“We Bare Bears” will forever have my heart. I simply love the characters and their cheery, animated life — in all their perfectly-round adorableness. Nothing else has given me more pure, unadulterated joy than watching cliché comedy sketches of three bears running around in the forest.
At the core of this television series that ran on Cartoon Network from 2015 to 2019 are three bears: Grizz Bear, Panda Bear and Ice Bear. Each of them has their own endearing personalities: Grizz Bear is energetic and optimistic; Panda Bear is awkward and gentle; Ice Bear is stoic and nonchalant. Ice Bear also speaks in a flat, third-person tone, delivering incredibly humorous deadpans. Many know his forever iconic line: “Ice Bear wants fish.”
I’m also proud to have a perfectly chubby squishy of Grizz Bear from Miniso, just so I can have a bear with me on the go. Grizz Bear’s goofy wide smile can cheer me up any day and the squishy’s soft body releases all the stress from your body.
The show itself is just a perfectly charming combination of comical characters and a superb art style. Each of the three bears is adorably designed, and the animation style features a soft, pastel color palette that oozes sweetness and warmth.
The three bears navigate their daily lives and challenges in a heartwarming and comical way: The trio often find themselves in ridiculous situations, such as becoming viral on social media after sneezing or adopting Charlie, a “friendly” bigfoot. Throughout their adventures, they tackle their challenges in a group formation by forming their famous visual of all three bears stacked together like an ice cream sandwich.
Though the three bears bicker and fight over food, they always manage to come back together. Watching them gives me more trust in my own relationship with friends and reminds me of all the people I’m grateful to have. It’s heartwarming to see three bears sharing a tight-knit relationship that teaches one to love and trust others.
In one episode, they may be exploring the Amazon rainforest and in the next one, Ice Bear becomes an aspiring Hibachi chef. Nothing beats watching a feel-good show of three bears stacked like pancakes, with a mission to take on the world.
