History Main / BearyFriendly

Sometimes in the media, bears have been [[BearsAreBadNews portrayed as fierce and intimidating]], but that's not always the case. Some of the other portrayals paint bears in a more sympathetic light, sometimes even to the extent of being a GentleGiant, and their [[BigFun big size]] certainly helps. Through such portrayals, they are not merely non-aggressive aversions or subversions to BearsAreBadNews, but they tend to show friendly interactions with humans or other sentient beings. Not that they can't be bad news if you, ahem, [[BewareTheNiceOnes get funny with one]].

** The titular main character, Bear, is incredibly friendly, acting as a father figure to both the audience and the other residents of the house.
** Ojo, a cub who lives with Bear (who may or may not be related) is a sweet, adorable little kid.

* The ''Franchise/CareBears'' act friendly among themselves, and when visiting children. These bears would not give injuries; they would give someone a hug! This of course carries on to their Animated Adaptations- ''WesternAnimation/CareBearsAdventuresInCareALot'', ''WesternAnimation/CareBearsWelcomeToCareALot'', and ''WesternAnimation/CareBearsAndCousins''

Compare BearyFunny, where bears are portrayed through comedic means.

** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1145 SCP-1145]] is a [[TheGlomp Tackle Hugger]], looking for someone to give its affection. The problem is, it survived the bombing of Nagasaki and has been a NuclearNasty ever since.

* Trinket, Vex’ahlia’s animal companion from campaign 1 of ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'', to the rest of Vox Machina and their allies. He allows Vax and Keyleth to cover him in ribbons (though he’s clearly unhappy about it), he lets Percy ride on him when he was accidentally blinded in the Feywild, and of course he ‘’adores’’ Vex and will do anything to protect her.

* The Wiki/SCPFoundation has garnered a few strange teddy bears over the years.

%%* The white Teddy Bear named "Snuggle", who is the mascot for Snuggle Fabric Softner. Especially in the 80s commercials [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jYr0GA22vGE such as this one.]]

This trope may have something to do with how unlike their fellow carnivoran mammals like wolves and big cats, bears are omnivores as opposed to obligate carnivores, some species even leaning toward or even being herbivorous, and so goes the assumption that HerbivoresAreFriendly.

* ''The Adventures of the Wilderness Family'' trilogy features the GentleGiant black bear Samson. He even saves the family from a rogue bear in the first film.

* Despite being listed under BearsAreBadNews, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wojtek_(soldier_bear) Wojtek]] was well-known for being a [[GentleGiant friendly and lovable creature]] who loved to play in water and eat sweets (as well as his cigarettes and liquor
-- he ''was'' an official grunt in the Polish Army, after all!), and liked nothing better than hanging out with his adopted human family in the 22nd Artillery Supply Company. Of course, that also meant that ''enemies'' of his platoon (like the Nazi agent hiding in the showers) learned that BearsAreBadNews. The unit's insignia to this day is of Wojtek carting ammo.

* ''WesternAnimation/TimeSquad'' had an episode where the team travels back in time to meet with Creator/EdgarAllanPoe, who has become a TastesLikeDiabetes kids book writer. Instead of ''Literature/TheBlackCat'', he's written a story called ''The Bear'', which is just about Poe taking a walk in the woods and accidently waking up a hibernating bear. Scared, he runs home and goes to bed, only for the bear to track him down and burst into his room... to return the fanny pack Poe dropped in the woods. The story ends with Poe and the bear hugging and becoming best friends forever. Time Squad are absolutely dumbfounded by the ridiculous story, complete with JawDrop.

* Lars The Polar Bear Cub from the German children's story and animated series ''The Little Polar Bear'' (''Lars der kleine eisbär'' in Germany). He is a friendly male polar bear cub who goes on various adventures in an Arctic setting. His best friend is a seal named "Robby".

* The 1968 children's book ''Literature/{{Corduroy}}'' is focused on a living teddy bear who wants to get chosen at a toy store. Near the end of the book, Lisa purchases him with Corduroy glad that he finally has a friend.

This may have something to do with how unlike their fellow carnivoran mammals like wolves and big cats, bears are omnivores as opposed to obligate carnivores and many species do lean toward herbivory, and so goes the assumption that HerbivoresAreFriendly.

* Most bears are actually far less aggressive than the media often portrays, with bears actively seeking out humans as prey being rarely ever reported. Most are shy and inoffensive, and often retreat at the first sight of humans, and as long as you respect their space, keep at a proper distance, and not threaten them (as with any wild animal) they are of little concern. An injured or cornered bear, or [[MamaBear a mother who perceives a threat to her cubs]], however... Another common cause of attacks is hunger--(usually) not because the bear sees humans as food, but because it sees them as ''competitors'' for resources like carrion or pine nuts. In North America, at least, many attacks in the fall (when bears are desperate to put on weight before hibernating, and human hunters are "providing them" with freshly killed deer and elk) or spring (when they're desperate to regain the weight they lost over the winter) stem from this issue.

* Despite being listed under BearsAreBadNews, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wojtek_(soldier_bear) Wojtek]] was well-known for being a [[GentleGiant friendly and lovable creature]] who loved to play in water and eat sweets (as well as his cigarettes and liquor - he ''was'' an official grunt in the Polish Army, after all!), and liked nothing better than hanging out with his adopted human family in the 22nd Artillery Supply Company. Of course, that also meant that ''enemies'' of his platoon (like the Nazi agent hiding in the showers) learned BearsAreBadNews. The unit's insignia to this day is of Wojtek carting ammo.
** Wojtek wasn't the first enlisted bear in history of the Polish military. During the Russian Civil War, the "Murmansk group", a Polish unit fighting on the Allied side, adopted a polar bear during their fight in the frozen wastes of northwestern Russia beyond the Polar Circle. A corporal was assigned to train it and the bear quickly learned proper marching and military salute. Sadly, shortly upon the unit's return to Poland, the hapless animal ran away and was killed by local farmers. The bear's military duty didn't end this way, though, as it was stuffed and placed as an exhibit in the Polish Army Museum in Warsaw.

* [[http://www.herculesthebear.com/index.html Hercules]] was a grizzly bear that belonged to Scottish wrestler Andy Robin and his wife Maggie. He lived in the house, ate cooked food (he wouldn't touch raw meat) and was so tame that he'd let people (usually Andy) ride around on his back. There was also an incident in 1980 where he ran away during the filming of a Kleenex advert in the Outer Hebrides and wasn't found for almost a month, during which time he lost half his body weight because he wouldn't kill and eat any of the livestock or wildlife in the area.

[[folder: Fanfiction]]
* ''Fanfic/PrehistoricEarth'': Baloo the cave bear, despite his fearsome appearance and many scars and wounds that indicate how many fights he's been in, is actually a very friendly and agreeable animal for the staff at the titular prehistoric zoo to work with (especially for his primary keepers Alice and Will). Nevertheless, his size and strength, plus the sheer savagery he can display in the rare event in which he's ''not'' in a good mood, make him very much not the type of animal a person with brains would want as their enemy.
* ''Fanfic/PrehistoricParkReimagined: Kronk the arctotherium is one of the friendliest of the prehistoric bears rescued for display at the titular park, being a lovable ditz who is perfectly content with spending his days feasting nonstop upon spinach and honey. Similarly, Baloo the cave bear, despite his quite fearsome appearance, is also a very agreeable and companionable beast to those he trusts.
[[/folder]]

* Trinket, Vex’ahlia’s animal
companion from campaign 1 of ‘’WebVideo/CriticalRole’’, to the rest of Vox Machina and their allies. He allows Vax and Keyleth to cover him in ribbons (though he’s clearly unhappy about it), he lets Percy ride on him when he was accidentally blinded in the Feywild, and of course he ‘’adores’’ Vex and will do anything to protect her.