Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Baby Bear

Today's article is written by Michael Baldasare.

BABY BEAR

Performed by...
David Rudman

First appearance...
Sesame Street Season 23 (1991)

Most recent appearance...
Sesame Street Season 43 (2012)

Best known role...
Sesame Street's resident bear; good friend of Telly Monster; artist of Hero Guy; porridge lover

Family...
Papa Bear (Father), Mama Bear (Mother), Curly Bear (Sister)

WHO IS BABY BEAR?

Baby Bear originally appeared on Sesame Street as a generic bear, though the puppet was used as a cub version of Flo Bear back in Season 18. The actual character first appeared in Episode 2909 where he ran to Sesame Street trying to hide from Goldilocks, who kept annoying him. He was a minor character back in the early 1990s. He became a main character after the show's twenty-fifth season.

He has been paired with Telly Monster since Season 24 and the duo have become long-lasting friends. His parents Mama and Papa Bear were added to the show during that season as well. His baby sister Curly was born on the Season 34 finale, turning the Three Bears into four.

Baby Bear's favorite food is porridge but tends to get very annoyed when Goldilocks eats his porridge. In Season 31, Baby Bear created an imaginary friend named Hero Guy and and a series of sketches involving him aired occasionally from Season 32 to Season 38. Baby Bear also attended Storybook Community School, which lasted from Seasons 36 to 37.

Baby Bear speaks with a speech impediment. He pronounces his Rs as Ws, much like Junior Gorg from Fraggle Rock. For example, "Super Hero" is said by Baby Bear as "Super Hewo." In the special Elmo's World: Happy Holidays!, he and his family celebrate Hanukkah.

Appearing in numerous episodes in every recent season, Baby Bear is one of the most popular, often-used characters on Sesame Street. He and Telly make a brilliant pair and as one of the only Muppets with a close, commonly seen family, Baby Bear can teach lessons about family life and learning from parents.

WHY DOES SESAME STREET NEED BABY BEAR?
Baby Bear has been around on the Sesame Street for over twenty years since the 23rd season and is still a regular character. Without him and the Bear family, Telly would miss his very best friend and would have to find another best friend and Goldilocks would sneak into the Bear Family's room to eat up all of their porridge. Now that Baby Bear still remains regular and has been part of the main cast, it's been great to have him as Telly's long-lasting best friend.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com

Weekly Muppeteer Wednesdays: David Rudman

Today's Weekly Muppeteer Wednesdays post was written by Tom Stroud.

DAVID RUDMAN

Born...
June 1, 1964

Notable Muppets...
Baby Bear, Cookie Monster (2001-), Right Head of the Two Headed Monster (1992-), Sully (1992-), Scooter (2008-), Janice (2008-)

WHO IS DAVID RUDMAN?
David Rudman first worked with Muppets as an intern with the Muppet Workshop in the summer of 1981. After he graduated from high school, Richard Hunt helped him get a job as a Muppet performer, beginning with background characters in The Muppets Take Manhattan. He also began working on Sesame Street, beginning mainly with background roles.

After years of background roles, he finally got his first major role in the early 1990’s, with his new Sesame Street character Baby Bear. Around that time he also took over some of the late Richard Hunt’s characters, namely Sully and the Two Headed Monster’s right head. Although Sully was eventually dropped from the show, the Two Headed Monster and Baby Bear continued to be popular characters, and still are today. However, neither of them are as popular as David’s most recent role, Cookie Monster, which he took over in 2001 after Frank Oz’s formal retirement from performing.

David has performed with the classic Muppets as well, performing background characters in Muppet*Vision 3D, The Muppets at Walt Disney World, and Muppets Tonight. He also worked on The Muppet Christmas Carol, where he performed Peter Cratchit and the Swedish Chef. Recently (first in Studio DC: Almost Live!), David has taken over two of Richard Hunt’s most popular Muppet characters, Scooter and Janice. He performed Scooter and Jaince in A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa, and presumably performed them in The Muppets as well.

He has also created a few non-Henson TV shows with his brother, Adam Rudman. Adam and David have created both Bunnytown, a Playhouse Disney show which David also produced and directed, and Jack’s Big Music Show where he played the appropriately named main character, Jack.

Rudman continues to work with both Sesame Street and the Muppets as one of the main Muppeteers. His work as Baby Bear and Cookie Monster means that David's work can be seen and heard in nearly every episode of Sesame Street and now that he has taken over Richard Hunt's characters for the Muppets, Rudman is heavily involved in almost everything they're doing as well.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com