* AdaptationDisplacement: Many people familiar with the animated series don't know about the books the series was based on.
* DirectorDisplacement: More like Author Displacement. Those who remember the books, likely misremember Maurice Sendak as the author. He actually was the books' ''illustrator''. The series was created by Else Holmelund Minarik. Nickelodeon certainly didn't help, as early promos for the animated series referred to it as "Maurice Sendak's Little Bear".
* EnsembleDarkhorse: Cat, probably for his snark mainly as well as being a cute animal like the rest of the cast.
** Most viewers adore Granny for being a CoolOldLady who's been in lots of adventures around the world before she settled in the forest, and is very indulgent of Emily's and Little Bear's imaginations.
** Little Bear's CoolUncle Rusty has his fans. He's laid-back and very fun, being Father Bear's little brother who hasn't settled down in the forest as his relatives have but travels and works around the land, and is almost more like a big brother to Little Bear.
* FairForItsDay: The Chinese princess Little Bear meets in "Little Bear's Wish" (which may or may not have really happened) is for the most part free of stereotypes and is not designed with any racist features. She does have a pet dragon and a panda friend, but there aren't actually any negative stereotypes going on.
* FridgeBrilliance:
** In the 'impatience' episode, Father Bear is stuck on "itchy" in a CrosswordPuzzle. It turns out that [[{{Irony}} the word he was looking for was 'impatient'.]] But while people do say, "I'm itching to...", we don't generally think of "itchy" and "impatient" as being synonyms... which explains why he was having so much trouble thinking of it.
** Mother Bear's best dress being her wedding gown. For a long time, women typically ''did'' get married in their fanciest outfits which they also wore on other formal occasions, unlike today where most women have a special white gown worn only for the wedding.
* FridgeHorror: If the Grand Leader Gingerbread Cookie [[spoiler: really was alive]], he was ''perfectly happy'' to leave his comrades behind to be eaten while he escaped.
* FriendlyFandoms: With ''WesternAnimation/{{Franklin}}'' (another Creator/{{Nelvana}} production) due to both shows sharing a laid back and lighthearted tone. Especially when Little Bear and Franklin used to frequently air on Creator/NickJr together throughout the late 1990s and 2000s. To the point that both American and Canadian fans were hoping for a future [[IntercontinuityCrossover crossover episode]] of Franklin featured the titular turtle meeting Little Bear alongside his friends and family.
* MemeticMutation: "Little Bear! I got your toothpaste!"[[labelnote:Explanation]][[https://youtu.be/h5UsGPXWQ70 An ad for Orajel Training Toothpaste]] where a kid sees Little Bear in his bathroom mirror. It's remembered by 2000s kids for [[RepeatingAd frequently airing]] on daytime TV.[[/labelnote]]
* NightmareFuel:
** The North Wind is quite scary, with a scowling face and creepy voice and his determination to best Father Bear as he sails on his ship in the sea.
-->''I seeee yooouuu, Father Bear, and I am blowing cold out of the North!"'''
** The goblin getting frightened in the cave was creepy, especially when he looks out of the tree hole he's hiding in to see what monster is following him... [[spoiler: his shoes with bells on them.]]
** [[CatsAreMean Trouble the mountain lion]] from the movie. It's made clear from the beginning that he's out to eat Little Bear and his friends, and he almost definitely would have eaten Little Bear and the moose had Cub and [[MamaBear the mother moose]] not returned when they did. There's also the scene towards the end when Duck encounters him all alone. Even after [[spoiler: Trouble's defeat]], nobody can find Duck. Then, [[spoiler: we get an eerie shot of a lone feather laying where we last saw her, [[NothingIsScarier the only noise being the blowing wind]]]]. Fortunately, [[spoiler: [[DisneyDeath it turns out that Duck flew away unharmed]]]], but it's still quite intense for a preschool show. Not helping is the fact that Trouble is less anthropomorphic than the main cast.
** Also from the movie: Cub's separation from his parents (which doubles as a {{Tearjerker}}. They had pushed him to safety to get away from a wildfire caused by a dangerous thunderstorm. From either a young vulnerable child's perspective or from a terrified parent's, it's a bit scary for a calming show like this.
* RetroactiveRecognition: A writer example. It may come as a shock to learn that Suzanne Collins worked on this show. Yes, ''[[Literature/TheHungerGames that]]'' Suzanne Collins.
* TheScrappy: Many fans who grew up watching the show did not like Mitzi, due to her being a troublemaker who teases and provokes her friends, and even tried to steal Little Bear's marbles once. While some fans acknowledge that her character teaches children that not everyone you play with will be sweet and always easy to get along with, some found her to be out-of-place in a heartwarming show meant to soothe you.
* SugarWiki/SweetDreamsFuel: The show has a wonderfully relaxing and lighthearted atmosphere.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Duck was a duck raised by chickens. This was shown in only one episode, and it was never explored again, despite how it could develop Duck more to show that she may have grown up to be a CloudCuckooLander due to being the FishOutOfWater in her family.
* ToyShip: A few. Many people ship Little Bear and Emily, [[InterspeciesRomance despite their species difference]]. It helps that they once pretended to get married.
* UnintentionallySympathetic: Mitzi in "Mitzi Arrives". Sure, she said rude things to the others when playing jump rope with them, but she most likely didn't know how to behave, and she was new to Bear Country. On the other hand, Emily is supposed to be the good guy, but she comes off as bossy, vindictive, and a braggart. She never let the others have a turn at jumping, and boasts about her record. What solidified it is when Emily snapped at Mitzi.
** The reverse can be true, too. Mitzi has more than once made her friends feel bad and not felt sorry for it until the others have to call her out on it, not only when she purposely embarrasses Emily and the others, but when she slyly tricks Little Bear out of his toy marbles.
* ViewerGenderConfusion: Mitzi is a girl, however she is shown in a tomboyish manner and has a gender neutral voice.
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