Bear in the Big Blue House

One morning, Bear finds Ojo playing pretend, having created a tent that's she's pretending is her home. Her imaginary home gets Bear thinking about his real home, the Big Blue House. Bear decides to take us all on a guided tour of the home. He takes us to the kitchen, which we learn is Tutter's favorite room. The bathroom is the favorite haunt of Pip and Pop. Treelo likes Bear's bedroom, mainly because of the bed. Shadow retells the story of the little old lady who lived in a shoe. Finally, Bear also enjoys going up to the attic, because he gets to talk there each night with his friend Luna, the moon.

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.

Grandma Flutter drops her granddaughter, Baby Blotter, off at the Big Blue House while she goes to her dance class. Bear helps Tutter learn how to care for a baby -- but everyone's at a loss when Blotter starts to cry. The day is saved by Treelo, who comforts the baby and gives her his rattle.

Bear opens the door and greets the viewers, saying he was wondering when we were going to get here. He invites us to come in the Big Blue House. He starts to say that he was on the way to the kitchen, but then stops and sniffs, asking if we were just outside in the backyard, because we smell "all fresh and grassy." He suggests that maybe it's just that we smell this good all the time and then heads into the kitchen, where he has something he wants to show us. It turns out to be a microscope... Notes ■This episode was adapted in storybook form as a book by the same name. ■During the song, "Let's Go Exploring", puppets from The Animal Show (including Randall the Zebra and Julie the Flamingo) appear. ■The dog in the Shadow Projects logo in the closing credits quacks like a duck.

It's nighttime at the Big Blue House and Bear is all set to sit on his swing and read a good book. Then, Ojo shows up --- it turns out that there's a sleepover scheduled tonight that Bear completely forgot about. Before he knows it, Tutter, Ojo, Treelo, Pip and Pop are all there and ready for the big sleepover, despite his protests that they're not ready. He tries to settle back down to his book, but there's a lot to do during a sleepover. He prepares the kids a snack, reads them a story and supervises as they all brush their teeth. Finally, everyone is ready to go to bed, after some final, special good-night touches. Ojo has difficulty getting to sleep, but eventually dozes, only to be awakened by a bad dream. Bear soothes her back to sleep and then finds Shadow. Shadow sings her own special version of the lullaby "Hush, Little Baby." Songs ■Under Your Blanket ■Brush Brush Bree ■Go to Bed, Sleepy Head Notes ■The title of this episode is a reference to Raymond Chandler's 1939 novel The Big Sleep. In the novel, the phrase refers to death, not sleep itself. ■Tutter holds a sleepover of his own in the fourth season episode "Tutter's First Big Sleepover Bash."

Ojo is excited about a visit from her friend, Christine. The two quickly get involved in one of Ojo's imaginative games --- a pillow castle. Tutter arrives and asks if they'd like to play checkers, but Ojo tells him she's in the middle of her game with her "best friend," Christine. Tutter is hurt by the use of the term "best friend." He creates his own friend to play with, "Mr. Cheese," but Bear helps to mend his friendship with Ojo. He also finds Pip and Pop at odds with Treelo out at the Otter Pond. He keeps pretending to be a monster during their Deep-Sea Divers game and they don't like it at all. Bear, however, introduces them to a game called The Treasure of Kalamazoo Bay. In the Shadow segment, Shadow retells the story of "Mary Had a Little Lamb." The lamb in this version drives a car, skies and scuba dives in its efforts to follow Mary everywhere she goes.

When Bear receives a package from "L.L. Bear" in the mail, he's surprised to find that he received a skunk clock rather than the bear clock he order. Rather than returning it, he decides to give it a try and hangs it up in the kitchen. He hears Ojo and Treelo outside and finds Treelo swinging on a swing. He gets off and asks Ojo to try, but finds that she doesn't want to. She admits to being somewhat scared, but finds a compromise in starting out by first taking small swings. As Bear heads off into the living room for a nap, Tutter is disturbed by the "tick-tock" of the skunk clock, mistaking it for a real skunk. He's scared by it, but eventually comes to realize that it's actually alive and is nothing to be afraid of. Out at the Otter Pond, Pip and Pop play a game called "Double D Dare." When their daring starts to get dangerous, Bear suggests that they think of things to do that are silly, but not potentially dangerous. Sometimes, if you're scared to do something, there may be a very good reason for it. Songs What's in the Mail Today? (Shortened Version) Everybody's Afraid of Something (lyrics) Notes There is no Shadow segment in this episode. In this episode, Bear sings that "everyone's afraid of bats" and that "anyone who says they're not is tellin' you a little white lie." Bear would later change his tune in "Bats are People Too" when he befriends a bat and tells the kids that they're nothing to be afraid of. In an unusual move, this episode reuses the exact same theme, "Afraid," from the second season episode "Afraid Not." Allusions Bear receives his skunk clock from a catalog called "L.L. Bear." This is a spoof on the popular L.L. Bean catalog, a mail-order catalog generally known for outdoor equipment and clothing.

Ojo loses his favorite teddy bear and the members conducted a search party to help search for it, but in vain.In the end, they played hide-and-seek and Ojo found his bear back. Pip and Pop are out playing ball when they find a little duck who seems to be looking for something. He introduces himself as Harry and says that apparently his family got lost while they were flying south. Bear takes the opportunity to remind the viewers about what they should do if they were ever lost and promises to help reunite Harry with his family. Meanwhile, the kids of the Big Blue House get acquainted with Harry the Duck. In the Shadow segment, Shadow tells a story about a dame who's lost her shoe and a master who's lost his fiddle-stick. Songs You Will Find Your Way Notes This episode introduces the character of Harry the Duck. He and his family live at the Duck Pond, which is actually what Pip and Pop know as the Otter Pond. They fly south every winter. Bear invites Harry to come back to visit the Big Blue House when he returns in the spring. In this episode, Harry says that he's been separated from his Mom, brothers and sisters. No reference is made to his brothers and sisters in future episodes and none are present when Hallie is born in "When Harry Met Hallie." The dog in the Shadow Projects logo in the closing credits quacks like Harry.

In the first part of "Welcome to Woodland Valley," viewers learn that a tragic event has happened in Woodland Valley --- a tree has fallen and ruined part of the village library. Everyone's upset about it, but the entire Woodland Valley community is pulling together to help out. When the kids of the Big Blue House, including Harry, find out, they decide to help in their own way. Viewers explore more of Woodland Valley than they've ever seen before, visiting the library, the post office, the general store and the mouse school that Tutter will be attending, among other locations.

In the second half of the two part special, the plans are coming together for a potluck dinner Bear is holding. Everyone will get together at the Big Blue House, eat good food and talk about solutions to fix up the library. The kids are hard at work collecting books to restore the library's collection. And Doc Hogg is getting down to business as to just what to do about the tree currently occupying a large portion of the library. He wants to remove it, chop it up and use it for firewood to heat all of Woodland Valley, but Ojo makes a discovery that changes the plan --- a couple of possums living within the tree. Songs Good Morning Everything's Great About the Library Woodland Valley Cha Cha Goodbye Song Notes This is a direct continuation from Part 1. Brad Garrett and Gilbert Gottfried voice the Possums in this episode and receive a "With" credit. They had previously appeared on Hollywood Squares with Bear.

Tutter is getting ready to start Mouse School. His teacher, Miss Maxwell, is coming to visit him at the Big Blue House. Tutter is excited about the visit, but worries over things like what tie he should wear and how he should introduce himself. Then, Ojo, Pip and Pop tell him that he'll have to know a lot to go to school, and he begins to worry that he's just not ready. As he frets, Treelo helps Bear to make a cake. And when they all pay a visit to the General Store, Pip and Pop note the training wheels on Ojo's bike. Worried they make her seem like a little bear, she borrows Bear's wrench to remove them. Songs (Take It) Step By Step