Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears facts for kids

Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears is an exciting animated TV show from Disney. It first aired in the United States from 1985 to 1991. This series was the very first animated show made by Walt Disney Television. It was inspired by gummy bear candies! Disney CEO Michael Eisner got the idea when his son asked for the candies one day.

The show started on NBC on September 14, 1985, and ran for four seasons. It then moved to ABC for one season (1989–1990). During that time, it was part of the Gummi Bears-Winnie the Pooh Hour. The series ended on September 6, 1991, as part of the Disney Afternoon TV block.

The show had 65 episodes, but 30 of them were made of two shorter cartoons. This means there were 95 different stories in total. People remember the show for its catchy theme music, written by Michael and Patty Silversher. They also remember the "gummiberry juice," a special magic drink. This juice gave the Gummi Bears the power to bounce away from danger! The theme song was sung by Joseph Williams.

After its original run, the show was shown again on The Disney Afternoon block. It also aired on The Disney Channel and later on Toon Disney. You can now watch the series on Disney+.

Meet the Gummi Bears!

The Gummi-Glen Bears (from left to right): Cubbi, Sunni, Gruffi, Zummi, Tummi and Grammi.

Gummi Bears are special bears who act like humans. They have a long and secret history. Most humans in their world think Gummi Bears are just legends or fairy tales. Long ago, about 500 years before the show, Great Gummis and humans lived together peacefully. But then, some humans wanted the Gummis' magic and inventions. This forced the Great Gummis to leave and sail across the sea to find a new home.

The ancient Great Gummis left behind small groups of bears. These bears were meant to watch over Gummi cities and tunnels. The main group in the show, the Gummi-Glen Gummis, are one of these groups. They wait for a time when humans and Gummis can live peacefully again. Then, they can call the Great Gummis to return home.

The Gummi-Glen Bears

The Gummi-Glen Gummis live in a hollow tree called Gummi Glen. This tree hides a huge network of tunnels and rooms. They gather wild Gummiberries from the forest. From these berries, they make the powerful Gummiberry Juice. They usually hide from humans. However, they are friends with two humans: Cavin, a young helper at the castle, and Princess Calla.

• Zummi Gummi (voiced by Paul Winchell and Jim Cummings) - Zummi is the oldest Gummi-Glen bear and their leader. He is the "Keeper of Gummi Wisdom." He uses a special Gummi Medallion to read his magic book. This makes him the group's magician. He can be forgetful and clumsy, and his spells sometimes go wrong.
• Gruffi Gummi (voiced by Bill Scott and Corey Burton) - Gruffi is an old-fashioned bear. He likes to do things "the Gummi way." He is very good at building and fixing things. He repairs old Gummi technology and builds traps. Gruffi is a perfectionist, but he is also respected for finding practical solutions.
• Grammi Gummi (voiced by June Foray) - Grammi is the "mom" of Gummi-Glen. She cooks, cleans, and makes the Gummiberry Juice. She knows the secret recipe! She often argues with Gruffi. Most of the other Gummis, especially Gruffi, don't like her cooking very much.
• Tummi Gummi (voiced by Lorenzo Music) - Tummi is an overweight Gummi who loves to eat. He would rather eat Gummiberries than pick them. He is the oldest of the Gummi cubs. Tummi is usually relaxed and easygoing. He sometimes gets caught up in Cubbi's plans. Despite his love for food, he is brave in dangerous situations. He is also good at sailing, gardening, and art.
• Sunni Gummi (voiced by Katie Leigh) - Sunni is a young Gummi bear. She dreams of becoming a princess, just like her best friend, Princess Calla. Sunni is very curious about human culture and fashion. She is the second oldest of the Gummi cubs, after Tummi.
• Cubbi Gummi (voiced by Noelle North) - Cubbi is the youngest Gummi-Glen Gummi. He dreams of becoming a great Gummi knight. He is impulsive and easily excited by new things. His open mind often helps him solve problems. Sometimes, he wears a mask and becomes a hero called the Crimson Avenger. He is best friends with Cavin, the human boy.
• Augustus "Gusto" Gummi (voiced by Rob Paulsen) - Gusto is an artistic Gummi. He was stuck on a deserted island for twelve years with his friend Artie Deco, a talking toucan. Tummi and Gruffi found him when they were shipwrecked. They brought Gusto back to Gummi Glen. Gusto often argues with Gruffi because of his unique ideas.
• Chummi Gummi (voiced by Jim Cummings) - Chummi is an adventurous Gummi. He was the last surviving Gummi from his group at Gummerset. Cubbi and Cavin found him after his airship crashed. Chummi was looking for the Great Gummis. He offered to take the Gummi-Glen Gummis with him. But they decided they needed to stay and protect Gummi Glen.

Ursalia's Gummis

Later in the series, the Gummi-Glen Gummis find Ursalia, an old city of the Great Gummis. It was mostly empty until the Barbics moved there. The Barbics are a tough tribe of Gummis whose home was destroyed by humans.

• Sir Thornberry (voiced by Walker Edmiston) - Sir Thornberry is an old Gummi knight. He has been taking care of Ursalia for 50 years. He is brave and honorable, but also a bit forgetful.
• Ursa (voiced by Pat Musick) - Ursa is the female leader of the Barbic Gummis. She first wanted to find a powerful weapon to fight humans. But she eventually agreed to live peacefully in Ursalia. She learns to trust Cavin after he helps her.
• Gritty (voiced by Peter Cullen) - Gritty is Ursa's top warrior. Cubbi looks up to him, but Gritty doesn't like humans at first.
• Buddy (voiced by Dana Hill) - Buddy is a teenage Barbic. He is more gentle and artistic than the others in his tribe. He enjoys playing the flute.

Humans of Castle Dunwyn

• Cavin (voiced by Christian Jacobs, Brett Johnson, David Faustino, Jason Marsden, R.J. Williams) - Cavin is a 12-year-old boy. He is one of the main human characters. He is one of the few humans who believe Gummi Bears are real. He works as a page and squire for Sir Tuxford. Cavin becomes friends with the Gummi Bears in the first episode. He wants to be a knight, just like his best friend Cubbi. Cavin also had a Gummi Medallion from his grandfather. This medallion helped Zummi read the Great Book of Gummi.
• Princess Calla (voiced by Noelle North) - Princess Calla is the daughter of King Gregor. She is adventurous and very talented. She often gets Cavin involved in exciting situations. She also becomes close friends with the Gummi Bears, especially Sunni. Calla doesn't like all the fancy rules of being a princess. She wants to be more involved in protecting her kingdom. She secretly trained herself to use weapons.
• King Gregor (voiced by Michael Rye) - King Gregor is the kind and brave ruler of Dunwyn. He protects his people from villains like Duke Igthorn. He leads his knights in battle. King Gregor doesn't know that the Gummi Bears exist or that they often help save his kingdom. His daughter, Calla, is his pride and joy.
• Sir Tuxford (voiced by Bill Scott, Roger C. Carmel, Brian Cummings) - Sir Tuxford is the highest-ranking knight and King Gregor's trusted friend. He is older and cheerful, always ready for a fight. He leads the knights of Castle Dunwyn against Duke Igthorn and his ogres.
• Sir Gawain (voiced by Michael Rye) - Cavin's grandfather and a retired knight. He originally found the Gummi Medallion that Cavin later wore. He is very idealistic and loves to tell stories about the ancient Gummis. He has met the Gummi Bears but doesn't know Cavin knows them too.

Villains

• Duke Sigmund Igthorn (voiced by Michael Rye) - Duke Igthorn is the main villain. He is the evil ruler of Castle Drekmore. He is always angry and wants power. He is the Gummi Bears' enemy. He hunts the Gummi Bears to get their Gummiberry juice and other secrets. He constantly tries to take over Castle Dunwyn, but he always fails. This is usually because his plans aren't very good, his ogres are clumsy, or the Gummi Bears stop him. He used to be a great knight of Dunwyn but was sent away for trying to take over the kingdom.
  • Toadwart, also known as Toadie (voiced by Bill Scott and Corey Burton) - Toadie is the smallest ogre in Drekmore. He is Duke Igthorn's loyal helper. He seems to really like his "Dukie." He is often picked on by the Duke and other ogres. But he is the smartest ogre and can read and write.
  • Ogres (various voices) - Duke Igthorn's soldiers. They are big and strong, but also very clumsy and not very smart. Their mistakes often ruin the Duke's plans. They call Igthorn "Dukie," which he hates.
• Lady Bane (voiced by Tress MacNeille) - Lady Bane is the main evil witch in the series. She has a Gummi Medallion like Zummi's. She wants more power and tries to get it from the Gummi Bears. Her servants are jackal-like creatures called Troggles. Duke Igthorn has a crush on her, which she finds annoying. She is also very vain. It was discovered that she is very old and uses magic to look young.
• The Trolls - A group of small, green-skinned thieves. They are good at building and using mechanical devices, like traps and weapons. They try to steal from people.
• Carpies - Vulture-like creatures who live on Carpy Mountain. They capture Sunni twice.
• Flint Shrubwood (voiced by Corey Burton) - A wandering bounty hunter. Duke Igthorn hired him to catch a Gummi Bear. Shrubwood looks and acts like Clint Eastwood. He uses boomerang launchers and plays a small flute.
• Zorlock - An evil wizard trapped in a cave by ancient Gummi Bears. He wants the Gummi Medallion to escape. He has a powerful magic book.
  • Grot - A small rat in Zorlock's cave. Zorlock used magic to turn her into a giant monster to be his helper.

Episodes

Watching the Show

The first three seasons of Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears were released on DVD in North America on November 14, 2006.

On November 12, 2019, the entire series became available to stream on Disney+.

Show's Impact

Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears was Disney's first big animated TV series. Many people say it helped start the boom of animated TV shows in the late 1980s and 1990s. It was also the start of Disney's famous Disney Afternoon block. This block featured other popular Disney shows like Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers and Gargoyles. Even though later shows had bigger budgets, Gummi Bears is seen as a very important first step for Disney animation.

The show was so popular in the United Kingdom that some episodes were even shown in movie theaters! They played before movies like The Great Mouse Detective and a re-release of 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.

At Disneyland, the Motor Boat Cruise ride was changed to "Motor Boat Cruise to Gummi Glen." There were even Gummi Bear characters you could meet at Disney theme parks!

Guest Appearances

The Gummi Bears have made special appearances in other TV shows:

• ALF (TV series) (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 the episode "Life, the Negaverse and Everything."
• Robot Chicken (2012): The Gummi Bears appeared in a funny sketch.
• The Goldbergs (2016): Adam watches Gummi Bears on TV in the episode "Have a Summer."
• DuckTales (2017–present): The Gummi Bears made a cameo, and gummiberry juice was important to the story in the episode "From the Confidential Case Files of Agent 22!"

Images for kids

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  The Gummi-Glen Bears (from left to right): Cubbi, Sunni, Gruffi, Zummi, Tummi, and Grammi.

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  Street art in GummyBearlande, Germany (2020)

See also

In Spanish: Los osos Gummi para niños