Bear in the Big Blue House

Bear and his friends are interacting with water in this episode --- be it real or imaginary. Ojo, for example, is pretending to sail a ship in the living room. Pip and Pop join her in the fun. Bear contemplates some questions of his about water --- just what shape it is and why it's so wet. He finds Tutter in the kitchen trying to get some water of his own. He's trying to build something to make his way to the sink, but Bear helps him by giving him a lift. Bear also finds Treelo in the bathtub playing with bubbles. When the bubbles start to overflow, Bear has him pull the plug, but he's worried he'll go down the drain. Bear assures him that the drain is only for water (and bubbles). In the Shadow segment, Shadow tells the story of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider". Songs ■Oh, Water, Water, Water ■Need a Little Help Today Notes ■This episode includes a brief segment in which real kids talk about some of the shapes that water takes on. These include raindrops, drops from a sprinkler and waves. ■Tutter uses various boxes in his attempt to construct something to help him reach the faucet. Some of the boxes being used are Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, Apple Jacks, Froot Loops, and Nabisco's Ritz Bits. The letters of the brand's name on the boxes are somewhat obscured to prevent Trademark and Copyright Information.

Today is Tutter's birthday, and the friends in the Big Blue House decide to throw him a special surprise birthday party. Pip and Pop are placed in charge of the decorations, but run into trouble with the balloons. All the noise attracts Tutter, but Bear manages to head him off with our help. Tutter learns that having a birthday means becoming a year older. He speculates on all the great things he'll be able to do while he's older. Ojo works on the cake and Treelo wraps Tutter's present. Treelo, though, gets so excited about the birthday that at first he wants to keep the present for himself. Songs ■When I'm Older ■Happy, Happy Birthday Notes ■A big deal is made about Tutter's present in this episode, but viewers never find out what it is. ■Luna is so old that she doesn't remember when her birthday is. ■Shadow does not appear in this episode. The time normally spent on her story is taken up by Tutter's birthday party. ■The events of this episode were the basis for the stage show Bear in the Big Blue House Live: Surprise Party. This stage show no longer tours, but is available on video. ■The "Happy, Happy Birthday" song is listed as simply "The Birthday Song" in the closing credits. Additionally, the closing credits run longer than usual.

Tutter is excited because Bear has promised to bring him a box, but he's getting a bit impatient at the wait. Viewers learn that the box is a rectangle and that there are shapes all around. They also find out that everyone has their own unique shape --- something that Ojo, Pip and Pop learn when they become shape explorers. Treelo also learns about shapes when Bear plays with him in a "tent" he made out of a bedsheet. Shadow also pays Bear a visit and tells a story of a very special shape --- a star. Songs ■Me, I'm the Shape of the Bear (and Reprise) ■Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Notes ■When Ojo is playing with her blocks, she sings "Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho. I love my blocks, you know." This is a play on "Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho. It's off to work we go" --- lyrics from the song "Heigh-Ho" in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. ■The Bear-only version of the song in this episode is Track 18 on the album Songs from Jim Henson's Bear in the Big Blue House. On the album it is titled simply "Shape of a Bear," but on the credits at the end of the episode, it is listed as "Me, I'm the Shape of the Bear."

While Bear gets ready for his Woodland Workout with Pip and Pop, he stops at Ojo and Treelo playing doctor. Tutter is trying to put his cheese in his mouse-hole and Bear tells Tutter to have quiet time. Except Pip and Pop did the workout without him. Bear is excited and ready to do his Woodland Workout at the Otter Pond. When he heads into the living room, he finds Ojo and Tutter, who give him a pretend checkup. They diagnose him with "big bear-itis," but give him just the right medicine to feel better. As he heads into the kitchen to leave the Big Blue House, he comes upon Tutter, grunting and groaning. He discovers that Tutter is tired from trying store cheese in his mousehole for the winter and advises him to take "quiet time." Reluctant at first, Tutter eventually takes the advice. When Bear learns that Pip and Pop went ahead with the workout themselves due to his lateness, he ends up taking some quiet time himself. In the Shadow segment, Shadow retells the story of the five little monkeys jumping on the bed. Songs ■Picture of Health ■Quiet Time and Reprise ■The Bear Cha-Cha-Cha

On a nice day at the Big Blue House, Bear is doing some gardening and friends are playing together quietly. At least, they were, until Ojo and Treelo have a disagreement when Treelo wants to play with Ojo's favorite stuffed toy Snow Bear. Bear suggests a way they could both play together. Meanwhile, Tutter has created a large sandwich and Pip and Pop want to have some. Tutter, however, thinks that he can eat it all himself. In the Shadow segment, Shadow retells the story of Baa Baa Black Sheep. Songs * Always Something to Share * Clean Up the House Notes * This episode was adapted in book form as Two Can Share, Too. * The closing credits run unusually long. At the end of the closing credits, the dog in the Shadow Projects logo quacks like a duck. * This episode includes a brief Real Kids segment in which some kids talk about things that they share. * It is revealed that Bear had his own Snow Bear when he was a kid.

Pip and Pop invite Bear to the Otter Pond for a game of catch, but he keeps getting distracted by other events in the Big Blue House. Ojo and Treelo are pretending to fly and it gets Bear thinking about gravity and things that fly. When Ojo takes a fall and hurts herself, however, after trying to fly for real, Bear has to tell her that bears and kids can't fly, no matter how hard they try. He also helps Tutter to use gravity to get eggs into his mouse hole. In the Shadow segment, Shadow retells the story of Humpty Dumpty. Songs Gravity (Music and Lyrics by David Yazbek)

It's fall / autumn in the Big Blue House. Treelo asks Bear to come into the living room, where Ojo is standing completely still. She's pretending to be a tree and so Treelo and Bear join and pretend to be an entire forest. When the leaves start falling off for all, Treelo begs for them not to go and Bear realizes that Treelo doesn't understand about why the leaves are falling off. As Bear begins hunting for Treelo, he comes upon Tutter, who's pushing a pumpkin into his mousehole. Bear helps him to push the pumpkin and learns that fall is Tutter's favorite season because it's a time when everything changes. He's making pumpkin pie this year and he promises Bear a special something. In the Shadow segment, Shadow tells the story of "Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater" and also gives Bear a tip to help find Treelo. He eventually finds Treelo with Pip and Pop, trying to glue leaves back onto trees. He explains to Treelo that the leaves fall off to make way for new leaves in the spring and Treelo realizes that nothing is wrong with the leaves after all. Songs Falling for Fall Notes This episode includes a brief segment in which real kids discuss what they love best about the fall. Much it involves leaves --- leaves falling, changing color, throwing leaves, jumping in them and making collages with them. Other favorites include wearing sweaters and jackets, it not being so hot and eating apples.

One morning, Bear steps just outside the Big Blue House to check the mail. There's plenty of mail, but Pip and Pop are disappointed to learn there's none for them. Bear cheers them up by letting them deliver the mail to everyone and personally takes a letter to Tutter --- his first ever. It's from his Grandma Flutter and he's very pleased to receive it. Pip and Pop deliver a package to Treelo, which turns out to contain a feather. Tutter decides to write a letter back to his Grandma. Ojo also receives mail --- a postcard from her Uncle Koala. Shadow tells a story of a girl who wrote a letter, but lost it.

Bear feels like dancing and everyone else in the Big Blue House is dancing too. Bear would really like to dance the cha cha cha, but his friends would like to show him their dances as well. Bear is feeling great, so great that he rather wants to dance. His favorite dance is the cha-cha-cha, but he finds that the kids of the Big Blue House are dancing as well. Bear finds Ojo dancing a dance created herself --- a variation on the flamenco called the "flamingo." When Bear turns on the radio in his room, but leaves to go find his maracas, Treelo comes in and dances. Bear's search leads him to the kitchen, where he finds Tutter taking a nap in the dish rack. Tutter tells Bear that he has "no rhythm, no beat," but Pip and Pop arrive to school him in dancing. Shadow sings a song about a dancing teddy bear. Songs "Dancing the Day Away" "The Otter Dancing School" "The Bear Cha-Cha-Cha" Notes "The Otter Dancing School" is listed as "Otter Rap" in the closing credits.

After Bear finds coupons for the market, he decides to take everyone in the Big Blue House to the market. He runs into an unexpected delay when he finds out that Ojo has decided to repaint the wagon. Bear teaches her all about mixing paint to create different colors, Treelo admires all of his own colors in the mirror, and Bear plays fashion consultant when Tutter can't decide what color outfit would be best to wear to the market. Songs What's in the Mail Today? Some of the Colors I See Notes The events of this episode were loosely adapted as the book Bear Loves Colors! Tutter shows off his tendency to shout out names of cheeses as if they were epithets in this episode. He shouts out the names of no less than three different cheeses (cheddar chunks, brie and gorgonzola) when he gets upset over being unable to decide what to wear to the market.