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Since Stan and Jan Berenstain populated their books with many characters, it's natural that they'd get their own character sheet.

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     The Bear Family 

Papa Bear

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/papa_bear_8.jpg

The well-meaning but comically inept patriarch of the Bear Family.

First appearance: The Big Honey Hunt


  • Achievements in Ignorance: He's earned several Cub Scout merit badges from Scout Leader Jane by virtue of mishaps that show the Cub Scouts what not to do.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: Though the much lighter disciplinarian of him and Mama, the cubs know better than to get on his bad side when he's really pushed well past his limitations.
  • Big Eater: He is very fond of eating.
  • Bumbling Dad: Sometimes, but he has been shown to be the voice of reason just as frequently.
  • Butt-Monkey: If a laugh happens at someone else's expense in the franchise, it'll usually be Papa Bear's. For example, in the 2002 episode "Visit Fun Park", Papa gets stuck riding the terrifying Thunderbolt when the cubs decide to bail out.
  • Characterization Marches On: In earlier books, Papa Bear was more of a blowhard and an Idiot Hero. In later books, Papa became more of a genuinely wise, if flawed, patriarch.
  • Everyone Has Standards: He loves sweets, but in the 2002 series episode "Visit the Dentist", he admits that gooey gums are too sweet even for him.
  • Good Parents: Despite his flaws (he has a tendency to boast and can be a greedy eater), he is a loving, wise and respected father nonetheless. Papa's good dad traits are especially emphasized in the 2002 series.
  • Handy Man: Papa's profession is woodcarving and he sometimes does repairs around the treehouse. It's noted in the Big Chapter Books that he's the only one Squire Grizzly (easily the wealthiest bear in Bear Country) trusts to take care of the Grizzly family's antique furniture.
  • Happily Married: He and Mama may have their disagreements at times (particularly due to his occasional immaturity), but there's no doubt that they love one another.
  • Hot-Blooded: Papa can be stubborn and hotblooded, particularly in the books.
  • Hypocrite: Papa was outraged at Sister getting kicked out of a boys only club in "No Girls Allowed", but in "Play Ball", he dismissed Sister from playing baseball thinking it's not for girls.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's egotistical and a bit naughty at times, but he is a very good-hearted and affectionate father as well as an overall well-meaning bear. The 2002 series downplays the "jerk" part and makes him a straight-up Nice Guy most of the time.
  • Lethal Chef: In "Blaze a Trail" and "Too Much Vacation", he gathers whatever plants he can find in the wilderness to make a stew, which tasted awful as it looked. In "Blaze a Trail", his stew emitted a stench so bad that it became a landmark. He is not a bad cook most of the time, though.
  • Manchild: Papa shows shades of this; depending on the story, he's just as susceptible to frivolous addictions as his children, and hard-headed to the point of suicide. His own father said that Papa used to be an ill-behaved cub himself.
  • Parental Hypocrisy: Papa at times calls out his children for habits he does himself like excessive TV watching, junk food eating, disobeying Mama and throwing tantrums.
  • Pride: This is one of Papa Bear's main character flaws, to the point that in "The Giant Mall" from the 2002 series, he spends over an hour wandering the mall looking for a hardware store because he wouldn't read a map. Though he does admit he was wrong at the end of the episode and vows to change his ways.
  • Signature Headgear: Papa Bear's signature brown hat.
  • Small Name, Big Ego: Of the more well-meaning variety. He thinks he knows and can do just about anything (and at times, he's right), but more often than not his efforts to do something he really doesn't know better will backfire on him spectacularly.
  • Spoiled Brat: His parents spoiled him rotten in his childhood as shown back in "Get the Gimmies".
  • Super Gullible: In the 1985 series, he's a favorite target of Raffish Ralph for this reason. He will fall for Ralph's latest scheme, no matter how many times he's been swindled.
  • Vague Age: It is never stated how old he is. However according to Word of God, he is around 29 years old.

Mama Bear

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mama_bear.jpg

The level-headed matriarch of the Bear Family.

First appearance: The Big Honey Hunt


  • Antics-Enabling Wife: Mama Bear tells her husband Papa to do a task like getting honey from the store or buying a Christmas tree, but he would do it the old-fashioned way. She has no other option but to let him drag the cubs on his quest to find something. When Papa didn't get something as planned, he would follow Mama's advice as he should have done in the first place.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: She tried throwing away Brother and Sister's stuff deriding it all as worthless junk when they couldn't agree on how to clean their room.
  • Good Parents: She is a kind and loving mother to her cubs.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: She easily loses her temper, as many book covers show her making an angry face.
  • Happily Married: Papa's bumbling antics and childish behavior can get on her nerves from time to time, but for the most part, she dearly loves him.
  • Housewife: Her main purpose in the series is taking care of the home and family. Subverted in "Mama's New Job", where she opens up her own quilt-making business (though she's rarely seen at it in later books).
  • Only Sane Man: Quite often, she's the most level-headed one of the family, displaying far more common sense than the cubs and especially Papa.
  • O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Mama is normally the level-headed one in the family, which becomes shocking in "Too Much Pressure" when she breaks down in tears due to being overwhelmed with taking Brother and Sister to their activities and the car breaking down.
  • Parents as People: Papa and Mama Bear are not without their flaws. Papa can be oafish and Mama can be somewhat preachy. And both of them have been shown to lose their temper at times (e.g. Papa in "Trouble with Money" or Mama in "The Messy Room"). Also, "The Trouble with Grownups" is a virtual lampshading of part of this trope, although it examines the parent-child relationship from both sides of the fence.
  • Vague Age: It is never stated how old she is. However according to Word of God, she is around 27 years old.
  • Women Are Wiser: She is often much more levelheaded than her husband and the wisest member of the family.

Small Bear / Brother Bear

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_berenstain_bears_brother_2.jpg

The laid-back firstborn cub in the family. Originally named Small Bear in the earliest books, his name changed following Sister's birth.

First appearance: The Big Honey Hunt


  • Age Lift: He is ten years old in the PBS series, rather than eight as in the books.
  • Big Brother Instinct: He stood up to Too-Tall when the latter took Sister's jump rope. This behavior continues throughout the rest of the various books and eventually extends to anyone being bullied.
  • Brilliant, but Lazy: His poor grades in "Trouble In School" and "The Homework Hassle" were really due to him slacking off and procrastinating since he's shown many times that he's much smarter than his work showed.
  • Compressed Vice: Many books have him develop a vice like addition to television or junk food, alongside Sister, and have to get over it by the end of the book.
  • The Everyman: He does not have a whole lot of traits other than being just the main character. In fact, in the book version of Draw It!, Stan and Jan's drawing tutorial refers to Brother as the "all-purpose bear".
  • Fatal Flaw: Several books and TV episodes are dedicated to Brother's laziness.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: He and Cousin Fred are great friends, and Brother relies on Fred to help him understand things when he needs it.
  • Kid Detective: Brother and Sister dabble in mystery-solving during the big chapter books.
  • Laser-Guided Karma: In the 2002 series, whenever Brother starts to become too self-involved his friend Lenny has a habit of (unintentionally) giving him his just deserts ("Hug And Make Up", "Catch The Bus").
  • Lovable Jock: Brother is proficient in multiple sports (soccer, basketball, baseball, football) and is one of the friendliest cubs in Bear County.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: The introverted Blue Oni to his outgoing sister's Red Oni.
  • Real Men Wear Pink: In the Big Chapter Book Gotta Dance!, Brother ends up taking ballet. He uses what he learned from it to his advantage to dump Too-Tall Grizzly into a dumpster.
  • Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Brother's Savvy Guy to Sister's Energetic Girl.
  • Sucks at Dancing: A plot point in the Big Chapter Book Gotta Dance! is that Brother's a klutzy dancer and makes fun of dancing as a whole as a result. He improves a lot after receiving private lessons, but still claims to be klutzy at it later in the series.
  • Would Not Hit a Girl: He was perfectly willing to beat up Tuffy for hurting Sister until he saw that Tuffy was female (and extremely tiny to boot). He left without a fight because he knew that if he hit her HE'D be the bully.

Sister Bear

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_berenstain_bears_sister_2.jpg

The hot-blooded second child of the Bear Family.

First appearance: New Baby


  • Acquired Situational Narcissism Sister once got a swelled head when her classmates declared her the best jump-roper in Bear county ("The Jump Rope Contest"). It lasted a day before her friend Lizzie deflated it.
  • Age Lift: She is eight years old in the PBS series, rather than six in the books.
  • All Girls Like Ponies: She wishes for her own horse in the episode "The Wishing Star".
  • Annoying Younger Sibling: Brother is sometimes annoyed by Sister Bear when she teases him and gets into disagreements with him, but the two siblings still care about each other.
  • Compressed Vice: Much like her brother, each book has them have this in order to go through An Aesop.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: Sister becomes deeply jealous of her brother and dreams up an actual green-eyed monster in an episode of the 2002 series. Freakiness briefly ensues.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: She and Lizzie are best friends and rarely seen apart, aside from when Sister's hanging out with Brother and Fred.
  • Kid Detective: Brother, Sister, Cousin Fred and later Lizzie Bruin form the Bear Detectives, solving mysteries from a missing pumpkin to empty jars of honey.
    • Deconstructed at the end of The Drug Free Zone. The Bear Detectives expose drug dealing in Bear Country; while the police thank them for their help, they also berate the cubs for getting involved. The cubs get warned that messing with drug dealers can be dangerous and is not like finding a missing pumpkin.
  • The Lancer: Most frequently in the Scout books though she sometimes does play this role in the main books and the chapter books.
  • Passionate Sports Girl: Sister often participates in sports such as soccer, and she is very competitive.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red Oni to Brother's Blue Oni, due to Sister being more energetic and Brother being more calm.
  • Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Sister's Energetic Girl to Brother's Savvy Guy.
  • Tender Tomboyishness, Foul Femininity: Sister is tomboyish and sporty and sometimes competitive but also very sweet, loving, and caring, while Lizzy can be a little bossy at first when she first meets Sister Bear and has trouble getting along with her, but the two of them soon find ways to be friends and get along.
  • Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: Sister wears a bow and loves wearing pink.
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: Sister Bear and Lizzy. Sister is a sporty and competitive girl that plays soccer while Lizzy is more into dolls and fashion.
  • Tomboy with a Girly Streak: She is usually sporty and competitive, but she actually likes girly things as well, such as dolls and dresses, and she always wears a pink outfit and a pink bow on her head.
  • Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?: Hilary snidely asks Sister this in the PBS Kids version of "The In-Crowd". Sister has no response except an angry huff and an indignant pout.

Honey Bear

The third and final cub of the Bear Family.

First appearance: And Baby Makes Five


  • Adapted Out: She is not featured in the PBS series.
  • Baby Talk: Displays this with such traits as pronouncing "Amen" as "Men" and referring to parakeets as "keets". Beyond that, her main Baby Talk trait is that she displays short simple sentences and ideas.
  • Cousin Oliver: A recent addition who's brought mixed responses from the fanbase and doesn't usually serve a purpose other than being cute.
  • The Cutie: Quite an adorable cub.

Lady

The family's seldom-seen pet dog.

First appearance: The Trouble with Pets.


  • Ascended Extra: She's a much more recurring character in the PBS series.

     Relatives 

Gramps and Gran

Papa Bear's mother and father, making them Brother, Sister, and Honey's paternal grandparents.

First appearance: The Sitter


  • Cool Old Guy: Gramps is a good-natured elder.
  • Cool Old Lady: Gran is a sweet grandmother.
  • Embarrassing First Name: Not really embarrassing, but in one of the Scouts books, Gramps' real name is revealed to be Ernest.
  • I Was Quite a Looker: The Big Chapter Book And The Giddy Grandma gives us a look into Gramps' and Gran's past, where Gran was a vaudeville act called "Wanda the One-Bear Band".
  • Only Sane Man: Gramps showed this in the Scouts books. He would often be the only adult bear to see through Ralph's scams.

Freddy

Brother and Sister's cousin.


     Other Cubs 

Lizzy Bruin

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_0168.jpeg
Sister's best friend.

First appearance: The Trouble with Friends


Barry Bruin

Lizzy's older brother and friend of Brother Bear.


  • Dumb Jock: He's very athletic, but not very bright.
  • Hidden Depths: As seen in the Big Chapter Book And the Ghost of the Auto Graveyard, he has an encyclopedic knowledge of classic car models.
  • Literal-Minded: He often takes analogies literally, such as when he's asked to choose a pen name in the Big Chapter Book And the School Scandal Sheet, he picks "Ballpoint. Or maybe fountain."

Queenie McBear

The popular "new girl" who later became friends with Sister.


  • Adaptational Nice Guy: Her Alpha Bitch tendencies in the PBS series are almost non-existent, to the point her role was replaced by another cub in the show's version of "The In-Crowd".
  • Alpha Bitch: But she's a very mild example.
  • Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Queenie is this to Ferdy Factual in "The Nerdy Nephew".
  • Defrosting Ice Queen: Undergoes this in her first appearance, The In-Crowd, in which she is initially portrayed as a stereotypically snobby Alpha Bitch before learning to become more humble and accepting of others. She is portrayed as a much nicer character in most works since to the degree that her role was replaced with a newcomer named Hilary in the television adaptation of The In-Crowd.
  • Gossipy Hens: She's one in the Big Chapter Book series.
  • Lovable Alpha Bitch: Frequently.
  • Relationship Revolving Door: She has one of these with Too-Tall Grizzly, described as being an "on-again, off-again thing".
  • Soapbox Sadie: She's fond of giving dramatic protest speeches. She's shown doing this in The Female Fullback as she's running for school president, and in The School Scandal Sheet, she gives a dramatic speech about student rights and freedom of speech before being told to shut up by Brother Bear.
  • Vague Age: in the PBS series she's shown in both Brother and Sister's classrooms, depending on what the plot of the episode requires.

Stacy and Millie

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Two girls who are in Sister Bear's class.


'Too-Tall' Grizzly

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The local bully at Bear Country Elementary. He sometimes cons Brother into helping him with his pranks.


  • Adaptational Nice Guy: Too-Tall's redeeming qualities as a Jerk with a Heart of Gold are more prominent in the 2002 series, particularly the later episodes after he's befriended Brother.
  • Berserk Button: If you mess with Harry McGill or get him in trouble, he will make you pay dearly for it.
  • The Big Guy: He is much bigger than his peers — hence the name.
  • Book Dumb: Too-Tall is not that bright when it comes to book-learning and is shown to have poor grades quite often.
  • Bruiser with a Soft Center: Too-Tall has his moments of this, like fawning over a kitten.
  • The Bully: Too-Tall Grizzly is the thuggish leader of a gang of bullies — aptly called the Too-Tall Gang — who harass Brother and Sister Bear from time to time. During the Darker and Edgier chapter books, Too-Tall progressed from being very mean to his classmates to dealing drugs (at age ten!) and bringing realistic fake guns to school to start trouble.
  • Bully Turned Buddy: In the early episodes of the 2002 series, Too-Tall fills his traditional role as an antagonistic bully towards Brother Bear and his friends. However, he slowly starts to come around to Brother over the course of the series, as the two cubs put aside their differences, and by the later episodes of the show, he and his former rival seem to have become genuine friends.
  • Character Development:
    • In the 2002 series, Too-Tall is initially introduced as a thuggish, tough bully and troublemaker who antagonizes Brother Bear and his friends out of jealousy ("Go To School", "Double Dare", "The Birthday Boy", "The Slumber Party", "Trick or Treat", "Mighty Milton"). But over time, the smaller cub's kindness rubs off on him and his jealousy towards him fades, while Brother discovers that Too-Tall does have layers beyond being a mean kid, and that he might have misjudged him. The two boys gain respect for each other, and Too-Tall gradually matures. He becomes a calmer, less abrasive cub and settles into the role of the protagonists' frenemy and their eventual friend in the latter half of the series ("The Talent Show", "The Big Red Kite", "Showdown at Birder's Wood", "White Water Adventure", "Big Road Race", "Papa's Pizza", "The Female Fullback", "Say Please And Thank You"), likely because of Brother's influence softening him.
    • Part of Too-Tall's development is learning when to swallow his wounded pride. Despite being the neighborhood tough kid, Too-Tall does care about what his peers think of him ("Mighty Milton", "White Water Adventure"), so it's not a fun or easy thing for him to do. By "Big Road Race" and "The Female Fullback", he's gotten better at humility.
  • Defeat Means Friendship:
    • Too-Tall becomes friends with Harry McGill, a Handicapped Badass he was taunting, after the latter beat him in wheelchair basketball. Harry also thanks him for giving him a cool nickname, "Wheels."
    • Too-Tall similarly lays off Milton in the 2002 series, after the cub he'd been picking on for days beats him at wrestling.
  • Delinquent: When he and his gang aren't taunting or roughing up their classmates, they're trespassing on other people's property and playing pranks all around Bear Country. They also dabbled in drug-dealing in one book.
  • Depending on the Writer: How much of an antagonist Too-Tall is to Brother and Sister Bear varies from book to book; he can be anywhere from a nuisance to an ally.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Too-Tall may be a bully and a jerk, but he panics at the thought of his family getting in trouble in the Big Chapter Book And the Ghost of the Auto Graveyard, begging Brother and co. not to tell the cops they found stolen cars on his father's property (which had been hidden there by the real thieves), because it could ruin Two-Ton's business and get the whole family in trouble if he gets investigated by the police.
  • Fair-Weather Friend: After letting Brother roll with his gang for a day, he swindles Brother into helping him with his pranks (for his amusement) and then leaves him hanging to face Farmer Ben in "Double Dare". Too-Tall eventually grows out of this personality trait in later episodes like "The Big Red Kite", "White Water Adventure", "Big Road Race" and "The Female Fullback", after his sense of loyalty towards Brother and the other cubs improves.
  • Gang of Bullies: Too-Tall is the leader of one, with other members including Smirk, Skuzz and Vinnie.
  • Held Back in School: Twice, according to the Big Chapter Book ...and the Bermuda Triangle, which is why he's in Teacher Bob's class instead of Miss Glitch's.
  • Hidden Depths:
    • In the 2002 series, he has a surprising talent for singing.
    • In the chapter books, starting in "The Wheelchair Commando", he's got a talent for chess. He's thrilled when he finds out Harry plays the game since none of his goons are capable of playing chess at all let alone giving him a challenge, and the other students are too afraid of him to play against him.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold:
    • Despite being an intimidating bully, Too-Tall has his standards and a hidden soft side that's emphasized more in some iterations of the franchise than others. In general, he's a mean kid but he's not heartless, and he's helped out Brother, Sister and their friends several times.
    • In the chapter book The Berenstain Bears and the Big Date, he's annoyed with a rich new kid who Queenie has her eye on but is willing to ignore it. Then the kid blocks the handicapped entrance to make a phone call long enough to make Harry nearly late for school and suddenly Too-Tall is pissed.
    • As seen in the Big Chapter Book At the Teen Rock Café, he does have some respect for certain adults — when Vinnie insults Burly Biggs, a security guard at the mall, Too-Tall tells him off for it and orders him to apologize, since Burly used to work for Two-Ton.
  • Large and in Charge: He's big and the leader of his gang.
  • Kick the Dog: Being a bully, Too-Tall has had several examples of this, like making Ferdy Factual cry with his mean-spirited comments, harassing Milton Chubb so much he starts to dread going to school, or abandoning Brother to take the rap for all the trouble he and his gang caused.
  • No Indoor Voice: In the 1985 series.
  • Pet the Dog: He's had several moments, usually after undergoing Character Development. In "White Water Adventure", he reaches out to Brother for help, gives him the credit for his kind deed afterwards, and starts to formally befriend him. In "Big Road Race", Brother, Fred and Too-Tall unanimously decide to pass up a shot at competing in a race, to give the kid who helped them out a chance to live out his dreams. In "The Female Fullback", despite his gripes about learning ballet, he gives Betsy zero trouble and thanks her plenty when her lessons do wind up helping him and his friends.
  • Punch-Clock Villain: He appears to be this in the 2002 series, where he's shown to be more well-behaved when he's not hanging out with his gang ("The Talent Show", "White Water Adventure", "Big Road Race", and "The Female Fullback").
  • Relationship Revolving Door: He has one of these with Queenie McBear.
  • The Resenter: It's at times implied (in stories like "Mighty Milton") that he envies Brother Bear and resents him for being a better athlete than he is, as well as being more popular than him, though he eventually grows out of this trait.
  • Signature Headgear: His old-school purple cap that he wears in most incarnations.
  • Strong Family Resemblance: His father, Two-Ton Grizzly, is basically a larger version of Too-Tall.
  • Smart People Play Chess: He's very good at chess, much to the surprise of many.
  • Took a Level in Kindness: In the 2002 series, his bullying is mostly taunting, thievery and mean remarks, but there's only one threat he made to beat Brother up, which wasn't blatantly obvious. He mellows out as the series progresses and surprisingly enough becomes friends with Brother. He also develops a soft spot for Kenny, a younger neighborhood cub.

Skuzz and Smirk

Too-Tall's intimidating right-hand cubs.


  • Flat Character: Their characters in the books aren't really developed much, other than being not as smart as Too-Tall, and being smarter than Vinnie.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: Everyone calls them Skuzz and Smirk, but their real names are unknown.
  • Only One Name: Their last names have never been given.
  • Number Two: Skuzz is second-in-command of the gang.
  • Stupid Evil: In the 2002 series, Smirk believed Too-Tall knew everything without a second thought.
  • Voice of Reason: Skuzz doesn't like Queenie due to her fickle nature, and is the only one in the gang shown to know how fickle she is. He has even claimed he doesn't like her in Queenie's Crazy Crush.
  • Yes-Man: In the 2002 series, Skuzz and Smirk tend to automatically agree with any statement made by Too-Tall.

Vinnie

The least intelligent member of Too-Tall's gang with a sharp nose.


  • Demoted to Extra: He makes occasional appearances in the 2002 series and never talks.
  • Only One Name: His last name has never been given.
  • Stupid Evil: In the books. Inverted in The Red Handed Thief, where he’s the only member of the gang who remembers the word "evidence" from Mr. Dweebish's class the previous day.

Betsy

A skilled athlete from the 2002 TV series, based on Bertha Broom from the Big Chapter Books.


  • Only One Name: Her full name has never been given.
  • Tomboy with a Girly Streak: She's a talented athlete who participates in basketball, track... and ballet, while wearing a yellow and pink dress and pink hair ribbons.

Ferdinand "Ferdy" Factual

The nephew of Professor Actual Factual (his parents are the professor's brother, a paleontologist, and sister-in-law, an archeologist), he's introduced in book 4 of the "Big Chapter Book" series.


  • Generation Xerox: In an interesting take on this trope, he dresses and looks like a smaller version of his uncle, Actual Factual.
  • Homeschooled Kids: His parents are a paleontologist and an archaeologist so he went with them on their digs until he went to live with his uncle Actual Factual.
  • Insufferable Genius: When he first appeared in the series. Though he does improve, he never entirely gets rid of it.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: He's almost never referred to as "Ferdinand" after the name's first mention.
  • Pride: One of his more obnoxious traits is his pride in his intelligence. It's to the point where when he's hypnotized into acting as the bear he admires the most in At the Teen Rock Café, he starts acting like himself... and as Queenie puts it, "He's so conceited, he isn't even embarrassed!"
    • Subverted on one notable occasion in And the Ghost of the Auto Graveyard, where he turns to Barry Bruin for a piece of knowledge — he can describe the internal workings of a car's engine with no problem, but when it comes to the make and model of the car itself, he's lost, and both knows and admits it. Barry, on the other hand, has an encyclopedic knowledge of classic car models, so Ferdy sees nothing wrong with asking him for information on the subject.
  • Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: He plays up his intelligence by speaking this way.

Milton Chubb

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A large cub who moves to town in book #25 of the "Big Chapter Book" series when his parents are hired as farmhands for Farmer Ben, and quickly develops a crush on Bertha Broom.


  • Beware the Nice Ones: Usually, he's a nice, if extremely shy, bear. But if you push his Berserk Button by insulting someone else he likes, he will show off just how powerful he really is. Too-Tall Grizzly and his gang learned this the hard way.
  • Country Mouse: He grew up on a farm, and Beartown is as close to the "big city" as he's ever gotten.
  • Gentle Giant: He's normally a nice, if extremely shy, and extremely large bear.

Bonnie Brown

The niece of Squire Grizzly, a part-time model and actress in Big Bear City who stays with her uncle and attends Bear Country School from time to time, and was introduced in book 2 of the "Big Chapter Book" series.


  • Just Friends: With Brother Bear, who insists to Sister that she's his best friend, and that that's better than being his girlfriend. They still have plenty of Ship Tease though.

Harry McGill

A cub who was confined to a wheelchair after a car accident, he was introduced in book 8 of the "Big Chapter Book" series.


  • Don't You Dare Pity Me!: He gets ticked off by anyone who shows sympathy over his being in a wheelchair. It's such a berserk button for him that it leads him to jump to conclusions a few times.
  • Gadgeteer Genius: When first introduced, he's revealed as a computer expert. This later helps him make friends when Brother and Fred figure it out and eventually see just how good he is.
  • Handicapped Badass: Has been in a wheelchair since he was involved in a car crash, but is a champion of wheelchair basketball.
  • Odd Friendship: With Too-Tall, after their wheelchair basketball showdown leads to Too-Tall getting respect for him.
  • Smart People Play Chess: He's a very good chess player. This is part of his friendship with Too-Tall Grizzly.

     Bear Country School 

Teacher Bob

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bobb.PNG

The teacher of Brother Bear's 3rd Grade class.


  • Only One Name: His last name is unknown.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: He's quick to act on poor academic performance or disruptive behavior in his class, but usually is friendly towards his students.

Teacher Jane

The teacher of Sister Bear's 1st Grade class. She's also known as Scout Leader Jane, who runs the Bear Scouts.


Herbert Honeycomb

The principal of Bear Country School.


Mervyn "Bullhorn" Grizzmeyer

The stubborn vice principal of Bear Country School.


  • Dean Bitterman: He has very little tolerance for shenanigans in his school and is often the one who doles out discipline, though he can be overruled by Principal Honeycomb.
  • Happily Married: To his wife, Mrs. Mollie Grizzmeyer.
  • In-Series Nickname: He's known as "Bullhorn" because he doesn't need one to be heard — his booming voice does the trick all on its own.
  • Parental Marriage Veto: He tries this with his son, Mervyn "Mike" Grizzmeyer Junior, in the Big Chapter Book At Camp Crush, feeling his son and prospective daughter-in-law are too young to be getting married. After they run away to elope though (which they ultimately don't do through with), he eases up and agrees to let them get married when they're ready.

     Other Beartown Citizens 

Mayor Horace J. Honeypot

The Mayor of Bear Country.


  • Permanent Elected Official: He's not always competent and something of The Ditherer, but never gets removed from office. The Big Chapter Book Great Ant Attack implies this is because he's related to half the bears in Bear Country, so they always vote for him regardless.
  • Spoonerism: In the 1985 series and the Big Chapter Books and Bear Scouts chapter books, he tends to get the fronts and backs of his words mixed up. (Example: "What beems to see the bubble — er, seems to be the trouble?") Averted in the main books and the 2002 series, where he speaks normally.

Professor Actual Factual


  • Absent-Minded Professor: Occasionally gets so caught up in his work that he forgets to take care of other things.
  • Gentleman and a Scholar: He's been described as one of the kindest, most generous citizens of Bear Country.
  • Nephewism: He isn't married, but in the Big Chapter Books, his nephew Ferdy lives with him from time to time when his scientist parents (one an archaeologist, the other a paleontologist) are away on digs.
  • O.O.C. Is Serious Business: He's usually pretty cheerful, but when he's shown looking grumpy (as was the case in the Big Chapter Book and the School Scandal Sheet), it's not a good thing.
  • Papa Wolf: Mild example towards his nephew and also towards Brother, Sister, Freddy and Lizzie in the Scouts books.
  • The Smart Guy: To the whole town.

Farmer Ben

The local farmer.


  • Only One Name: His only known name is "Ben". His wife is even called "Mrs. Ben". The Berenstain Bears and the Haunted Hayride eventually explains that "Ben" is actually his family name via revealing that his ancestors are Ben Ezra, Ben Abner and Ben Noah, and his son (who's away at college) is Ben Wilmer, but his personal name still isn't given.
  • Properly Paranoid: Is described as a "suspicious old coot who will count his fingers after shaking hands with you" by Ralph Ripoff. Given Ralph's a local con artist, Ben is quite justified in being suspicious around him.

Raffish Ralph / Ralph Ripoff

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/raffy.PNG
A con artist who is Beartown's leading crook and swindler. Papa is his favorite sucker since he always falls for his scams. First appearances: "The Terrible Termite" (TV series), The Prize Pumpkin (books).


  • Canon Foreigner: Originally appeared in the TV series and then made a cameo appearance in The Prize Pumpkin. Later became a recurring antagonist of the Big Chapter Books and Bear Scouts chapter books.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: He doesn't appear in the 2002 series, due to being in a different continuity.
  • Con Artist: His primary hobby.
  • Disney Death: In the Big Chapter Book In the Freaky Funhouse, two cons attempt to murder him when he catches on to their scheme by tying him up and dumping him in a lake. He survives by escaping from the ropes, thanks to his old days as a magician and escape artist.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: In the Big Chapter Book And the Ghost of the Auto Graveyard, the cubs find Ralph tied up and gagged. When they remove the gag, his first word is "Squawk!", much to the cubs' surprise. He has to explain that both he and Squawk, his pet parrot, have been tied up for over a day, and that he's more worried about whether the bird is all right than himself.
  • Even Evil Has Standards:
    • In one episode of the cartoon, "Hot Air Election", he actually refused to assist McGreed in his scheme for that episode, mainly because it involved seriously hurting if not outright killing the Bear family.
    • In the Big Chapter Book And the Drug-Free Zone, he's irate when he finds the drugs hidden in his houseboat and very frankly informs the cubs that he'd never sell or do anything that would legitimately endanger them.
    • In the Big Chapter Book In the Freaky Funhouse, he is infuriated when two other cons manage to get away with all but a few dollars of the funds that were planned to be used to build a new hospital wing. May also double as Hypocritical Humor, though even he has never gone that far.
    • In At the Teen Rock Café, he's genuinely concerned when he realizes he's accidentally hypnotized Babs Bruno, and protests when the cubs briefly suspect him of being a shoplifter, saying "I'm a swindler, not a thief!"
  • Freudian Slip: Ralph is prone to making inadvertent word swaps during schemes that reveal his true intentions, such as "This little swindle... er, plan of mine". Adults repeatedly fail to catch on to this.
  • Honest John's Dealership: He swindles people, particularly Papa.
  • I Have Many Names: Possible reason for his name being different in the chapter books.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Ralph is adept at manipulating the citizens of Bear Country into taking part in his schemes (usually by saying they will enrich their lives or Bear Country in some way). Even citizens who should know better, like Mama Bear, are seldom immune.
  • The Mole: He is the weasels' main contact with the Bear world, and (with a few exceptions) willingly helps the weasels try to carry out plots that would drive the bears out of their home or wreck their economy beyond repair.
  • Pet the Dog: In the very first Big Chapter Book, he offered to pay the cubs some spending money (or "extra bread", as he put it). Not in helping him in one of his cons, but simply fixing up his houseboat.
  • Villain with Good Publicity: In both the 1985 series and the Bear Scouts and "Big Chapter" books, much to the cubs' chagrin.
    • This good publicity was used to good effect in And the Galloping Ghost where he turned his con artist abilities to a good cause and used his shell game to raise enough money to pay off another month of the horse riding academy's mortgage singlehandedly. It's also used in At the Teen Rock Café, where he agrees to perform at the opening of the titular café.
  • Would Not Hurt A Child: See "Even Evil has Standards" above. Being a con artist is one thing, but Ralph would never do anything to put children in any real danger (like pushing drugs or sabotaging a hot-air balloon).

Bigpaw

A giant bear who lives in a mountain cave outside of Beartown.


  • Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and Yeti: As his name suggests, he is the series' Fictional Counterpart of Bigfoot, though he boasts that he "supersedes" both it and the Yeti during his "I Am" Song. His first appearance even has him leaving behind a paw print, alluding to Bigfoot's trademark footprints. In one episode of the 80's series, he gets mistaken for a Yeti (also known as the "Abominable Snow-Bear" in this universe) when he gets covered in snow while sleepwalking.
  • Big-Hearted Bigfoot: The Beary Friendly equivalent of this trope.
  • Characterization Marches On: In his first appearance in "Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw", Bigpaw speaks rather normally. In the sequel 80's TV series, he speaks in a Third-Person Person and You No Take Candle manner (though he does speak in first person sometimes).
  • Gaia's Vengeance: He is foretold to be be nature's way of punishing the bears for being too selfish and greedy around Thanksgiving, as he would destroy Bear Country for being too ungrateful for their harvest. In "Meet Bigpaw", this does nearly happen in a roundabout way, since while he never intends to bring harm to the bears at first, when they aggressively march on his home, he nearly kills them all with a rockslide, which would indeed bring forth the destruction of the greedy, paranoid bears as the legend told. It's not until Brother and Sister demonstrate their friendliness and selflessness that Bigpaw and the townspeople both relent, averting the disaster. While Bigpaw didn't destroy the bears as predicted, his coming still taught the townspeople the lesson the legend warned about, fulfilling the prophecy.
  • Gentle Giant: Ultimately proves to be this.
  • Papa Wolf: Does not like it when the kids are endangered, especially Lizzie and Sister.

Two-Ton Grizzly

Father of Too-Tall and Too-Much and husband of Too-Too, Two-Ton is plenty gruff and one of the biggest, burliest and toughest bears in all Bear Country, but also an honest businessbear who runs Parts R Us, selling used car parts and similar things. He debuts in The Berenstain Bears and the Double Dare.


  • Happily Married: He and his wife Too-Too, who love one another very much and are very much partners in Two-Ton's business. The only time they've ever been shown disagreeing was in the Big Chapter Book And the Showdown at Chainsaw Gap, where the pair were on opposite sides during the titular showdown — Two-Ton wanted to keep the new housing development out of "his space", while Too-Too wanted to move into one of the new homes, having gotten tired of the unusual house the family lived in. (Incidentally, Two-Ton would win out in the end, as the family ended up staying in their old home because the new "traditional"-style of house was too different from what they were used to.)
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Two-Ton's plenty gruff and a stern and intimidating authority figure who looks mean enough (and has proven to have a temper), but he's also an honest and reasonable businessbear who loves his family and is willing to scold his son Too-Tall when Too-Tall's been causing trouble.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure:
    • In his debut appearance, Two-Ton Grizzly appears very threatening at first when he comes stomping out of the woods at Too-Tall, his gang and Brother... and then proceeds to demonstrate that he's a good guy after all when he starts scolding Too-Tall and his gang for trying to make Brother steal from Farmer Ben. This is shown further in the Big Chapter Books, where it's mentioned that he always punishes Too-Tall when he's been caught causing trouble, and in ...and the Ghost of the Auto Graveyard, when Brother and Bonnie show up and he mistakenly assumes it's because Too-Tall's been up to no good again.
    • ...and the Ghost of the Auto Graveyard has several adult bears state on multiple occasions that despite outward appearances, he's always been an honest businessbear, and they can't imagine him knowingly receiving stolen car parts (unwittingly is another story) or being involved in a ring of car thieves.
  • Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: According to the Big Chapter Book ...and the Ghost of the Auto Graveyard, Two-Ton is scared of the dark. He covers for it by claiming he has bad night vision, but Too-Tall later admits the truth to Brother and his friends.

     Other Animals 

Weasel McGreed

The leader of an underground pack of weasels who schemes to — you guessed it — take over Bear Country.


Queen Nectar

The queen of a colony of honeybees that make Wild Wild Honey, which they are fiercely protective of. She is archenemies with Papa who constantly goes after her honey.


  • Bee Afraid: Only if you seek her honey. And if you do, she will send out her swarm after you.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: As much as she dislikes Papa for constantly trying to take her honey, she doesn't believe in Sins of the Father and is on good terms with the cubs for respecting her.
  • Royals Who Actually Do Something: She is constantly on guard for anyone after the Wild Wild Honey, and she works with other bee colonies when they have their honey stolen.
  • Stock Beehive: Averted. Like real honeybees, her colony nest inside a hollow tree rather than this trope.

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