Hurry on down to Grizzly Hall for some down-home holiday entertainment. It's the Country Bear Christmas Special!
As a former "Bear Band" host, the Christmas special was my favorite of the three versions of the Country Bears' Audio Animatronic show. But it doesn't play anymore at the original Grizzly Hall in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. To see the show now, you'll need to visit the Country Bear Theater at Tokyo Disneyland.
Disney originally developed the Country Bears concept not for Walt Disney World, but for the Mineral King resort in California that Walt was working on just before his death. After Walt passed, Disney management chose to abandon the Mineral King project in order to focus on developing Walt Disney World. But they kept the Country Bear show and moved it over into the Disney World project.
So I am always reminded of the Country Bear's origins as apres ski entertainment when I see poor Trixie up on her swing in the Christmas special, which is called "Jingle Bell Jamboree" in Japan.
She's as good a skier as I am! (My track record? One blown knee within my first 60 minutes ever on the bunny hill, as I tried not crash into people on the Poma lift. Skills, right?)
Tokyo Disney is celebrating Jingle Bell Jamboree on its blog today, so let's join the fun with my full show video of the Country Bear's Christmas performance.
Because it's Tokyo Disney, and they do everything over the top, the park also is selling a line of Country Bear plush in their Christmas show costumes. You even can get Trixie in her cast!
For long-time Disney fans, which was your favorite version of the Country Bears show, the original, the Vacation Hoedown, or the Christmas special?
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The good old FUN animatronics shows... :-)
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Honestly, it would be like trying to pick a favorite child. I love all three versions! If I were forced to choose only one, it would probably go to the Vacation Hoedown, but thankfully I don't have to do that -- I can still enjoy videos/audio recordings of all three.