The idea for the Country Bear Jamboree was born out of Walt Disney’s involvement in the 1960 Winter Olympics held in Squaw Valley, California. Struck by the alpine beauty of the region, Walt envisioned a family-oriented ski resort in California’s Sequoia National Forest. As part of this vision, he wanted to include Disney-style entertainment for guests after sunset—something warm, musical, and distinctly American.
Walt assigned the project to Marc Davis, a legendary character designer at WED Enterprises, who had helped shape attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean and The Jungle Cruise. Davis, working alongside Al Bertino, developed several concepts for the resort’s entertainment, including a bear marching band, Dixieland bears, and finally, a country-western musical revue starring a cast of animatronic bears. Though the ski resort never materialized, the bear band concept was shelved until planning began for Walt Disney World.
On October 1, 1971, the Country Bear Jamboree opened its doors in Grizzly Hall at Magic Kingdom, becoming one of the park’s original attractions. The show was an immediate hit, prompting Imagineers to fast-track a replica for Disneyland, which opened in March 1972. The bears performed a mix of original songs and country standards, delivered with comedic timing and animatronic charm.
The original cast included:
- Teddi Barra descending from the ceiling on a swing to sing “Heart, We Did All That We Could”
- Big Al, beloved for his mournful rendition of “Blood on the Saddle”
- Henry and Sammy, who performed “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” (in Japanese!)
- Liver Lips McGrowl, Wendell, Ernest, and the Five Bear Rugs, each with their own musical quirks
- And yes, Tex Ritter, Wanda Jackson, Jean Shepard, and members of The Stoneman Family lent their voices to the original soundtrack—a detail many guests never realized
In May 1986, the bears received a seasonal overlay titled Country Bear Vacation Hoedown, featuring new costumes, props, and summer-themed songs. This version ran until 1992, and its success helped inspire future overlays like Country Bear Christmas Special (still performed in Tokyo Disneyland).
The attraction also served as inspiration for the 2002 film “The Country Bears”, which paved the way for other attractions-to-film projects like The Haunted Mansion (2003), Pirates of the Caribbean (2003–2017), and Jungle Cruise (2021).
On January 26, 2024, Walt Disney World bid farewell to the most recent version of the Country Bear Jamboree. The next day, the attraction closed for refurbishment to begin work on a new show: the Country Bear Musical Jamboree, which officially opened in July 2024.
The reimagined show pays homage to Nashville’s Opry-style revues, with the bears performing reinterpreted Disney songs in genres like bluegrass, rockabilly, and classic country. Highlights include:
- Teddi Barra and Wendell singing a duet of “A Whole New World”
- Ernest performing a fiddle solo of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”
- Bunny, Bubbles, and Beulah, now in Stetsons, teaming up with Trixie for a crowd-pleasing rendition of “Try Everything”
- Liver Lips McGrowl, now renamed Romeo McGrowl, rocking out to “Kiss the Girl” in full rockabilly flair
The Five Bear Rugs still open the show, with the smallest bear clutching his teddy and honking his squeeze toy—an iconic moment that drew cheers from longtime fans.
While the show’s tone has shifted to be more family-friendly and musically polished, Imagineers retained the original animatronic figures, updating their costumes, movements, and programming. The Grizzly Hall stage was also refurbished, with new lighting rigs and acoustic panels added to enhance the sound quality.
Teddi Barra briefly disappeared from her swing in early 2024 due to maintenance, but was restored in time for the show’s reopening. Her return, along with the full cast, marks a continuation of a tradition that began over five decades ago—a bear band born from a ski resort dream, still singing in the heart of Frontierland.
Huge thanks to Ben, Sammyland, Matt Kempf, Terri Stanier, Hillary_JW, and Brin5 for sharing their photos with us to use in the gallery below!
