The Secret World of Benjamin Bear
The Secret World of Benjamin Bear is an animated television series produced by PorchLight Entertainment and Amberwood Entertainment.
The title character is a stuffed toy bear named Benjamin (or Ben for short) (who had previously appeared in three short films: The Teddy Bears' Picnic (1989), The Teddy Bears' Christmas (1992) and The Teddy Bears Scare (1998)) who together with other stuffed bears, is "alive" and have adventures of their own. They are very careful to try to appear inanimate when in sight of humans (referred to as "Going Teddy").
The bears' main duty is to their child (the bears refer to them as "their kids", or "kiddies"). They keep them happy, act as a friend to talk to when in need, and secretly keep them out of harm's way and on the right path to success.
Characters
Teddy Bears
- Benjamin "Ben" Bear (voiced by Jonathan Crombie) - The main protagonist of the series. His kid is Max Tanner. His best friend is Howie. He is shown to be a true gentleman to everyone in the teddy world. Out of all the teddies, Benjamin is one of the most trustworthy and often called on to help the others, especially the new teddies. He is allergic to lavender. When he gets mad, he crosses his arms and taps his foot (however, he denies doing this). In the episode "Just for Laughs", he gets nervous of being on stage and Sebastian makes it worse. At the end of the episode a Froth Moth comes in the cafe and all the teddies hide.
- Howie Bear - Howie is Ben's best friend. Even though Howie is young and inexperienced, he is eager to learn. His kid is Eliza Tanner.
- Edgar of Old (voiced by John Stocker) - A 200-year-old bear and the first teddy ever made, he was the stuffed bear originally given to T.H. Roosevelt, which is where the term "Teddy Bear" originated. He is the leader of the teddy community. Due to his extensive age he tends to walk slowly and isn't as agile as the others, but otherwise doesn't show his age. His "kid" is Miss Abby Periwinkle, and she is the only human who knows that the teddy bears are alive.
- Ruby Red - A friend of Ben's who he has a crush on. She is owned by a toy store owner named MacLaren. She is a sweet bear, and gets along well with Ben and Howie. She is always willing to lend a helping hand. In the episode "Happy's Big Day", Ruby and Ben tell each other how much they have in common and eventually tell how much they love each other.
- Holly Bear - (voiced by Emma Taylor-Isherwood) A panda teddy bear and a very close friend of Howie. They are always seen playing chess together; however, Holly always wins. Her kid is Lindsay.
- Sebastian Biggleboar - A pompous bear who considers himself better than everyone else and speaks with a British accent. He enjoys causing trouble for Benjamin and Howie or embarrassing them. Sebastian has a crush on Trixie Belle, and he considers her the perfect girl, and one of the few things other than himself that he loves. His kid is Bobbie.
- Raymond - A 6-foot purple teddy bear who was a carnival prize before being dumped on the street. After wandering around the woods nearby, he was found by Ben and Howie, and taken to MacLaren's toy store, and put on a rocking chair next to the entrance.
- Toot Sweet - A polar teddy bear who run's Toot's, a diner where bears like to congregate. He is famous for honey shakes. When his kid went to college, he tried to stop him, but stopped when his kid promised he would return.
- The Clean-up Crew - Three small teddy bears who belong to three energetic children. They're usually seen in black suits and sunglasses (although, unlike other teddies, they only wear clothes when they're "on duty"), and riding around in a toy gyrocopter with a bucket on a string hanging from it. It's their job to deal with big problems that arise in the teddy world.
- Winifred - A teddy who works in the teddy council and was once in the teddy marching band.
- Trixie Belle - A Teddy Tech graduate whom Sebastian has a crush on.
- Mrs. Crackers - A female teddy bear who runs the library.
- Felix - Felix was Laura's old teddy and now he lives in Italy with his new kid, who is a girl named Antonia.
- General - A military teddy bear with an English accent. He is very strict about order due to his militaristic nature.
- Mr. Lister - The teddy bear in charge of the Teddy Relocation Center.
- Buzz - Buzz is a teddy that appeared in the episode "Close the Door Ben", when Ben tried to find his child.
- Enrico – Enrico is Ruby Red's old friend who lives in Italy.
- Lily - A young teddy bear. She has problems with going teddy (she will do so whenever she's excited in the slightest bit). She is part of the general's marching band.
- Dr. Tiffany Tuff - A teddy bear who is a physician. She runs the Teddy Hospital.
- Freddy - A teddy bear that was handmade.
- Gonzo
- Bernie
- Mrs. Poppy
- Samantha
- Louie
- Albert
- Tatayoshi
- Angus
- Wally - Another friend of Ben's. He previously appeared in The Teddy Bears' Picnic, The Teddy Bears' Christmas and The Teddy Bears' Scare.
- Frankie
- Woowly
Humans
- Max Tanner - Simon's son, Eliza's brother and Benjamin's kid. Max was given Benjamin by his father, who was Benjamin's previous kid.
- Eliza Tanner - (voiced by Emma Taylor-Isherwood) Howie's kid. She is Max's younger sister.
- Simon Tanner - Max's father, and Benjamin's previous kid. He is a very creative man, and enjoys tinkering. Unfortunately, most of his inventions don't work properly. He owns a Bulldog named Slurp, who helps out Benjamin and Howie whenever possible.
- Laura Tanner - The pretty mother of Max and Eliza and the wife of Simon Tanner who is the owner of Felix.
- Bobbie - Sebastian's kid. She considers herself superior to Max and Eliza. Her father dotes on her and she has a Doberman Pinscher named Chomper, who loves Sebastian.
- Miss Abby Periwinkle - Edgar's kid. She is the only human who knows that teddy bears can walk and talk like humans. When she was a child, she tried to pilot a sailboat by herself but was knocked unconscious by the sail's boom when she steered it. Edgar steered the boat back to the dock in order to save her, but she regained consciousness and saw him. She told her friends her bear was alive but nobody believed her, and they began treating her like she was weird. Edgar saw how much this hurt her and admitted to her that teddies were alive, but it was a secret only she could know. She has kept this secret ever since, and her house is the only one that teddies can come and go as they please without having to hide or go teddy.
- Mr. Maclarean - Ruby's kid. A Scottish man who owns a large toy store called "Maclarean's", and behaves like a child himself. He has also taken several trips around the world, and has plenty of stories to tell. He has a sister who wishes he acted his age.
- Lindsay - Holly's kid. She is friends with Eliza.
Locations
- Maclarean's Toy Store - This is Mr. Maclearean's toy store. There is a teddy library, a place where the teddy council meets, and other secret teddy hiding places.
- Toot Sweet's Garden Cafe - This is Toot Sweet's café. The owner, Toot, is known for making honey shakes.
- Abby Periwinkle's House - This is the home of Miss Periwinkle. She lives there with her bear Edgar. There are different teddy hiding places in the house. Miss Periwinkle's garden is used for special occasions like Greeting Ceremonies.
- Tanner House - This is where the Tanner family lives. There are different teddy tunnels so Ben and Howie can get from "room to room" and "place to place" easily.
- Bobbie's House - This is where Bobbie's family lives. It is the neighboring home to the Tanner House. Chomper acts as a watch dog to the house at night.
- Teddy Hospital - The Teddy Hospital is in a real hospital. This is where the teddies go if they have teddy health problems, such as new stuffing or stitching.
Animals
- Slurp - Slurp is the Tanner's family dog. He is very playful and friendly, with humans and teddy bears alike. He is called Slurp because of his slobbery dog kisses. He looks just like Spike from Tom & Jerry.
- Chomper - Chomper is Bobbie's dog. He only likes Sebastian, and dislikes Ben and Howie. Sebastian enjoys seeing Chomper chase Ben and Howie around.
- Marigold- Marigold is Lindsy's dog. She is very energetic and loves to disturb the teddies.
- Froth Moth- A Froth Moth is a fictional species of moth that feeds on teddy bear stuffing. As a result, Froth Moths are the most feared creature in the teddy world. They don't like lavender, which teddy bears use to fend them off.
- Champ- Champ is Mike's pet dog. He loves to play teddy fetch with Trixie Belle.
- Patches- Patches is Eliza's cat. She likes to cause trouble with just about everything she can, especially Ben and Howie.
Episode list
Season 1
1. Fuzz and Buzz; Game Over
2. Just for Laughs; Auctioning Edgar
3. Green-Eyed Monster; Last Minute Leader
4. Lights, Camera Caught; Over the Volcano
5. Happy Campers; Teddy Picnic
6. Maxwell's Dilemma; Abominable Bear
7. Ooey Gooey; Wrong Howie
8. Best Friends; Harry Hampster
9. Driving Miss Hilda Crazy; One Stormy Night
10. Cracking Up; Trouble for Toots
11. A Star is Born; Who Took the Teddifesto
12. Quest for the Holly Bear; Bears Away
13. Cargo Cat; Perfect Match
Season 2
1. The Big Scare; Raymond's Frisky Friend
2. Teddy Tech; Badminton Bet
3. Outbreak; Triple Trouble
4. General Alarm; Bouncing Bertie
5. Clean Up Kid; Lucky Raymond
6. Finding Felix; Froth Fright
7. Canine Chaos; There and Back
8. Edgar's Tale; Deep Secret
9. The General's Kid; Just Like Ben
10. Teddy Splat Spat; Close the Door Ben
11. Teddy Trails; Yo Ho Ho
12. Ben Between; Teddy Training
13. Happy Birthday Mrs. P; Top Teddy
Season 3
1. Fixing Freddy; Bad Hair Daze
2. Lister Says; Sweet n' Sour
3. Fitting In; Itch to Switch
4. Edgar's Letter; Room at the Top
5. Teddy Tango; Sebastian Calling
6. Teddy Kite Flight; Hand-Me-Down Bear
7. Saving Sebastian; Tuff Love
8. Following Finnegan; Raymond's Place
9. Zowie Howie; Grow Seed Grow
10. Tunnel Trouble; Teddy Overdrill
11. Lister's Mistake; Teddy Return
12. Rocket Teddy; Teddy Tracker
13. The Raymond Reaction; Big Bear
Season 4
1. Teddy Time; Lonesome at the Top
2. House Bound Bear; Howie Power
3. Teddy Flip Flop; Proudly Purple
4. Ben's Decision; The General's Bath
5. Teddy Slow Down; Going Home
6. Ben's Nose Knows; A Tickle Too Far
7. Helping Happy; Fishy Friendship
8. Blip Blork; Finders Keepers
9. A Teddy's Dream; Ben's Day Off
10. Teddy Trick; Sebastian's Chance
11. Freddie's First Snow; The Perfect Gift
12. Sebastian the King; The Trouble with Toots
13. Too Much Champ; Happy's Big Day
See also
References
External links
- The Secret World Of Benjamin Bear (Series) at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- [IMDB entry: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0898768/]
- Amberwood Entertainment's The Secret World of Benjamin Bear Page