A list of characters from the children's show and book series, Little Bear.
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Little Bear's Family
Little Bear
Voiced by Kristin Fairlie
Little Bear is an imaginative, curious, active young cub living in the Canadian woods with his mother and father. He enjoys exploring the outdoors, inventing new games, and makes many unusual friends. Many of his adventures are left up to the viewer to decide if they are real or not, however.
- Beary Friendly: He is very benevolent and even when he's mad, he doesn't tend to say anything rude.
- Beary Funny: He's the subject of many jokes, a lot of them stemming from his childish naivety or his fondness for humour.
- Big Eater: There's little he doesn't like and he's always up for a snack, even eating the meal of stew, cookies, and jam his parents packed for his grandparents (with the help of his friends, though).
- Birthday Episode: In "Birthday Soup", he has his birthday and, finding no cake, decides to make birthday soup instead. He gets cake as well, though.
- Character Catchphrase: "Hmmm... Interesting." He says it anytime his curiosity gets going (which is a lot). This gets lampshaded in "Who Am I?":Little Bear: I do not always say "interesting".
Emily: Yes, you do.
Hen: All the time!
Duck: You say it.
Little Bear: Well, maybe sometimes. - Character Title: His name is the title of both the show and the books.
- Cheerful Child: It's hard to get him in a bad mood.
- A Dog Named "Dog": He's a little bear cub named... Little Bear.
- The Leader: In the earlier episodes, he tends to lead all the games he plays with his friends, but when Emily comes along she often takes over this role, being the oldest.
- Mr. Imagination: While the rest of the cast often imagine things, and it's often hard to tell who's doing the imagining during Fantasy Sequences, he seems to be the most imaginative.
- Nature Lover: He likes to play outside a lot.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: Just look at him!
- Sick Episode:
- In "Pillow Hill", he has a cold.
- In "Between Friends", he has the mumps.
- At the end of "Little Bear's Sweet Tooth", he gets indigestion.
- In "A Flu", he has the flu.
- In "Frog in My Throat," he gets a sore throat.
- Sweet Tooth: Once declared he had a whole mouthful of 'em. He loves eating fruit and dessert.
Mother Bear
Voiced by Janet-Laine Green
Mother Bear is a warm-hearted homemaker who spends her days running the household, often while Father Bear is away at work, and often going along with Little Bear's silliness and adventures.
- Beary Friendly: She's just as affectionate and polite as her son.
- Feminine Women Can Cook: She does all the cooking and is the most stereotypically feminine of the cast.
- Good Parents: With Father Bear. She is a very patient and affectionate parent.
- Happily Married: With Father Bear, of course. They get along very well and are often seen displaying affection to each other.
- Nature Lover: She greatly enjoys working outside in the garden and digging in the dirt, and it's probably where Little Bear gets it from.
- Pink Means Feminine: Her dress color as a child was pink and she's always been stereotypically feminine.
- Species Surname: In one episode, "Bear" is revealed to be her last name.
- Sick Episode: Implied in "Doctor Little Bear", where Little Bear thought she had a cold and it was never confirmed either way.
- Textile Work Is Feminine: Being a housewife in the early 20th century, this is a given; she's often seen doing sewing and embroidery.
- True Blue Femininity: She wears a blue skirt and is the most stereotypically feminine character.
- Unnamed Parent: Her first name is unknown.
- One episode shows a tree where Mother and Father Bear carved their initials before Little Bear was born, and the initials are M.B. + F.B., implying that 'Mother' and 'Father' have always been their names, or at least that their real names start with the same letters.
Father Bear
Voiced by Dan Hennessey
Little Bear's father, who works as a fisherman. Because of his job, he is often away at sea; however, he is home for a lot of episodes, wherein he joins in with Little Bear's games, and occasionally he also brings Little Bear out for adventures on his boat with him.
- Beary Friendly: He's just as amicable as his wife and son.
- Good Parents: With Mother Bear. He's just as patient and affectionate with his son as she is.
- Happily Married: With Mother Bear, of course. He is a very loving husband to her.
- Species Surname: One episode reveals that "Bear" is his surname.
- Unnamed Parent: Is referred to as "Father Bear" by everyone, except for Mighty, who calls him "Big Bear" (which is probably just a nickname rather than his actual name).
Grandmother and Grandfather Bear
Voiced by Diane D'Aquila (Grandmother) and Sean McCann (Grandfather)
Little Bear's grandparents, on Mother Bear's side.
- Beary Friendly: They're just as friendly as the rest of the Bear family.
- Cool Old Guy: Little Bear likes to play with Grandpa Bear.
- Cool Old Lady: Little Bear really likes spending time with Grandmother Bear, especially because of her stories.
- Good Parents: They maintain a good relationship with Mother Bear, and several episodes focus on one or both of them looking after Little Bear.
- Granny Classic: Grandmother Bear certainly qualifies because she has plenty of stereotypical old lady traits.
- Happily Married: They seem to be as happy a couple as Mother and Father Bear.
- Senior Sleep-Cycle: Zigzagged with Grandfather Bear. Grandmother Bear says, "Don't get too tired", but Grandfather Bear says that he's never tired. However, later, he takes a nap despite not showing signs of being tired. Grandmother Bear, however, doesn't seem to sleep or get tired in the daytime.
Rusty Bear
voiced by Dan Lett
Little Bear's uncle, and Father Bear's younger brother. He does not live in the local area and does not have a family of his own or even a house; he sleeps in the woods. He is friendly with his nephew, brother, and sister in law, and visits occasionally, such as to help build Emily and Granny's cabin.
- Beary Friendly: Like the rest of his family, he is friendly and kind.
- Cool Uncle: Little Bear seems fascinated by his rustic lifestyle and tries to emulate him whenever he visits.
- Big Little Brother: Rusty is the biggest and tallest of any bear on the show, and Little Bear invokes this trope when Father Bear introduces the head-taller Rusty as his little brother, saying, "You’re the biggest little brother I’ve ever seen!"
- Unknown Relative: Little Bear meets his uncle for the first time in 'Building A House For Emily', and he appears not to have even known he had an uncle before that.
Little Bear's Friends
Duck
voiced by Tracy Ryan
Duck is clumsy, slow-witted yet smart and well-meaning and always up for Little Bear's games.
- Big Eater: There's little she doesn't like, and the first thing she says to Little Bear when she arrives at his party is "Happy Birthday, Little Bear! Where's the cake?"
- Book Dumb: She doesn't seem to be very good with counting past three, and "E" is the only part of Emily's name she knows to spell with, however, she doesn't seem outright stupid.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: She's very spacy, comes up with some odd ideas, and thinks painting Hen's house with pink polka dots is a nice idea.
- A Dog Named "Dog": A duck named "Duck".
- Dumb Blonde: She's ditzy (to a degree, at least), gullible, and her feathers are pale yellow.
- Filthy Fun: Her idea of a compliment is "I love you more than mud".
- Furry Reminder: She can quack as well as speak.
- Interspecies Adoption: When Little Bear first met her when she was just a duckling, it was revealed that she was raised by a hen because "some of the eggs got mixed up". It took Little Bear teaching her how to act like a duck to learn how to fly and such.
- The Klutz: Is very clumsy.
- Literal-Minded: Sometimes she takes things literally.
Hen
voiced by Elizabeth Hanna
Hen is a prim and logical friend to the more imaginative, silly Little Bear.
- A Dog Named "Dog": A hen named "Hen".
- Foil: She is more grounded and grown-up than the more free-spirited, young Little Bear.
- Proper Lady: She's tidy and has very good manners.
- Team Mom: Seems to be this, since Emily has the role of Cool Big Sis in Little Bear's circle of friends. She can be very maternal. For example, when Little Bear was ill and she brought over her hot water bottle to help care for him, knowing how bad he would feel.
- Textile Work Is Feminine: Is seen sewing a lot, such as curtains for Mitzi's tree house.
Cat
voiced by Andrew Sabiston
Cat is very sarcastic, enjoys napping, and causing mischief.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Cat is easily the calmest and most laid-back, but when he gets sick over the others messing around when it's time to get their picture taken he snaps a little.
- Brutal Honesty: Cat is never unkind but he's also unafraid to tell you exactly what he thinks. A running gag in "Diva Hen":Hen, crying: You didn't like it!
Little Bear: Oh, no! It's really... interesting!
Hen: You did like it!
Cat: No.
Hen: I knew it!
Little Bear: Cat!
Cat: What?
Hen: Birds sing. Why can't chickens sing?!
Cat: Because they can't.
Little Bear: Cat!
Cat: What? - Cats Are Snarkers: As well as being the snarkiest cast member, he's the only cat..
- Deadpan Snarker: Cat is the most sarcastic of the bunch.Hen: Little Bear's got the hiccup!
Cat: Very observant, Hen. - Distracted by the Shiny: Anytime there's a ball of yarn in his sight. When he wins one at a party, he humorously loses himself completely in it, gets tangled, and is embarrassed when he realizes it.
- Furry Reminder: He can sometimes be heard meowing, especially when surprised or in pain, but usually talks.
- Only Sane Man: Plays this a lot. When Little Bear, Hen or Duck come up with a crazy sounding idea, he's usually the one to shoot it down by pointing out the silliness of it.
- Troll: He enjoys teasing others, and likes doing this to Duck especially.
Owl
voiced by Amos Crawley
Owl is rather pompous, but wise. He lives in a tree-house and enjoys reading.
- Comically Missing the Point: He does this a lot in spite of his intellect.Little Bear: (covered in white paint) Who AM I?
Owl: You're a polar bear.
Little Bear: A polar bear? Don't you know me, Owl?
Owl: I-I don't know any polar bears... - Furry Reminder: Mainly speaks, but can sometimes hoot, such as in "Duck Loses Her Quack".
- Know-Nothing Know-It-All: He presents himself as The Owl-Knowing One, but isn't always as smart as he thinks he is: for example, when he sees Little Bear covered in white paint and mistakes him for a polar bear.
- The Owl-Knowing One: Owl is the smartest and wisest of the team.
- The Smart Guy: He's intellectual (or tries to be), a bit of a know-it-all with his knowledge, and boasts that he's read every book in the library.
- Vague Age: He looks like an adult owl, but has the voice of a young teenager.
Emily
voiced by Jennifer Martini
Emily is a seven-year-old human girl staying with her granny not far from Little Bear's house. Being the oldest, she likes being the boss and playing by the rules.
- Companion Cube: Her china doll, Lucy.
- Cool Big Sis: To Little Bear and the others. She enjoys doting on them, supports Little Bear's ideas for games and adventures, and gives him advice.
- Sick Episode: She catches the mumps from Little Bear in "Between Friends".
- Nice Girl: Emily is sweet, kind, and loyal. She also likes to be with friends.
- Token Human: She and Granny are the only humans on the show
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Girly Girl to Mitzi's tomboy; she is more stereotypically feminine than Mitzi.
- True Blue Femininity: Her outfit is pale blue and teal and she has a lot of stereotypical little-girl interests.
Granny
voiced by Kay Hawtrey
Emily's grandmother who doesn't live too far from the Bears. She's had Little Bear over often and enjoys indulging in his and her granddaughter's adventures.
- Cool Old Lady: She's a free-spirited, laid-back grandma who flies a plane.
- Supreme Chef: She makes a mean batch of applesauce.
- Token Human: The only human on the show besides Emily.
Mitzi
voiced by Ashley Taylor
Mitzi is a mischievous and tomboyish monkey who likes to explore.
- Informed Species: Mitzi lacks a tail, making her resemble a gibbon more than a monkey.
- Misplaced Wildlife: She's a monkey living in the woodlands of North America, with no indication of how she got there.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She can be slightly more rude, brash and troublemaking than Little Bear's other friends, but at heart she's a nice and well-meaning monkey.
- Odd Name Out: She has a proper name instead of just being named for her species like most of Little Bear's other animal friends.
- Sixth Ranger: Is introduced at the end of Season 2.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Tomboy to Emily's Girly Girl.
Minor Characters
The Mermaid
She's a friendly mermaid that Little Bear pretends to meet at the bottom of his bathtub.
- No Name Given: Her name is never revealed.
- Our Mermaids Are Different: She averts most traits of mermaid lore, such as being a siren.
- True Blue Femininity: Her hair, tail, and shirt are various shades of teal.
No-Feet
voiced by Rick Jones
A little green snake Little Bear met once.
- A Lizard Named "Liz": He named himself "No-Feet" because he doesn't have feet, being a snake.
The Ducklings
Three ducklings that Duck babysits. They're very curious and can't speak.
- Cheerful Child: They like to run around happily.
- A Lizard Named "Liz": One of them is named Peep after the noise he makes.
Frog
A, well, frog, who meditates a lot.
- Character Catchphrase: Frequently says, "Om".
- A Dog Named "Dog": Is a frog whose actual name is Frog.
- Furry Reminder: He both speaks and croaks.
