The Berenstain Bears (2003 TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Berenstain Bears |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Children's series Comedy |
| Created by | Stan and Jan Berenstain |
| Voices of | Camilla Scott Ben Campbell Michael Cera Tajja Isen Corinne Conley Leslie Carlson Amanda Soha Marc McCulkin |
| Theme music composer | Stan Meissner |
| Opening theme | "The Berenstain Bears" by Lee Ann Womack |
| Ending theme | "The Berenstain Bears" (Instrumental) |
| Composer(s) | Ray Parker Tom Szczesniak |
| Country of origin | Canada Hong Kong |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 40 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Stan and Jan Berenstain Steven Ching Scott Dyer Michael Hirsh |
| Producer(s) | Lan Lamon Supervising producers: Patricia R. Burns Jocelyn Hamilton Michelle Melanson Cynthia Taylor |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Nelvana Limited AGOGO Entertainment |
| Distributor | Nelvana International |
| Release | |
| Original network | PBS Kids (US) Treehouse TV (Canada) |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | January 6, 2003 – December 6, 2004 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | The Berenstain Bears (1985 TV series) |
The Berenstain Bears is a fun animated TV show for kids. It's based on the popular children's books by Stan and Jan Berenstain. The series is about a family of bears who act like people. In each episode, they learn an important lesson about life or safety.
The show had 40 episodes over three seasons. It first aired in the United States on PBS Kids on January 6, 2003. The last episode was shown on December 6, 2004. Before this version, another Berenstain Bears cartoon aired from 1985 to 1987.
Contents
Meet the Berenstain Bears
This TV series takes place in a world where only bears live. The main characters are the Berenstain Bears family. They live in a country area called Bear Country. The family includes Mama Bear, Papa Bear, Brother Bear, and Sister Bear.
Many episodes are based on the original books. They teach the same good lessons found in the picture books. These lessons often focus on being kind, responsible, and how to handle daily life. The show tries to show the world from the books very accurately.
Episode Guide
To see a full list of all the episodes, check out the main article:
Characters and Voice Actors
The show features a great cast of voice actors who bring the bear characters to life.
Main Characters
- Brother Bear: Voiced by Michael Cera for the first two seasons (2003). Michael D'Ascenzo took over for Season 3 (2004).
- Sister Bear: Voiced by Tajja Isen.
- Papa Q. Bear: Voiced by Benedict Campbell.
- Mama Bear: Voiced by Camilla Scott.
Family and Friends
- Grizzly Gramps: Papa Bear's dad, voiced by Leslie Carlson.
- Grizzly Gran: Papa Bear's mom, voiced by Corinne Conley.
- Cousin Freddy: Voiced by Marc McMulkin.
- Lizzy Bruin: A friend, voiced by Amanda Soha.
- Queenie: Another friend, voiced by Nikki Marshall.
- Ferdy Factual: Voiced by Mark Rendall.
- Too-Tall: Voiced by Gage Knox.
How the Show Was Made
The show was created by Nelvana, an animation studio in Canada. It was made for PBS Kids in the United States and Treehouse TV in Canada. They made 80 short episodes, each about 15 minutes long. Some stories came from the books, and some were new.
The original book creators, Stan and Jan Berenstain, were involved. They wanted to make sure the bears looked and acted right. For example, they insisted that their bears don't wear shoes. They also made sure Papa Bear didn't wear his hat inside the house. Small changes were made for animation, like reducing polka dots on clothes.
Show Music
The catchy theme song for the series is sung by country music star Lee Ann Womack. The song was written by Stan Meissner.
Where and When It Aired
The Berenstain Bears first aired in the United States on PBS Kids on January 6, 2003. It sometimes aired alongside another show called Seven Little Monsters.
Reruns of the show were also shown on PBS Kids Sprout. This channel later changed its name to Universal Kids. The show aired there until September 9, 2017.
Awards and Nominations
The show and its cast were recognized for their work.
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Gemini Awards | Best Pre-School Program or Series | Stan Berenstain, Jan Berenstain, Michael Hirsh, Steven Ching, Scott Dyer | Nominated |
| Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role – Young Actress | Tajja Isen | Nominated |
