Produced and created by the Jim Henson Company (of Muppet Show and Sesame Street fame) the show is aimed at kids, but doesn't look down on them like I feel man shows do. It's aimed at education, but can be quite fun as well with it's colorful and entertaining characters that aren't just 1 dimensional. They act similarly from episode to episode rather than acting a way that's convenient to an episode plot.

These days, children's TV seems to either cater to the promotional department or a KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) concept., Bear actually addresses the concerns that children have without sugar coating them. It faces the problems and lets children see that it may be difficult at times, but that everything usually works out fine.

Similar to the Muppet Show and Sesame Street, Bear doesn't look down upon the kids it's trying to entertain. It has various styles of music and other entertainment mixed in. The musical numbers can range from jazzy to folk at any given time and are always entertaining. Mix that with the great characters and the amazing looking and cuddly looking Bear and you have a winner of a show.

The three episodes on the this disc are:

When You've Got To Go: As the members in Bear's house grow up it's time to learn new things. One of those is the scary task of using the bathroom like a big person. In this episode it all starts with an innocent game of checkers. Tutter has a dilemma and he doesn't know that it's okay to go to the bathroom. After this, Bear talks about how all living things need to use the bathroom. Once again, it's about more than nature, it is about staying clean. Bear states it simply by telling you to listen to your body and get to know your potty chair. It's a cute look at an everyday event that's let's your kid know that it's not always easy.

If At First You Don't Succeed: Bear teaches the meaning of trying and not giving up, starting with the Otter twins. They have new otter hoops and can't quite get them to spin correctly. They think they need batteries, but Bear politely tells them that they just need practice. After that Bear lets everyone know that they can practice anything. Ojo gets the most practice at being a big bear and spends the day with Bear learning not to give up.

Call It A Day: Bear realizes the amount of things he does in one day and reflects upon them. He learns how much he means to all the residents and visitors of his house. This episode starts out a little differently, in that it's already the end of the day and Bear is getting ready to read a bedtime story to everyone. After everyone supposedly falls asleep, Bear manages to look back on the day and get the everyday chores done. It's a good way to show how important Bear is while still focusing on the other characters.

Video: The video is presented in its original 4:3 aspect from television. Like any good children's show the video is bright, colorful and active. There is a little pixelation, but the audience shouldn't mind. It's a perfectly good transfer that will easily entertain.

Audio: It's a standard Stereo Digital mix that sounds bright in all the right places. The dialog is easily understood and there are no flaws that are audible.

Extras: Four sing-a-long songs are included on the disc. The Potty Chair Song is an instant classic, What's That Smell is a musical version of the way every episode starts, The Toileteers focuses on the potty again, and Hello Song finishes it up. It's basically the song pulled from the episode, but with the sing-a-long graphics added. It's effective and fun.

Overall: It's an exceptional disc full of fun for kids of all ages. Bear and his group are entertaining, colorful and real characters that are easy to relate to and like. There's enough real information presented in each episode to make them entertaining many times over. I prefer the Doctor related disc to this one, but both are easily worth purchasing.