editors
JERRY BECK (LA)
AMID AMIDI (NY)
Sugar Bear Scholarship
by jerry
September 14, 2007 8:00 am


sugarbearevo.jpg

Just when I think the world is spinning madly out of control, Dan Goodsell’s always delightful blog, A Sampler of Things, has visually charted The Evolution of Sugar Bear to make things right.

Post-script (pun intended): Even more Sugar Bear info at Topher’s Breakfast Cereal Character Guide.

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saxton Moore says:
09/14/07  8:45am

YES!!!! I love suger bear.

 
Brad Constantine says:
09/14/07  9:33am

I always liked his “laid back” vocal style. Kind of like a southern Bing Crosby on prozack…yet he packed a punch as good as popeye.
check out this violent ad from the 70’s..ahh the power of Sugar!!

 
fishmorgjp says:
09/14/07  10:20am

Ah yes… one ad featured SB and his groovy hippie rock band floating over a psychedelic landscape. (Can’t seem to find it on YouTube.) Boy… eat Sugar Crisp, and you could get super powers! Or go on a groovy trip!

 
top_cat_james says:
09/14/07  11:30am

When is someone going to put “Linus the Lionhearted” on DVD?

 
Jessica Plummer says:
09/14/07  12:30pm

i’m amazed how quickly the bear went from downright adorable to completely retarded in design phases.

 
uncle wayne says:
09/14/07  2:27pm

What a joy to see the metamorphasis of our old Bing/Dean pal!! When WILL more “Linus”eseses be out!??

 
OM says:
09/14/07  3:49pm

…Even though I still, after 45 years, despise puffed rice cereals of any way, shape or form, I found the evolution of the character rather interesting. The real question is why one of the early designs was for Kellogg’s?

 
J. J. Hunsecker says:
09/14/07  6:32pm

I agree with Jessica. Why did they change that appealing design (the one where he’s running while holding the glass bowl) to that ugly “modern” design — which has even proportions and dead looking eyes?

 
Chris Sobieniak says:
09/14/07  10:34pm

I don’t have much of a prob with the way Sugar Bear turned out to be in his later incarnations (perhaps being more used to seeing that in ads over the older designs I just saw right now could explain it).

Being reminded someone stuck up a Sugar Bear episode from “Linus the Lionhearted” here as well (really, I wouldn’t mind a DVD release of this stuff too)…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lP3MOfuA8o

 
Dan Goodsell says:
09/15/07  5:16am

Thanks for posting the link Jerry. I have to say I love all these phases of the Sugar Bear. They are all very indicitive of the times in which they are produced. The early “storybook” Sugar Bear began to look dated and they moved to a more Hanna Barbera painted look and then onto your eventual “groovy” Sugar Bear.

I don’t think it all fell apart until late 70’s when the level of artistry at ad agencys really seemed to disappear. Luckily now there is a renewed interest at the cereal companys to make decent box art.

 
uncle wayne says:
09/15/07  9:00am

Hey chris S.! Thank YOO for the toon! A rare & much missed treat!!

 
Chris Sobieniak says:
09/15/07  1:39pm

> Hey chris S.! Thank YOO for the toon! A rare & much missed treat!!

You’re welcome, actually I have an AVI I found of that one some years ago, but someone else on YouTube uploaded the entire episode as well you can check out (I subbed in the Op and Ed from a B&W source otherwise for a tasteful effect)!
Op: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq4JSNC_wLg
pt. 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gc9CFUYcDQ
pt. 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOyVjLyjezc
Ed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XEm7dEpykg

Another segment just added recently!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhWk9zidaWE

 
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