If the idea of a movie based on Pez candy sounds silly, just remember Disney’s TV series Adventures of the Gummi Bears, a series that debuted 30 years ago on this day.
Then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner was inspired to develop the series after one of his boys requested the candy. Eisner was so invested in the series that he personally sold it to NBC. The translucent gelatinous blobs were re-imagined by show creators Jymn Magon and Art Vitello as a family of six — the Gummi-Glen Gummis clan — who were members of the nearly-extinct Great Gummis race. The bears, who bounced here and there and everywhere after they drank Gummiberry Juice, were hunted by Duke Sigmund Igthorn and his ogre troops.
The series, which premiered on the same day as Disney’s The Wuzzles (a co-production with toy manufacturer Hasbro Bradley) was a success, lasting six seasons and over 90 episodes. Notably, these two shows were the first ones ever created by Disney Television Animation.