History Main / TheBear

* ''VideoGame/BaldursGate3'': Halsin is an [[TheBigGuy unusually large]] and hairy Wood Elf Druid who is [[EthicalSlut open about being attracted to both men and women]].

Not to be confused with ''Film/TheBear'', or ''Series/{{The Bear|2022}}'' or the Belgian Malinois TeamPet from ''Series/PersonOfInterest''.

Not to be confused with ''Film/TheBear'', or the Belgian Malinois TeamPet from ''Series/PersonOfInterest''.

For actual bears, see BearsAreBadNews, BearyFunny, BearyFriendly, and PandaingToTheAudience.

* Too many examples to comprehensively list here. There is a huge presence of the bear community online, and there are a lot of artists who draw bear art, everything from tame to erotic to porn.

* Comedian Drew Lynch, who's straight, joked about the gay male animal kingdom. His openly-gay barber told him he'd be somewhere between a wolf and an otter if he were gay. Drew pressed him to pick one, but the barber said it's not like one is better than the other. To which Drew said, "It sounds to ''me'' like one is better, like one could ''eat'' the other..."

* In ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'', [[RatedMForManly Ron]] looks for a clue Leslie left behind for finding Ben's gift at Pawnee's local gay bar and many of the patrons are clearly checking him out due to his bear-like looks (though he doesn't notice).

* Comedian Drew Lynch, who's straight, joked about the gay male animal kingdom. His openly-gay barber told him he'd be somewhere between a wolf and an otter if he were gay. Drew pressed him to pick one, but he couldn't. The barber said it's not like one is better than the other, but Drew said, "It sounds to ''me'' like one is better, like one could ''eat'' the other..."

* Comedian Drew Lynch, who's straight, has joked about the gay male animal kingdom. His openly-gay barber said Drew was somewhere between a wolf and an otter. Drew pressed him to pick one, but he couldn't. The barber said it's not like one is better than the other, but Drew said, "It sounds to ''me'' like one is better, like one could ''eat'' the other..."

'''Caller:'''What kind of bear did you think I meant? A big, hairy gay guy?!

* Redfern Jon Barrett's 'ambitopian' novel ''Literature/Proud Pink Sky'' is set in the world's first gay state – and features Paw, a district just for bears.

* Zangief from ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' is possibly one of the oldest examples of this in video games. He has been [[AmbiguouslyGay hinted to be gay]] enough that audiences gay and straight have taken notice, and his gay bearish appeal has long since been secured.
** Three letters: S P D. An attack where he grabs you into a standing 69 position.

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/TokyoAfterschoolSummoners https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kazuma_bear_778.jpg]]]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kazuma_bear_778.jpg]]

''Usually'' a subtrope of ManlyGay, and the aesthetic opposite of TheTwink, though cubs are similar in disposition. Frequently overlaps with BigBeautifulMan, CoolOldGuy, LeatherMan or BeastMan. In fact this trope overlaps with BigBeautifulMan ''so often'' that some people would consider them the same trope--except that technically this trope is about body hair and the other trope is about body fat.

For actual bears, see BearsAreBadNews, BearyFunny, BearyFriendly and PandaingToTheAudience.

* ''ComicStrip/AJAndMagnus'': John (AKA "Pop") is a stereotypical bear: Muscular, hairy and married to the bio-dad of the title (human) character.

* In ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'', Fear and Disgust have a brief argument over whether or not there are [[BearsAreBadNews bears]] in Riley's new home town of UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco. Anger chimes in to say he saw a big, hairy guy who looked like a bear.

* The Spanish film ''Cachorro'' (Bear Cub in English) is about a gay bear who has to take care of his 9-year old nephew as a favor for his sister.

* ''Film/MidaqAlley'': Rutilio is an overweight, very hairy man in his fifties who is having an affair with a smooth-chinned young twink who looks to be less than half his age. In this case however he is also married with a grown son. His wife is mortified and his hothead son is enraged by his father carrying on a gay romance and not even trying very hard to hide it.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Lord Renly Baratheon's nickname on this [[http://www.thebacklot.com/got-men-15-of-the-hottest-guys-of-game-of-thrones/05/2012/ entertainment website aimed at gay men]] is the Otter King. The character has a hairy chest, but the audience never sees it because his lover Ser Loras Tyrell finds him more attractive with a smooth torso. Renly doesn't really "get" the smooth thing--he thinks it makes him look like a young boy--but he's willing to do it for Loras.

* One episode of ''Series/ModernFamily'' has Mitchell and Cam look for a gay club to go on New Years Eve. As they are comparing their situation to that of Literature/{{Goldilocks}}, as they hadn't yet found one that was "just right", three bears walk out of one of the bars and the guys share an amused look.

-->"Hank's son is gay? How gay, on a scale from [[ManlyMenCanHunt bear hunting]] to [[AllGaysArePromiscuous hunting bears]]?"

* Referenced in ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'' Artie (hairy, rotund, and middle aged) was about to admit that he loved someone (a girl) when he figured out which artifact was causing this week's trouble. He uses the Jewish name, which sounds like a man's name. The (older) man with him responds. "I didn't know you were homosexual. Are you what they call a Bear?"

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Commander Riker became a bear icon after actor Jonathan Frakes grew his beard for season 3. Frakes only found about it years after the show ended, and then was greatly amused.[[https://www.trektoday.com/news/011007_02.shtml]]

* In the Canadian mockumentary ''Series/TrailerParkBoys'', Randy is the [[WalkingShirtlessScene always shirtless]] Assistant Trailer Park Supervisor (as wearing a shirt will give him a rash) and he also happens to have a very large, hairy gut for which he is frequently ridiculed. However, many on the show consider him attractive and he has many romantic involvements throughout the series, including a long term relationship with Jim and also dates Officer Ted at one point.

* ''Webcomic/TigerTiger'' has Arno, the owner of an all-but-said-to-be gay bar and Remy's first male lover-turned-confidant. Arno is around middle-age, pretty heavy-set, and hairy-- in regards to his face ''and'' under his clothes, as the reader sees during his first meeting with Remy.

* ''Literature/GoldTongues'' has a hairy, burly biker who's revealed to also be homosexual. He's aptly nicknamed "Bear" in regards to this trope.

* Chef and ''Series/TopChef'' judge Tom Colicchio is straight (having been married to a woman since 2001), but has acknowledged his bear fan base on air, has done interviews with bear media and was briefly scheduled to ride on the bear float in the 2010 LA Pride Parade (he cancelled due to scheduling conflicts).
* Actor Creator/NickFrost is well aware of and seemingly flattered by his status as an icon in the bear community, and has [[https://youtu.be/HjOg6puTChA has discussed]] his interest in posing for the cover of a gay magazine dressed in leather chaps, a vest and tiny Stetson.

* Pretty much the whole point to the film [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1426320/ Bear City]].
* Another Spanish film [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0856776/ Chuecatown]] (Boystown in English) features two bears as protagonists. Arguably, they overlap with [[BigBeautifulMan Big Beautiful Men]].

* One episode of ''Series/ModernFamily'' has Mitchell and Cam look for a gay club to go on New Years Eve. As they are comparing their situation to that of Literature/{{Goldilocks}}, as they hadn't yet found one that was "just right", three [[TheBear bears]] walk out of one of the bars and the guys share an amused look.

* Lampshaded on ''Series/TheMuppets'', when Fozzie Bear talks about his dating life:

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs9PG-XAlsI Mascumax]] is a villain from ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' episode "Members Only."

* In the Canadian mockumentary ''Series/TrailerParkBoys'', Randy is the always shirtless Assistant Trailer Park Supervisor (as wearing a shirt will give him a rash) and he also happens to have a very large, hairy gut for which he is frequently ridiculed. However, many on the show consider him attractive and he has many romantic involvements throughout the series, including a long term relationship with Jim and also dates Officer Ted at one point.

* Josh from ''Webcomic/HijinksEnsue'' is a self-identified bear, of the bald+pudgy variety.

* Discussed in [[http://gqutiecomics.com/page/4 Gqutie,]] which proposes "Mongoose" as a genderqueer varient.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'' episode "Turkey in a Can", Bob is MistakenForGay by the deli counter clerk, who tries to hook him up with a friend of his who's into "sloppy bears", i.e, Bears who are both overweight and not overly concerned with their hygiene. However, given that Bob replies that he's [[AmbiguouslyBi mostly straight]], that might not be so much of a mistake.

* Actor Creator/NickFrost is well aware of and seemingly flattered by his status as an icon in the bear community, and has [[https://youtu.be/HjOg6puTChA has discussed]] his interest in posing for the cover of a gay magazine dressed in leather chaps, a vest and tiny stetson.

* Discussed in [[http://gqutiecomics.com/page/4 Gqutie]], which proposes "Mongoose" as a genderqueer varient.

* Conservative blogger [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Sullivan Andrew Sullivan,]] who has the body size, body hair, and beard to pull it off, has publicly self-identified as a bear since [[http://www.salon.com/2003/08/01/bears a Salon article in 2003]], and occasionally posts articles regarding the Bear community on his blog, [[http://dish.andrewsullivan.com The Dish.]] He also regularly comments on beards (a major element of Bear culture, but he seems to like it when any man grows a beard, whether he is gay or straight, large or small--he sees beard-growing as more natural).

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs9PG-XAlsI Mascumax]], a villain from ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''.

* Conservative blogger [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Sullivan Andrew Sullivan]], who has the body size, body hair, and beard to pull it off, has publicly self-identified as a bear since [[http://www.salon.com/2003/08/01/bears/ a Salon article in 2003]], and occasionally posts articles regarding the Bear community on his blog, [[http://dish.andrewsullivan.com/ The Dish]]. He also regularly comments on beards (a major element of Bear culture, but he seems to like it when any man grows a beard, whether he is gay or straight, large or small--he sees beard-growing as more natural).
* Sullivan's liberal counterpart is [[http://www.joemygod.com Joe Jervis]], another gay blogger known for his bearish build.

* The main character of ''VideoGame/AllWallsMustFall'' is the time-travelling STASIS agent Kai, a burly man with a rough beard and BaldOfAwesome. On missions, he navigates through various Berlin gay clubs, potentially [[HoneyTrap seducing the all-male security]]. Some dialogue draws attention to his bear status.