Bear in the Big Blue House isn't as great as The Muppets or Sesame Street, but it's still great regardless! Ironically, I haven't had as much history with it as I've had with numerous other preschool shows (Sesame Street, Blue's Clues, Wow Wow Wubbzy, The Wiggles, The Teletubbies, Caillou, Dora, Diego, Barney, etc.). I still like some of those shows, some I'm now neutral to, and some I now hate. I loved BITBBH when I was a little kid, but I lost interest in it and quit watching it altogether when I was 4 years old because I was starting to be scared of Bear, especially when he'd sniff the audience. I've had similar issues with little to no other preschool shows. It may be safe to say I haven't given it a chance for the longest time. Many years later, I heard good things about it on YouTube, found some of the episodes on YT shortly after that and watched them. I now like it again and regret not giving it a chance before, although Bear's sniffing still scares and intrigues me because it comes out of nowhere and surprises me, and Bear presses his nose up against the camera, even though he does it in every episode. I already knew most of what it was teaching, but whatever. Some days I watch it on Disney+. I'm so happy it's finally there!
Noel MacNeal (Bear's puppeteer and voice) has confirmed that Bear is supposed to be the anti-Barney. Some Bear fans and Barney haters have described Barney as loud and childlike and Bear as calm and fatherly, and the people involved wanted him to have a voice that wouldn't make parents want to bulge their eyes out. Noel has also described him as a "furry Mr. Rogers." Barney says, "Don't be afraid," and Bear says, "It's okay, take your time." Barney has explained that it's okay to be afraid (though I don't have a problem with the way he handled it), but Bear has handled that message in a more heartfelt and accepting way. In an episode where it's the latter's birthday, he refuses to make a big deal about it, much to his friends' confusion, but the former doesn't have a problem with those who make a big deal about his birthday. The former's perspective on his birthday can relate mostly to younger viewers (though there's nothing wrong with his view on his "big day"), but the latter's perspective on his birthday could relate mostly to older viewers, especially yours truly. Bear is better than Barney, but I'm neutral to Barney, though I understand why some people don't like him. Unlike some other preschool show hosts, Bear doesn't talk down to the audience. He acts like a kindly uncle instead of using patronizing baby talk. He handles the concept of "fake" interactivity very well and doesn't ask dumb questions (e.g., "Can you see that blue house?"). When he has a question for the audience (e.g., "What do you like to do with your friends?", "Who do you love most?", "What do you do when you're scared?", "What do you like to share with your friends and family?"), real kids appear on screen and answer it, and his pauses after questions are short and sweet. He and Ojo both have cute, teddy bear-like designs, which strengthens the show's warm tone. He's one of the most expressive and realistic muppets I've ever seen! Unlike most muppets, he can open and close his eyes, twitch his eyebrows, sleep while his face is on screen, droop his eyelids, etc. Like Barney, the show addresses some everyday aspects of life, albeit a more relatable manner, like the importance of sharing, friendship, forgiveness, potty training, discovering the world around you, good sportsmanship, the importance of brushing your teeth, and more. The tone and Bear's anti-Barney mannerisms have caused the show to be popular with kids and adults alike!
Bear's gentleness and the show's soothing nature are a couple of its best aspects. Bear settles his friends' arguments and handles their habits in an understanding, laid-back, and non-threatening manner. For example, there's an episode where Bear's new skunk cuckoo clock ticks, wakes up Tutter, and scares him, and Tutter later takes the clock apart to understand it better. That helped him get over his fear of the clock. Bear was confused at first, but he didn't have a problem with that because he fully understood Tutter's feelings about the clock. Later in the same episode, he (Bear) says, "The more you know about something, the less you'll be afraid of it." True, but I feel like that's not always the case. Another example of Bear's warm attitude is shown in another episode, where a big wind causes a tree to fall on the local library and destroy it, and Ojo is afraid she'll never get to go to the library again. Bear holds her in his arms, says the whole Woodland Valley will be working together to fix the library, and sings about meaning no harm. This warms my heart a lot! Sometimes the people around those who are worried about those kinds of things may struggle to understand or accept their feelings, but I can't say the same about Bear. Trust me, I've been in a situation like that before. I have some very unusual interests, disinterests, and fears, and some more common ones too. Sometimes Bear's friends unintentionally give him troubles, but none that are so big or too much for him to handle. Like Winnie the Pooh, he is very cheerful, easygoing, and doesn't ever get angry, yet he's not always happy. If we could all be more like Bear, the world would be a better place to live in! I heard the series has been popular with children who have/had special needs, mainly autistic ones, due to its calming nature and Bear's gentleness as a caregiver. Coincidentally, I've had autism ever since I was born. Bear and Luna's duet at the end of every episode (The Goodbye Song) is so quiet, pretty, and emotional that it always makes me feel the need to cry (more about it later).
Another one of the best things about the show is its music. Unlike various other musical shows, it contains a wide variety of different music genres, like jazz, rock, hip hop, blues, and more. The jazz songs give it a nostalgic feeling/tone and could give parents and grandparents who grew up with jazz a reason to watch it. There are a couple of songs where Bear scat sings, and his vocals make them electric! Some of the songs tell life lessons or inspiring messages and give them uniqueness that a conversation about them lacks. Pip and Pop's song "Otter Love" is a great example, and it's my favorite Pip and Pop moment of all. It explains the importance of love and says you can never get enough love; I can't argue with that! It's a banger, has a hip hop-like beat and smooth, cool, and calming backup vocals by Bear (I don't know how else to describe his vocals). He sings some lyrics that are often sung in old, nostalgic songs ("Uh huh," "Oh yeah," etc.). My favorite Bear song is Bear's signature song/dance, The Bear Cha Cha Cha. It is one of the most iconic and most easily remembered songs, and one of the only Bear songs I remembered long after I stopped watching the show for a while. It goes hard and is sure to get people up and dancing! You don't have to be a kid or a bear to dance along and enjoy it. Our title character has the coolest and most energetic dance moves I've ever seen a muppet do, especially when he does the Bear Cha Cha Cha! The Goodbye Song is one of the least sad goodbye songs I've ever heard because it says goodbyes aren't (always) so bad; Bear and Luna will be waiting for you before you to "come back" to the Big Blue House, and they'll see you again soon. If Bear taught us one thing, it's how to properly say goodbye. In various episodes, there's cheerful music from The Book of Pooh in scenes with no singing or dancing. That is part of what caused me to regain my interest in Bear and reminded me that it was more optimistic, upbeat, and not as creepy and dull as I remembered.
The series provides social skills, jokes, songs (like I said), and quirky characters, which makes it fun to watch! There's Bear of course, the imaginative and inquisitive Ojo, the worrisome Tutter, the playful and funny Pip and Pop, the bouncy Treelo, and the old and wise Luna. They make it fun to watch! Speaking of Tutter, he is one of my favorite characters alongside Bear. I find him relatable because his feelings of unease are similar to mine. We both have unusual fears and frustrations (e.g., Tutter was scared of Bear's skunk clock at first and I'm scared of the puppets from LazyTown). He has had struggles/worries that children commonly have. For example, before he started school, he tried to learn how to read and write, but he couldn't, and he was worried that he had too much to learn in so little time. Bear set him straight and said he didn't have to know all those skills before starting school because we go to school to learn those things. Tutter reminds me of Piglet from Winnie the Pooh because they're both easily frightened and smaller than most of their friends. His voice sounds like Toad from Mario Bros and Pinocchio from Shrek. The scenes where he screams and quietly ends his lines with "Thank you Bear!" are funny! Bear has some funny one-liners, like "I'm curious. Were you Cha Cha Chaing?"
The Big Blue House set looks very cool! It's so big and roomy. The swing in the living room looks fun and relaxing to sit on. The yard has plenty of trees, logs, and a pond nearby, and it resembles a forest, which is fitting because most of the characters are forest animals. The Big Blue House sounds fun to visit and to live at too! I don't know how else to describe the set.
Overall, Bear in the Big Blue House is an educational, entertaining, funny, sweet, and engaging show! I consider it a good part of my childhood, despite the bad memories I had with it. If you're looking for a show for you and your kid(s) to enjoy together, this is it! I don't have any kids, but if I'll have any someday, I'll definitely introduce them to Bear!