Episode
Bear in the Big Blue House: A Berry Bear Christmas (1)
Overview
The winter holidays find Bear and his friends planning a big celebration. They're all getting ready for Christmas, but also learn about Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Bear also celebrates his favorite tradition, the finding of the winter berry. As things start out, Pip and Pop have put together a reindeer wreath. Everyone wants to help out with the wreath, so Bear suggests they all add something of their own. Later, the group meets Santa Hogg and presents him with a large list of holiday wishes. Then there's a bit of an argument when Treelo wants to open everyone's presents and not just his own. In the Shadow segment, Shadow thanks Bear for his gift of a scarf --- Shadows don't get cold, but it's the thought that counts. She then sings the song "It's Kwanzaa Time." After hearing a howling noise, the group takes in an old hound named Jack with no home and invites him to stay at the Big Blue House for the holidays. This gets everyone thinking about the true meaning of the holidays.
Details
- Series
- Bear in the Big Blue House
- Season
- Season 3
- Episode
- Episode 25
- Air date
- 1999-12-06
- Runtime
- 25 min
Episode context
A Berry Bear Christmas (1) is Episode 25 in Season 3 of Bear in the Big Blue House. It aired on 1999-12-06. The runtime is 25 min.
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Episode 24: Go To Sleep
Ojo is sleeping over at the Big Blue House. Bear helps get ready to go to bed, tucks her in and aids her in "surfing off to dreamland." Ojo falls fast asleep. Bear thinks of getting some sleep himself when he hears a knocking at the back-door. It turns out that Jeremiah Tortoise and Doc Hogg have arrived for an exciting card game of Go Fish. Jeremiah brought the cards --- special cards that actually contain pictures of fish --- but Bear hasn't even put out any snacks. He has totally forgotten that their game was scheduled for tonight, and now all the noise threatens to wake up both Tutter and Ojo. Sure enough, Tutter shows up, saying that he needs a drink of water. Bear tries to attend to Tutter's needs, while keeping his attention on the card game as well.
Episode 26: A Berry Bear Christmas (2)
Continuing from part one of the Berry Bear Christmas special, the entire gang (now with Jack) goes out caroling. As the kids settle down to try to figure out what to do about a Christmas present for Bear, Bear turns his attention to the finding of the winter berry. Jack overhears the kids' conversation and suggests making something. In the Shadow segment, Shadow sings a song about a Hanukah dreidel. She then wants to give Bear a present, but says there isn't much a shadow can give a bear. So she has him kneel down and she gives him a kiss. Everyone enjoys their presents, but they worry that they've left out Jack. Jack helps them to see that they've already given him a gift -- a peaceful, happy holiday in a warm house with good friends. Later, the search for the winter berry proves fruitful for all.
More episodes from this season
Episode 23: Read My Book
Bear is holding his weekly book club. He's excited that the mail has come because he ordered a new book and sure enough, there's a package waiting for him. However, when he opens the package, he finds that the book is called 1001 Ways to Cook Slop. This definitely isn't the book he ordered. A quick phone call to Jeremiah Tortoise reveals the mixup --- Bear must have received Doc Hogg's cookbook by mistake, while Doc Hogg got the book intended for Bear. He says that he'll get the problem taken care of as fast as he can. This leaves Bear with a bit of a dilemma, as he still needs a book to read for his club, but it could take a while for Jeremiah to bring the right book. Bear decides to search the Big Blue House for another book to read. As he goes about his search, he finds that everybody in the Big Blue House has ideas on books that he could read.
Notes
The books that Bear finds in the kitchen are titled "The Brothers Bearmazov" and "Jane Bear."
Bear mentions that when he was little cub, he read a book called "Buck Antler: Deer in Space." This is a reference to Buck Rogers.
Earl has an appearance in the book "Mouse the Great".
Episode 22: The Best Thanksgiving Ever
It's Thanksgiving at the Big Blue House, and Bear is preparing his annual feast. There are all sorts of delicious food, and Grandma Flutter and Doc Hogg are coming over to join the celebration.
Everyone is very thankful for Bear's great feast, but Ojo wonders if there isn't more she can do to help. She becomes a sort of Thanksgiving commander and takes charge of the decorations and the Thanksgiving pageant. Ojo wants everything to be perfect, but soon finds things going outside her control. When it seems like all is ruined, Bear provides some reassuring thoughts on what the holiday is really all about.
In the Shadow segment, Shadow tells the story of the very first Thanksgiving.
Songs
"So Much to Be Thankful For" (Bear solo and Full Cast versions)
"Thanksgiving with My Friends"
Episode 21: The Yard Sale
Doc Hogg stops by the Big Blue House to collect for charity. He's collecting for muskrat relief following recent flooding that left many of them homeless. Bear is completely out of money, so Doc Hogg agrees to come back later. Bear and Ojo then find Tutter struggling to cram an excess of stuff into his mousehole, giving Ojo the idea for a yard sale. The idea takes off and Pip and Pop are assigned to be sales-otters. Treelo finds some things of his own to sell and Ojo helps out by painting pictures. Tutter, however, finds it difficult at first to part with some of his things.
Episode 20: Let's Get Interactive
Doc Hogg is remodeling his office, so he asks Bear to hold some of his stuff at the Big Blue House for a while, including his computer. He also gives Bear permission to use it, so he shows Tutter and Ojo how it works. They learn that computers are interactive and that interactivity isn't something that can just be done with computers --- just doing something as simple as talking with someone is interacting. At first, they're reluctant to use the computer, but are soon having fun with it. As it turns out --- Pip and Pop already know about interactivity --- Pip shows Bear how much fun it is for him to interact with Pop, as opposed to something like a rock. Bear takes a crack at solving the daily puzzle, with the help of Treelo. In the Shadow segment, Shadow introduces the viewers to Gus, an "interactive shadow-dog" who's looking for his friend Gloria.
Episode 19: Words, Words, Words
Bear wakes up early on a sunny day and finds himself thinking about words. He enjoys reading the words in the Woodland Valley Gazette, as it helps him to keep up-to-date on what's happening in Woodland Valley. While reading the paper, he hears a commotion in the kitchen and finds Harry and Tutter playing there. Tutter wanted to play knights and shining armor, but something about what he's saying is causing Harry to quack up a storm. He told Harry that he could be "Big Beaky the Dragon" and now every time he says "big beak," Harry goes "all quacky." Bear has the two talk things out and Tutter finds that Harry is sensitive about the size of his beak. He apologizes, saying that he likes his beak. Next, Bear helps Pip and Pop when they can't find the "whatchamacallit" that stops the water from draining out of the bathtub --- the plug. Pip and Pop find that they'e good with words, and rhyming. Later on, Ojo and the others hold a tea party in the attic. Harry's shy and afraid to join in, but Bear tells him that if he uses his words, the others will let him join in. In the Shadow segment, Shadow tells the tale of Peter Piper, who picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Songs
Good Morning (Shortened Version)
Find the Words
Notes
Headlines in the edition Bear reads of the Woodland Valley Gazette include "Mating Season Begins - Sparrows All A-Twitter", "Bears Blissful as Berry Bushes Bloom", "Snail Marathon Planned - Race to Last All Summer" and "Snake Wrestling Ends in a Tie".
Allusions
In this episode, Bear quotes William Shakespeare and comments "I hear he was pretty good with words." The lines quoted by Bear are from Shakespeare's Sonnet 18.
Bear reads in the Woodland Valley Gazette that there's a new movie opening down at the multiplex --- Citizen Crane. It's described as "the story of a young bird's rise to fame and power." This is a reference to Citizen Kane. This popular film from the 1940s was directed by the prolific Orson Welles and is #21 on IMDb's top 250 films.
Episode 18: Bats Are People Too
As the viewer arrives, Bear decides to try something a little different --- he wants the viewer to sniff him! It turns out that Bear's idea may have been prophetic because some very different things are happening around the area of the Big Blue House. Pip and Pop were out playing by the Otter Pond when they found something they've never seen before --- something with wings hanging upside-down from a tree. Bear explains to them that it's a bat. He tries to tell them all about it, but they disappear in a flash. Bear returns to the Big Blue House, where Ojo and Tutter both express the same sentiment. They're scared of the bat and don't want to have anything to do with it. Things only get worse when they all sit down and talk about it. Bear, however, meets the bat, whose name is Benny, and asks everyone else to meet it too. They reluctantly agree and find that not only is he not like what they expected --- Treelo is already his friend!
Episode 17: The Tutter Family Reunion
The annual Tutter Family Reunion is held at the Big Blue House. Everyone works hard to get ready for this big occasion featuring Tutter's huge family.
Notes
Tutter's relatives include Grandma Flutter, Uncle Tito del Tutter, Tardy, Grandpa Highland McTutter, Whiner, Shouter, Jim and June.
This episode was adapted in book form as The Tutter Family Reunion.
Episode 16: That Healing Feeling
When Bear hears a commotion in the living room, he finds Ojo and Tutter in something of a panic. They were playing and Tutter hurt his tail. It's all bent up and in a lot of pain. Bear does his best to help him feel better and then puts in a call to Doc Hogg. Doc Hogg asks Bear to bring Tutter over to his office, but Tutter is somewhat scared. Ojo's been there before, though, and offers to come with him. He also brings along his stuffed toy, Kitty. When he gets there, he's still somewhat scared, but eventually finds that there's really nothing to be afraid of. The Shadow segment, Five Little Monkeys, is recycled from "Picture of Health."
Songs
Hello Doctor
Just Say Ow (Shortened Version)
Notes
Pip and Pop are absent from this episode.
In the waiting room, a red bird is reading the book, The Adventures of Clamiana Jones, that Pip and Pop read from "What's the Story?"
Episode 15: Morning Glory
Bear, Tutter, Treelo, Ojo, Pip and Pop have just had a sleepover and now Bear is waking up in the morning. It's still early, but the sun's about to rise and then everyone will be getting up. Some rise faster than others --- for example, Ojo finds all the morning noise upsetting at first, but given just a bit longer to sleep, she's good to go. Bear gets everybody going with a good breakfast. Treelo wants to run and play, but Bear helps him to appreciate that breakfast will give him the fuel to do that. Then, fueled and ready to go, they head for the events of the day. While Tutter, Treelo and Ojo go out flower-sniffing, Pip and Pop decide to go riding in their inner-tubes. When Pop can't find his, they all help to tidy up the house in an effort to find it. Bear then settles down to read a book, but not before the Shadow segment. Shadow sings a song about the morning, featuring a newspaper-fetching dog and sweetly-mooing cows.
Episode 14: Wait For Me
Patience is discussed here, while Ojo and Pip and Pop wait for a package to arrive. Tutter can't wait for his cheesy fruit pops to be finished, so Bear helps him out with an alarm clock that will let Tutter know when the pops are finished.