scott and Corey Burton) is a small ogre. He is Duke Igthorn's helper. He is often called Toadie. He is smarter than other ogres because he can read and write. He tries to please the Duke.
- Augustus "Gusto" Gummi (voiced by Rob Paulsen) is an artistic Gummi Bear. He used to live on a deserted island with his toucan friend, Artie Deco. He later moves near Gummi Glen. He helps the other Gummi Bears with his unique ideas.
- Lady Bane (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is a powerful human sorceress. She uses magic to stay young. She wants all of the Gummi Bear magic for herself.
Where and When Did It Air?
List of Adventures of the Gummi Bears episodes
The show first aired on NBC on September 14, 1985. It stayed on NBC for four seasons. Then, it moved to ABC for one season (1989-1990). It was shown with The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh during this time. The series ended on September 6, 1991. It was part of The Disney Afternoon TV block.
After that, the show was re-aired on The Disney Afternoon. It was also shown on The Disney Channel from 1991 to 1997. Later, it was on Toon Disney. The last time it aired on TV was December 28, 2001. You can now stream the whole series on Disney+.
Home Videos
The first three seasons of the show were released on DVD in North America. This happened on November 14, 2006. This DVD set had 3 discs. It did not have any special bonus features.
Some VHS tapes of the series were released in other countries. These included the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
Other Media
Comic Strip
Gummi Bears was also made into a daily newspaper comic strip. It ran from September 1, 1986, to April 1, 1989. Lee Nordling wrote the strip, and Rich Hoover drew it.
Why is This Show Important?
Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears was Disney's first big animated TV series with a continuing story. It came out around the same time as The Wuzzles, which only had 13 episodes. Many people say Gummi Bears helped start the big boom in TV animation in the late 1980s and 1990s.
It also led to the famous Disney Afternoon TV block. This block featured other popular Disney shows. These included DuckTales, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Gargoyles. Even though these later shows sometimes had bigger budgets, Gummi Bears was like a first version for them all.
The show was very popular in the United Kingdom. Two episodes, "A New Beginning" and "Faster Than a Speeding Tummi," were even shown in movie theaters. They played before movies like The Great Mouse Detective and a re-release of Disney's Pinocchio.
The Gummi Bears also appeared in other places. Gruffi Gummi was in a D-TV music video for the song "Teddy Bear" by Elvis Presley in 1986.
The show's popularity even led to changes at Disneyland. The "Motor Boat Cruise" ride became the "Motor Boat Cruise to Gummi Glen." There were characters from the show making Gummiberry Juice along the water. You could also meet Gummi Bear characters at Disney theme parks.
Cameos in Other Shows
The Gummi Bears or parts of their world have appeared in other TV shows and movies:
- ALF (1987): Clips from Gummi Bears were shown in the TV movie "Alf Loves a Mystery."
- Darkwing Duck (1991–1992): Zummi Gummi appeared as a doll in one episode.
- Robot Chicken (2012): The Gummi Bears were featured in a funny sketch.
- The Goldbergs (2016): A character named Adam watches Gummi Bears on TV.
- DuckTales (2017–2021): The Gummi Bears made a quick appearance. Gummiberry juice was also important to an episode's story.
- Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022): Zummi Gummi appeared in the end credits of this movie.
See also
In Spanish: Los osos Gummi para niños
