50 Fun Facts About The Berenstain Bears

Misremembering the Berenstain Bears as the 'Berenstein' Bears is a famous example of which false-memory phenomenon?

The Mandela effect is the label for the shared false memory of an '-ein' spelling. Mike Berenstain says the mix-up goes back to his father's childhood, when a teacher insisted the name must be Bernstein.

Which famous author, then head of Random House's Beginner Books, edited the first Berenstain Bears book?

Dr. Seuss put Stan and Jan Berenstain through two years of rewrites before the book came out in 1962. He also trimmed their credit from Stanley and Janice to Stan and Jan without asking them.

What was Brother Bear called in the earliest Berenstain Bears books, before a sister joined the family in 1974?

Small Bear was renamed Brother once Sister was born. The family never got personal names because the first books needed words that new readers could sound out.

Which future Superbad star voiced Brother Bear in the 2000s Berenstain Bears cartoon?

Michael Cera voiced Brother Bear for the first two seasons, then handed the part to Michael D'Ascenzo for the third. The series ran to 40 half-hour episodes adapted from the books.

What did Berenstain Bears co-creator Jan Berenstain make from spare aluminum collected at a wartime aircraft factory?

Wedding rings were what Jan shaped from the scrap metal, and she and Stan exchanged them when they married in April 1946. She had spent the war riveting aircraft.

Which animal were Stan and Jan Berenstain writing a book about when strong sales brought the Berenstain Bears back?

A penguin was to star in their next book, because their editor felt children's stories already had too many bears. A few months in, he changed his mind and asked for a sequel.

Which holiday was the theme of the first Berenstain Bears animated TV special, shown on NBC in 1979?

Christmas came first, in a special where Papa hunts for the perfect evergreen and ends up sparing the animals that live in each one. Four more NBC holiday specials followed.

In the beginner reader The Berenstain Bears Go Up and Down, which moving machine do the bears ride?

An escalator carries the bears up and down until one of them tries going down the up side and causes chaos. The book is an Early Step into Reading title for the youngest readers.

Which school bully brings a realistic-looking monster squirt gun to class in The Berenstain Bears and No Guns Allowed?

Too-Tall carries the oversized water toy into Bear Country School, where it looks a lot like the real thing. The class learns that even pretend weapons can cause trouble in the wrong hands.

What kind of home do the Berenstain Bears live in, at the end of a sunny dirt road in Bear Country?

A treehouse is where Papa, Mama and the cubs live. Its address gave Stan and Jan Berenstain the title of their 2002 memoir, Down a Sunny Dirt Road.

Which Beginner Book, first drafted as Freddy Bear's Spanking, became the first Berenstain Bears story in 1962?

The Big Honey Hunt sends Papa chasing a wild bee when Mama only asked him to go shopping. He ends up jumping in the river, then buys a jar at the store after all.

In the Berenstain Bears books, what does the bumbling, over-eager Papa Bear do for a living?

Carpenter is Papa's trade, and a permanent exhibit at the National Museum of Play lets children try out his woodworking shop. Stan and Jan Berenstain said Papa and Mama were modeled largely on themselves.

In the Berenstain Bears books, what pattern covers the blue dress that wise Mama Bear wears?

White polka dots were in Stan and Jan Berenstain's plan from the start. The TV cartoons mostly dropped them, because dots and plaids are awkward to animate.

What does Papa Bear wear over his plaid shirt in the Berenstain Bears books and cartoons?

Bib overalls were Papa's outfit from the first sketches. In the earliest books the shirt underneath was red and white rather than the later yellow and black.

In which Pennsylvania city were Berenstain Bears creators Stan and Jan Berenstain both born in 1923?

Philadelphia was home to both of them. They later wrote and drew hundreds of bear books in a home studio in the countryside just outside the city.

Where did Berenstain Bears creators Stan and Jan Berenstain first meet as teenagers in 1941?

In a drawing class, on their very first day at art college, the pair bonded at once. The war then kept them apart for years before they could marry and start cartooning as a team.

In The Berenstain Bears Go to School, which class is a nervous Sister Bear about to start?

Kindergarten worries Sister until she discovers that school is really fun. The 1978 story was later retold as an episode of the 2000s TV cartoon.

In The Berenstain Bears and the Truth, what do Brother and Sister break before telling a fib about it?

A lamp, Mama Bear's favorite, is the casualty, and the cubs learn how much honesty matters. The 1983 story was later adapted for the bears' Saturday-morning cartoon.

In The Berenstain Bears and the Bad Habit, which habit do Mama and Papa help Sister Bear to stop?

Biting her nails is the habit, and her parents help Sister quit in a loving way instead of scolding her. The 1987 book later became an episode of the 2000s TV cartoon.

Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop asked the Berenstain Bears' creators for a children's book against which habit?

Smoking was the target, but Stan and Jan Berenstain declined and wrote a book about peer pressure instead. A later anti-tobacco Bear Scouts story was bought in bulk by Florida's governor.

What does Papa Bear try to teach his son in the second Berenstain Bears book, published in 1964?

How to ride a bike is the lesson, and Papa ends up much the worse for wear. That became the formula of the early books: Papa teaches, things go wrong, and his son thanks him anyway.

In The Berenstain Bears and the Big Red Kite, how do the cubs get the kite flown in the competition?

They make it themselves, with Papa's help, after he suggests building one instead of buying a novelty kite from a store. Big Red turns out to be too large to fly without a strong wind.

In The Berenstain Bears: We Love the Library, what bad news about the building spurs the cubs into action?

It may close forever, the family learns, and the cubs decide they have to save it. Until then the bears had happily borrowed books on everything from outer space to cute animals.

What was Berenstain Bears co-creator Stan Berenstain's job at an Army hospital in Indiana during World War II?

Medical illustrator was the post the Army gave Stan, who was blind in one eye and limited to light duty. He began selling cartoons to magazines while still in uniform.

What reason did Stan and Jan Berenstain give for choosing bears as the stars of their first children's book?

Furry and appealing was their stated reason, and they denied that the echo of their own surname played any part. Stan added that mother bears are terrifyingly good mothers.

How was the name chosen for the Berenstain Bears' third cub, a girl who arrived in a 2000 book?

By a reader contest: one book announced that a new cub was on the way and invited readers to name her. Her birth followed later the same year in a second book.

Which Berenstain Bears book about three cubs exploring was probably Stan and Jan Berenstain's own favorite?

The Spooky Old Tree was probably their favorite because its creepy stairways, alligators and suits of armor were such fun to draw. It was later turned into a Game Boy Advance game.

In The Berenstain Bears and No Guns Allowed, which brainy classmate is paired with a jock for a school assignment?

Ferdy and his partner find just one topic they can agree on: firearms. His curiosity is strictly intellectual, while his partner simply likes things that go bang.

In The Berenstain Bears and No Guns Allowed, what are a nerd and a jock assigned to study together?

Inventions are the assignment, and the mismatched partners settle on firearms as the one that interests them both. That choice leads to trouble at Bear Country School.

No Guns Allowed is part of which Berenstain Bears series, which sons Leo and Mike helped to write?

Big Chapter Books were the bears' illustrated novels, published under Stan and Jan Berenstain's names even though both of their sons worked on them.

Which country star sang the theme song of the 2000s Berenstain Bears cartoon shown on PBS Kids?

Lee Ann Womack sang the opening song of the series, which was shown on PBS Kids in the United States. Her signature hit had topped the country chart in 2000.

Into which Native American language were 20 Berenstain Bears cartoon episodes dubbed for public TV in the Dakotas?

Lakota was the language, making the bears the first animated series translated into a Native American language in the United States. Mike Berenstain and the studio waived all licensing fees.

Which Laugh-In comedian voiced Mama Bear in the Berenstain Bears Saturday-morning cartoon of the mid-1980s?

Ruth Buzzi played Mama and several other Bear Country women, including Queen Nectar and Scout Leader Jane. The CBS series paired each adapted book with a brand-new story.

In the 1980s, Berenstain Bears books were sent to every US pediatrician's office to promote what?

Vaccinations were the cause: vaccine maker Lederle Laboratories licensed the bears and sent stuffed animals along with the books.

Which famous roller-coaster park had a children's area themed as Berenstain Bear Country in the 1990s and 2000s?

Cedar Point in Ohio was one of several parks in its chain with a Berenstain Bear Country, where the bears also strolled about as costumed characters.

In The Berenstain Bears in the Dark, what does Brother Bear bring home that leaves Sister afraid at bedtime?

A scary book from the library is the culprit, and after it bedtime and the dark feel threatening to Sister. The story was later released as an animated Living Books computer storybook.

In The Berenstain Bears' Moving Day, where did the Bear family live before moving to their famous valley home?

On a mountainside is where the family started out, halfway up Great Bear Mountain, when Brother was still an only cub. The 1981 book works as an origin story for the home readers already knew.

In the Berenstain Bears book Inside, Outside, Upside Down, what is the cub inside when he rides to town?

A cardboard box carries the cub to town on the back of a truck. The tale uses a deliberately tiny vocabulary so the youngest readers can follow every word.

Which early skill does the Berenstain Bears beginner book Bears on Wheels teach?

Counting is the point: a gradually increasing number of bears turns a slapstick ride into a first number book for beginning readers.

In The Berenstain Bears and the Double Dare, what is Brother Bear dared to steal from Farmer Ben?

A watermelon is the target, and the dare comes from a gang Brother is excited to join. The 1988 story is the Berenstains' book about peer pressure.

A permanent Berenstain Bears exhibit at the National Museum of Play includes Mama Bear's shop, which sells what?

Quilts are Mama Bear's line in the hands-on exhibit, which opened in 2008 and also has a play dentist's office for children to explore.

Which Hollywood director announced a Berenstain Bears feature film in 2009 that was never made?

Shawn Levy planned a comedy mixing live action with animation and compared its tone to the film Elf. The project reached the script stage before the studio's option expired.

In which country was the mid-1980s Berenstain Bears Saturday-morning cartoon produced, by a branch of Hanna-Barbera?

Australia was home to Southern Star, the Hanna-Barbera offshoot that made the series for CBS. Canada's turn came with the next Berenstain cartoon, in the early 2000s.

Which publisher took over new Berenstain Bears books from Random House in the mid-2000s?

HarperCollins became the bears' home after four decades at Random House. The move opened the door to a line of faith-themed titles from the company's religious arm.

Which character, feared as a monster until the cubs befriend him, debuted in a Berenstain Bears Thanksgiving special?

Bigpaw terrifies Bear Country until Brother and Sister, caught in his enormous hand, find out how gentle he is. He ends up a guest at the family's holiday dinner.

Which 1931 film did Jan Berenstain credit as the model for Papa Bear's bond with his son?

The Champ gave the Berenstains the dynamic they needed when their editor pressed them to explain how father and son related. Stan's first answer had been only that one was the father and one the son.

Which Christian publisher has released the faith-based Berenstain Bears Living Lights books since 2008?

Zondervan launched Living Lights after Mike Berenstain, moved by his own faith, proposed a separate line of bear books on spiritual themes. Stan and Jan co-created the first four titles.

Which Berenstain Bears Game Boy Color game made Electronic Gaming Monthly's list of the 20 worst video games ever?

Extreme Sports with the Berenstain Bears, released in 2000, earned the dubious honor. The family's video game career had begun back in 1983 with a rare, collectible cartridge.

In The Berenstain Bears Get the Gimmies, which couple comes up with a plan to cure the cubs' greed?

Gran and Gramps come up with the plan that helps selfish Brother and Sister shake off their greed. The 1988 story later became an episode of the 2000s TV cartoon.

The rare 1983 Berenstain Bears video game by Coleco needed the KidVid controller on which console?

Atari 2600 owners needed the KidVid accessory to play it at all, which helps explain why the cartridge is now a rare collector's item.