A MarkInTexas Made-For-TV Thanksgiving Dinner: The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw (1980)

 

The Berenstain Bears have been around since 1962, providing young kids with easy-to-read storybooks chronicling the adventures of the titular bear family (who at no point seem to answer to the name "Berenstain").  There's intelligent and pragmatic Mama, silly and somewhat dim Papa, and the cubs, which, depending on when the particular book was written, could number from one to three.  The popularity of the series eventually led to holiday specials, the first of which, naturally about Christmas, premiered in 1979.  It was followed slightly less than a year later by the Thanksgiving special, The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw.

Like most of the other specials so far, this takes a generic storyline and dresses it up in a Thanksgiving costume.  As the special opens, Mama Bear, who is apparently a fortune teller, uses honey residue to predict the return of Bigpaw, a giant bear whose exact size seems to fluctuate from scene to scene.  Legend has it that, if bears are selfish and greedy, he will return at Thanksgiving to devour everyone and everything, but Papa Bear, after expressing some concern, laughs it off.  Of course, Mama Bear is right, and Bigpaw is returning.  This knowledge naturally leads to panic in the local bear town, but having encountered him, Brother and Sister Bear realize he's friendly, but can't convince the townsbears until its almost too late.

Yes, this special is all about not judging a book by its cover and all that.  We get a few comic scenes of the inept townspeople trying to prepare, a song from Mama Bear that is weirdly reminiscent of the closing song from Oh, Streetcar!, except sincere, right before a scene straight out of Frankenstein, with the townsbears arriving at Bigpaw's mountain and him planning to retaliate.  Don't worry, though, as no one actually gets hurt.

This probably entertained young children (who also might have enjoyed the special's rhyming structure), but it's not a particularly well-made show.  The script is predictable, and the message is heavy-handed.  Still, the songs are surprisingly decent (even Mama's Streetcar song), and the lesson is a good one.

After The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw, there was an Easter special (which I reviewed in this comment section) and a Valentine's special, before a CBS Saturday morning series began in 1985.  Another series, produced by Canadian animation company Nelvana (the creators of Intergalactic Thanksgiving) premiered in 2003 on PBS.  The books themselves continue to be published, though now that creators Stan and Jan Berenstain have both passed away, their sons continue on the legacy.  No matter what you think of this special, the Berenstain Bears have a secure legacy.

Next time: Two specials that are essentially clip shows.