Bear gets a new Spanish-language tape in the mail, but just as he's about to try it, he's waylaid by Tutter, who, it seems, has a touch of laryngitis. He cant talk at all. A concerned Bear gives him a small bell to call him when he needs some-thing, and Tutter keeps bear running back and forth his Spanish lessons with Pip&Pop to a misunderstanding between Ojo and Treelo. During the course of Bear's busy day, we discover how to communicate with words and without them.

Ojo gets the idea to put on some Olympics games out by the pond. Everyone's excited, especially Tutter, who predicts that he¡¦s going to win every event. He doesn't, he realizes that you don't have to be good at everything to be a winner, but when the limbo competition rolls around K it turns out nobody can get lover than a mouse!

Since Bear's friend Ursa has never seen the Big Blue House, he's decided to take some pictures of things around the Big Blue House and make an album to send to her. As he searches for good opportunities, he finds that the kids of the Big Blue House are curious about his camera. Tutter seems to keep popping up whenever he tries to take a shot in the kitchen, so he finally has Tutter pose for a photo. The other kids have their photos taken as well. Treelo is a bit reluctant because he doesn't understand how the camera works and is worried he'll be sucked into it. While taking everyone's photos, Bear also notices that his camera seems to keep disappearing, but by the time he looks for it again, it's back where it was. In the Shadow segment, Shadow tells an unusual version of the traditional "Roses are Red" poem. It ends with an alligator eating a pair of blue-suede shoes.

Songs

■Picture This

Notes

■Ursa later sees the Big Blue House in person when she surprises Ojo for her birthday in "You Never Know."

At the Big Blue House, Bear finds that his friends are all making inventions. Tutter has decided to create a "mouseapult," hoping to reach the cheese drawer more easily. He finds that it still has some kinks to work out. Ojo and Treelo create a device called an "everything machine." It's just pretend, but it's still a lot of fun. Additionally, Bear finds that Pip and Pop's ball is stuck in a tree, but he finds that he's not quite tall enough to reach it. He ends up inventing a ball-grabber device, but it turns out to be more of an "everything-grabber." In the Shadow segment, Shadow tells the story of Yankee Doodle, or tries to anyway. She finds, though, that Yankee Doodle has different ideas about the type of animal he should be riding on and what he sticks in his hat.

Songs

■Look What I Made

Notes

■Treelo appears at the end of the episode, flexing Bear's "everything-grabber" and saying "grabby grabby." During the closing credits, the dog in the Shadow Projects logo also says this in Treelo's voice.

When Bear talks to Ray in the morning, he learns that there's a thunderstorm coming. He gets things ready for the upcoming storm, and then hears Ojo and Treelo racing inside. They got scared by the storm and are worried that they're still in danger. Bear assures them that he's prepared at that they're safe inside the Big Blue House. Tutter gets scared too, and everyone's really scared when the power goes out. Bear allays their fears with his Bearcraft flashlight, but then Tutter gets scared by his shadow. Eventually, the power comes back on, and the kids start a game of hide-and-seek. Tutter then comes across Pip and Pop pretending to be a purple flower monster and is scared into hiding himself. Although they were just trying to have fun, they eventually realize their mistake and apologize. Together, everyone summons Shadow, who tells the tale of Little Miss Muffet. In Shadow's version, Little Miss Muffet isn't the least bit scared of the spider who sits down beside her and invites it to share her curds and whey.

Songs

■Good Morning (Shortened Version)

■Nothing to Be Afraid Of

Notes

■The theme for this episode, "Afraid," was later reused in the third season episode "Nothing to Fear."

There's a bug loose in the Big Blue House. The house is divided between bug lovers and, well, bug not - lovers. That is, not until TutterTM, a bug not-lover, learns that this particular bug is one of the best gardeners around.

Bear is having a hard day -- he misses Luna, who he loves very much. Pip and Pop make up a song, "Otter Love", to express their love too.

Meanwhile, Ojo is furious with Tutter when he accidentally breaks her new toy airplane. She eventually forgives him, learning that friends are more important than things.

Notes

■This episode was adapted in storybook form as Love Is All You Need.

■This episode won a DGA Award in 1999 for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs.

When Bear receives a photo of Ursa in the mail, Ojo is off and running, discovering her "girlness." But as she and everyone else in the Big Blue House learn, it's not being a boy or a girl that matters. It's just being yourself.

When Tutter decides to investigate new uses for Swiss cheese, Bear suggests a scientific experiment. Soon the whole gang is taking a look at the world around the Big Blue House, and before long, they find that, with a little curiosity and a question, you can be scientists, too.

When the gang all leaves the Big Blue House for the day to go to a square dance, BearTM is looking forward to getting a lot of chores done. However, each chore he starts somehow reminds him of one of his friends, and before long, the house seems awfully quiet. By the time his friends return, Bear has realized that the Big Blue House just isn't the same without them.

It's a special night in Woodland Valley --- tonight is the night of Harvest Moon. There's a special party out at the Otter Pond and Luna even has a special surprise for Bear. Bear and his friends enjoy the delights of the night, such as fireflies and constellations. Tutter does his best to stay up, but Bear allows him to catch a little sleep before the big celebration. Bear searches for party lanterns for the celebration, but it's ultimately Pip and Pop who find them. Everything is finally ready for the big party and it's drawn quite a crowd --- besides Bear and the kids, Doc Hogg, Lois, Otto and Etta, Grandma Flutter, Christine, Jacques the Beaver, Doc Owl, and even Big Old Bullfrog are there. In fact, everyone's there except Luna --- they're worried she may have disappeared behind a cloud. But it turns out she was just getting her special surprise ready --- an old friend Bear hasn't seen in a long time! In the Shadow segment, Shadow tells a wild story about a man who takes a trip to the moon in a balloon.

Songs

Beauty of the Night

The Goodbye Song (Full Cast Version)

Notes

This episode includes a brief segment, introduced by Luna, in which real kids talk about things they do at night. These include playing on a swingset, catching lightning bugs, looking at the stars and the moon, putting on pajamas and reading a story.

In this special episode of the program, viewers get to see a lot of a character who is normally only seen at the end of each episode --- Luna. Luna also gets to perform in a song other than the "Goodbye Song." Ray is also seen at the very beginning of the episode. The closing credits for this episode include a special bonus featuring Bear and Ursa.

The episode's title is a reference to the last six words of "The Night Before Christmas".

Despite something of a mess in the living room of the Big Blue House, Bear is prepared for a relaxing day. He settles down for some relaxing music listening, but then receives a phone call. It's Ms. Henrietta Vanderpeen, informing him that the Big Blue House has been selected as the House of the Month for Woodland House Wonderful. Bear is excited, but worries about the state of the house. He tells the kids the exciting news, but finds out from them that there's even more cleaning to do than he thought. Everybody pitches in to get ready by cleaning the house, taking a bath, and brushing their teeth. Songs Clean Up the House Everybody in the Tub Brush Brush Bree

Pip and Pop s cousin Tally plans to visit.

Pip and Pop, along with Treelo, have decided to go fossil-hunting. They've gathered up all their gear in a backpack and are ready to go. This gets Bear thinking about discoveries and how much he enjoys discovering things himself. He then hears Ojo and Tutter calling him. They've been searching around the attic and came across an old, dusty box. It turns out to be a treasure chest filled with some of Bear's old things. He remembers that the played with them all in a secret cave, but he can't recall just where exactly the cave is. Ojo and Tutter decide to get the help of the rest of the kids to rediscover the secret cave. Once there, they find out some things they never knew about Bear and realize that he's a lot like them.

Songs

I Love to Discover

A Lot Like You

Notes

The kids discover drawings on the wall of Bear's secret cave. These drawings are of two of Bear's friends when he was a kid: Don Deer and Roger Badger.

When Bear hears a commotion in the living room, he finds Ojo and Tutter in something of a panic. They were playing and Tutter hurt his tail. It's all bent up and in a lot of pain. Bear does his best to help him feel better and then puts in a call to Doc Hogg. Doc Hogg asks Bear to bring Tutter over to his office, but Tutter is somewhat scared. Ojo's been there before, though, and offers to come with him. He also brings along his stuffed toy, Kitty. When he gets there, he's still somewhat scared, but eventually finds that there's really nothing to be afraid of. The Shadow segment, Five Little Monkeys, is recycled from "Picture of Health."

Songs

Hello Doctor

Just Say Ow (Shortened Version)

Notes

Pip and Pop are absent from this episode.

In the waiting room, a red bird is reading the book, The Adventures of Clamiana Jones, that Pip and Pop read from "What's the Story?"

Bear returns to the Big Blue House from a business trip for Bearcraft Tools to find that everything's a mess. He left Lois in charge while he was away and it seems she was perfectly willing to go along with the kids' idea of not cleaning up so that they'd have more time to play. Now Ojo and Treelo are missing their toys --- Snow Bear and Rockboy, Pip and Pop have been stuck in one spot playing an increasingly boring game of tag and Tutter's trapped in the cheese drawer. Bear talks things over with everyone and they begin to see that maybe their time-saving idea is actually wasting time. They then have the same sort of idea about taking a bath, but Bear helps them by getting them to visualize what would happen if they stopped taking baths. In the Shadow segment, Shadow sings a song about how to make doing chores fun.

Songs

Clean Up the House

Everybody in the Tub

Brush Brush Bree

Notes

This episode features the same set of songs heard in "Woodland House Wonderful" --- "Clean Up the House," "Everybody in the Tub" and "Brush Brush Bree."

When Miss Maxwell notices Tutter's enthusiasm for singing the "Woodland Valley Mouse School Song", she asks him to sing the Emmentaler Solo in the upcoming recital. Tutter is nervous at first, but the other mice express their approval of the idea, so he agrees. Later, his doubts resurface when practicing at the Big Blue House, but his friends offer him reassurance. Bear discusses the idea of bravery and notes that being brave often means simply trying something new. For example, as Ojo's skill on her bike continues to improve, she once again decides to try taking off her training wheels. In the Shadow segment, viewers learn about a flounder who decided to become a cowboy.

Songs

"Woodland Valley Mouse School Song"

"You're Braver Than You Know"

"The Cheese Chorus/Emmentaler Solo"

Notes

The closing credits state "This episode is dedicated to Dean Brent McCune Jr."

This episode usually appears in online listings as "Blue Home of the Brave," but the title shown at the beginning of the episode is "Big Blue Home of the Brave."

Ojo first tried riding her bike without the training wheels in "Step by Step," but she decided she wasn't ready yet. In this episode, she has Bear remove them again, but this time, she is able to ride without them.

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.

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

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.

Ojo has formed an orchestra and has invited everyone in the Big Blue House to participate. Viewers are invited to participate too as Bear and the kids hold a concert out at the Otter Pond. Ojo is the orchestra "constructor," and Pip and Pop are using pot and pan lids for cymbals. As Bear searches for his kazoo, he comes across Treelo and asks for his help. When Treelo spots a radio, he turns it on and starts singing and dancing to music. He then goes off to create his own instrument. Bear finds his kazoo and also finds that Tutter wants to play the clarinet, but it's too big for him. Bear helps Tutter to come up with another way to participate in the orchestra. In the Shadow segment, Shadow presents the tale of the cat and the fiddle.

Songs

Everywhere There's Music

Hey, We Can Play

Notes

Tutter says that he received his clarinet from the Klutter Tutters. This performing musical trio consisted of his Auntie Klutter Tutter, cousin Skitter Tutter and Uncle Nutter Tutter.

It's a hot summer day and Bear and everyone else in the Big Blue House are taking it easy. Bear receives a checkers set in the mail and plays checkers with both Pip and Pop and Treelo. To his surprise, they win handily, despite never having played the game before. They seem to have developed a wild move to take all of Bear's checkers in a single flurry of jumps. Pip and Pop also beat the heat by hanging out at the Otter Pond. They're later joined by Ojo, Treelo and Bear, but Tutter has own way of staying cool. He's created his very own Club Tutter in the kitchen, using the sink as a swimming pool.

Songs

In the Middle of the Summer

Notes

Bear states in this episode that his favorite drink is wild berry soda. Tutter, on the other hand, enjoys a "cheesarita."

The dog in the Shadow Projects logo in the closing credits makes a "beep beep" noise like a car honking its horn.

It's time for Bear to go to work, and a bear's work is berry-picking. He invites the viewers to join him as he locates his berry-picking bucket and hunts for berries to fill it, including strawberries, boysenberries, blueberries, blackberries and huckleberries. Before he finds his bucket, he finds Ojo and Treelo playing in the living room. Their game has come to a halt, as Ojo is tired of Treelo pretending to be a baby. Bear helps her to find something new to play and shows her how Treelo can still be the baby in the new game. Bear learns about Tutter's work, which includes cleaning up his mousehole and shopping for cheese. Shadow sings the song "I've Been Working on the Railroad" and gives Bear a tip as to where to find his berry-picking bucket. Later, after Bear finishes his work, Bear talks with Pip and Pop and helps them to see that they too did work today.

Bear and his friends, Ojo, Pip & Pop, Treelo and Tutter prepare for a picnic. They all decide on the different foods to bring, including clams, cheese sandwiches and bananas - a little something for everyone.

Bear has caught a cold and his nose is so stuffed up that he just has to take it as assumed that the viewers smell good today. Tutter suggests he get a little rest on the couch and then the kids all decide that they'll do their best to help Bear feel better. Tutter recalls that when he needed some water, Bear helped him to reach the faucet. Ojo brings Bear her favorite toy, Snow Bear, to help cheer him up. She recalls the time when he helped her to feel better when she fell down while trying to fly. Pip and Pop deliver Bear a package containing a clam with the message "Get Well Soon." They recall the time when Bear let them be postal delivery otters. Treelo gives Bear a hug and recalls the time that he was afraid of going down the drain in the bathtub. And Tutter recalls a time when he wasn't feeling all that well himself.

Bear receives a package in the mail containing a tape of soothing sounds. He's eager to sit down and listen to them, but Ojo is worried that the tape will disturb the game of "camping in the woods" she's playing. When she learns it's soothing sounds, she's eager to hear them, but then Treelo shows up and starts making noises of his own. At first, Ojo is irritated, but then Bear helps Treelo with making some sounds that won't bother Ojo. All of this gives Ojo a great idea for a real camping trip. Meanwhile, Tutter is busy dancing, and doesn't want any part of the camping trip when he hears about it. Pip and Pop are interested, though, after Bear tells them about it on their plastic cup telephone.

The annual Tutter Family Reunion is held at the Big Blue House. Everyone works hard to get ready for this big occasion featuring Tutter's huge family.

Notes

Tutter's relatives include Grandma Flutter, Uncle Tito del Tutter, Tardy, Grandpa Highland McTutter, Whiner, Shouter, Jim and June.

This episode was adapted in book form as The Tutter Family Reunion.

It's Halloween at the Big Blue House. The house is all decorated and everyone is getting ready. Bear helps his friends to find costumes and helps Tutter with carving a pumpkin. He always helps out Treelo when he's scared by Ojo's bat costume. Later, everyone gets together for some fun trick-or-treating. The kids have all picked out their Halloween costumes, but Bear hasn't been able to find anything to dress up as. The kids go through Bear's box of costumes and come up with an amusing idea. In the Shadow segment, Shadow performs the song "What Do Shadows Do for Halloween?"

It's Thanksgiving at the Big Blue House, and Bear is preparing his annual feast. There are all sorts of delicious food, and Grandma Flutter and Doc Hogg are coming over to join the celebration.

Everyone is very thankful for Bear's great feast, but Ojo wonders if there isn't more she can do to help. She becomes a sort of Thanksgiving commander and takes charge of the decorations and the Thanksgiving pageant. Ojo wants everything to be perfect, but soon finds things going outside her control. When it seems like all is ruined, Bear provides some reassuring thoughts on what the holiday is really all about.

In the Shadow segment, Shadow tells the story of the very first Thanksgiving.

Songs

"So Much to Be Thankful For" (Bear solo and Full Cast versions)

"Thanksgiving with My Friends"

Bear is coaching the soccer team for Mouse School. At the first team practice, the team is confused by Bear's complicated diagram, while Tutter is amused by a comment of Moss'. Tutter decides he wants to be Moss' friend, but is worried because he's never actually made a new friend before. He's known the kids in the Big Blue House practically his whole life and thinks of them as family. When he hears that Ojo made friends with Christine Rabbit by doing nice things for her, he gets the idea that the way to make friends with Moss is to impress him.

Songs

With a Friend Like Moss

Notes

There is no Shadow segment in this episode.

Tutter's invention from "Look What I Made," the mouseapult, reappears in this episode. Additionally, Tutter once again fantasizes about going to the Moon, like in the "When I'm Older" song from "Mouse Party."

Pip and Pop are eager to introduce Bear and everyone at the Big Blue House to Rocko --- an old friend of theirs that they haven't seen in a long time. On the way to pick him up, they describe him to Bear as being a bit shy, so it comes as a big surprise when the Rocko they meet up with turns out to be full of energy --- singing and dancing and raring to go. Indeed, it seems like Rocko's going to be a lot of fun at first, but then he starts trying to play games that everyone's uncomfortable with and behaving rudely. Suddenly, nobody wants to play with Rocko, but Bear wonders if Rocko is hiding something behind his "cool" personality.

Songs

Rocko Rocks

What a Good Friend I Could Be

Notes

Everyone goes to the movies to see Hare, starring puppets from The Tale of the Bunny Picnic. The title of the movie is a spoof on the title of the hit Broadway musical, Hair.

When telling Bear about the movie Hare, Lois tells him that Roger Ebert says that it captures an important moment in bunny culture and goes on to say that he gives it a "great big wing up."

The name of the game that Rocko suggests in this episode, "William, Don't Tell" is a reference to the Swiss hero William Tell who was the reference for the famous "William Tell Overture."

It's an ordinary day at the Big Blue House, but Bear decides to check his calendar, wondering if there's anything special coming. He checks his calendar and finds that tomorrow is Teacher Appreciation Day. Wondering if Tutter and the other mice at Mouse School know, he decides to tell them before soccer practice. It turns out when he arrives that the mice were just in the middle of talking about how much they like Miss Maxwell. Bear decides to split them all into teams of two, and partners Tutter with Lily to make Miss Maxwell a gift. Tutter's not too sure about the arrangment at first, worrying that the shy and quiet Lily won't be very good at helping him to make Miss Maxwell a gift. Bear, however, persuades Tutter to give Lily a chance and things start coming together nicely. They write a poem for Miss Maxwell. There's another special appreciation surprise later on. In the Shadow segment, Shadow retells Aesop's Fable 'The Lion and the Mouse'.

We don't have an overview translated in English. Help us expand our database by adding one.

It's Grandma Flutter's 100th birthday. Bear and the kids of the Big Blue House take some time to reflect on aging and all of the experiences that life has to offer. Ojo, Treelo, Pip and Pop work to decorate the house and prepare for the party, but Tutter still needs to pick out a gift for her. Bear takes him to the General Store, but he's not sure exactly what to buy her. While at the General Store, Tutter learns about some of the wonderful things that his Grandma has done in her life. As he hears more and more, he becomes overwhelmed, until Bear helps him to see how he can work it all into a perfect gift. Bear also plays a game of chess with Doc Hogg. He's not very good, but Doc Hogg helps him to see that he has a lot of time to learn. Shadow also pays a visit and tells a story about about the life of a hammer.