Bear in the Big Blue House

This is the most wonderful show for children of any age. Bear actually talks to the screen, and my 15 month old thinks that Bear is talking to him. It is a great show, with 5 other main characters beside Bear. There is Treelo, a lemur, Tutter the mouse, Pip and Pop are both otters and Luna is the moon. A truly creative show all around.

This show is by far one of the best Henson projects to date. My daughter and I watch the show together every day... it's just the cutest! The characters are adorable, lovable, and too funny! Our house tradition is for every guest to sit and watch the Potty Time episode with us... Tutter Mouse is such a riot, he always leaves my company in stitches. As with most children's shows, there is that whole "educational value" to it all, but the entertainment factor has exceeded all of my expectations for a show in it's class. I highly recommend this show for kids of all ages (even moms and dads!)!

I saw this show the first time because of my nephew and niece, twins aged 3.

From the first time I saw it, I loved it.

Basically, all you need to know is: It is made by Jim Henson Company. I mean, when I was a kid, I loved Sesame Street and I loved the Muppet Show. Now I am 25, and I really like this show, too. And, unlike many other kids tv (Pokemon, Teletubbies), even as an adult you can watch the show, without going insane.

In my eyes, it is the perfect Kids TV. When the Bear talks towards the camera, the kids really get involved in the show. You can't go wrong with that show.

For readers that think I have slowly started to crumble into a world of watching television for the sake of seeing colourful images moving, I must clarify that I came to The Bear a year ago as part of helping out some friends. A young family stayed with me in my house and they included two children of about 2 and 3 years old. Each morning as I was eating breakfast, the children would be merrily watching the Bear on channel 5 and joining in with his fun. So, from their critical point of view the show certainly appears to have worked – but they cannot type so damn them and damn their opinions.

Watching it as an adult I must admit that it is a good product that has the strengths of the genre but has none of the major weaknesses that you would associate with something like Barney. Bear is actually quite a warm character and he has a bit of personality behind him rather than just churning out phrases and corny clichés. The fact that the other characters are pretty good also helps as, although they are cute of course, they are not so sickly that I ever feared becoming diabetic from just watching it. It has a nice warm feel to it and Bear approaches the audience like a kindly Uncle rather than doing patronising baby talk. It isn't quite Sesame Street but it has more of that feel than the dreaded dinosaur. The characters all look good and are well delivered (although Shadow as an idea is just plain creepy if you ask me) and the voice work matches it all well.

Overall this is an enjoyable show for pre-school kids that can be watched by adults without getting annoying in the way that some others do. Like I said, not Sesame Street but effective nonetheless.

My neice was a huge fan of Bear, and when I had my daughter I was glad to see that it was still on TV. Since my daughter was around 7 months old, she has adored Bear. She can actually sit through an entire episode without fussing or moving. The characters excite her (especially Tutter and Bear), and the gentle nature that Bear uses to interact with the viewers is superb. It can't help but foster respect for other people, and self confidence in the kids who watch it. The lessons are range from cleaning house to using the potty, to the different seasons. Each subject is treated with the same gravitas, and the opinions and thoughts of kids are nurtured and reinforced.

As an adult who watched his fair share of kids shows growing up (I was nurtured on a diet of Captain Kangaroo, Mister Rogers, Sesame Street and Electric Company), this is the best show I have seen for kids in a long time. Bear is a modern day Captain Kangaroo, the sidekicks are wacky, the lessons are important, and the kids are talked to, not talked at or talked down to.