Sugar Bear
| Sugar Bear | |
|---|---|
| Voiced by | Gerry Matthews |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Bear |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Mascot of Golden Crisp |
Sugar Bear is the advertising cartoon mascot of Post Super Sugar Crisp (later Golden Crisp) cereal, appearing in commercials for the cereal.[1]
History
Sugar Bear originally appeared in the 1940s as the mascot of Golden Crisp (then called Sugar Crisp),[2] a cereal produced by General Foods Corporation under the Post brand. The original bear was designed by Robert "Bob" Irwin, a graphic designer for Post Cereal[citation needed] and voiced, in animated commercials, for 40 years by Gerry Matthews in emulation of a Bing Crosby persona[2] – a shallow-eyed, easy going character who crooned his cereal's praises to the tune of "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho".
He was made a character in the 1964 Saturday morning cartoon Linus the Lionhearted. Most of the characters in the series, sponsored by General Foods, were mascots for Post cereal products (permitted at that time, later banned by the American Federal Trade Commission (FTC)).[3]
Sugar Bear normally wore a blue turtleneck sweater with his name on the front, and in the 1980s a bite of Super Sugar Crisp would turn him into the muscular "Super Bear" (this alter ego was used to fight monsters who would steal the cereal). Several commercials in the mid 1980s had him using mere casual gestures to outsmart the aggressive tendencies of other animals. Examples include 1987 spots featuring Sugar Bear riding an elephant into a jungle of feisty tigers, playing matador to a raging bull, romping with a rhinoceros, and sparring with irate sharks of the ocean.
His consistent nemesis, however, was an elderly woman called Granny Goodwitch; the two would engage in elaborate contests, often involving trickery, magic, and high technology (often one or more of these methods), in order to determine who would gain possession of a box of the cereal. In the end, Granny Goodwitch would never be angry with Sugar Bear, though. Other nemeses of Sugar Bear included Blob, whose breakfast included pickles and soda; and Sugar Fox, who always tried and failed to keep Sugar Bear from getting his box of Super Sugar Crisp.
The Sugar Bear character was popular enough to have occasional premium toys. A yo-yo and padlock were produced in the 1960s, and even in 1993, a Christmas ornament saw him dressed as Santa Claus. Miniature talking plush dolls were also released in the early 1990s. Most recently, a Wacky Wobbler was released by Funko Inc.
Presently, Sugar Bear is being illustrated for the box covers by commercial illustrator, Seymour Schachter.
Musical group
In 1971 producer Jimmy Bowen, singers Kim Carnes and Mike Settle, songwriter Baker Knight, and others created a bubblegum pop studio group named the Sugar Bears. A cardboard cut-out record was produced and printed on the back of thousands of Super Sugar Crisp cereal boxes. The illustrated record identified four members: Sugar Bear, Honey Bear, Shoobee Bear, and Doobee Bear. Five different versions of the record were printed, each with one of five songs shown on the label. A commercial album, Presenting the Sugar Bears, and three singles were released by Big Tree Records with one song, "You Are The One", reaching #51 on the Billboard charts.[4][5]
References
- ^ Rovin, Jeff (1991). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals. Prentice Hall Press. pp. 250-251. ISBN 0-13-275561-0. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ a b "The Golden Crisp Story: Can't Get Enough of that Golden Crisp". Post Foods. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ Webster, Andy (30 August 2007). "Trouble in Paradise? Call a Shaman, Hold the PlayStation". New York Times. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ "Presenting the Sugar Bears at BadCatRecords". Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- ^ "Lost in the 70s: The Sugar Bears at popdose.com". 2009-01-08. Retrieved 19 January 2015.