What is up with Country Bears?

[sassyredhead]

But I think its a perfect torture device tor grumpy tweens who won't listen.

Hilarious! I will keep this in mind when my 13 year old gives me attitude on our next trip.

 

[Vivianne]

I understand her point - having never seen it, and not necessarily knowing about it, how would you know?

I don't know if Disney specifically markets it as a children's attraction, though...but if you think back to the cartoons a lot of us watched as kids, it isn't all that much different.

Well, fortunately Youtube is loaded with videos of these attractions some
better than others....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1AX2Wys-1E

I guess I'm too old to have watched any of those cartoons. I can't remember
half of what I saw on the Wonderful World of Disney other than Pollyanna
and Davy Crockett.

 

[juliebug1997]

I was just posting because this was not really in the Disney theme of fairies and pixie dust and Dumbo and happiness! It's marketed as a little kid show, unlike Haunted Mansion. I didn't realize it was an original show and things weren't so pc then. It was my first time seeing it so I really didn't have the "just skip it if you don't like it" option.

I don't know that anything is ever marketed as a little kid show and some little kids like the Haunted Mansion.

Did you ever see "Song of the South"? Disney is so afraid to release it because it's not considered PC by today's standards. But you know what else isn't PC? "Your Highness", "Anchorman", and "Family Guy". And applying today's standards that something that's over 40 years old just doesn't seem like the best thing, IMHO. Why can't people appreciate things that were from a different time? Do we have to agree with it? No, but don't ruin it for others who can appreciate it and value it.

 

[BooToYou7]

but if you think back to the cartoons a lot of us watched as kids, it isn't all that much different.

I agree. As an adult, watching some of the cartoons, tv shows, and movies I loved as a kid, my jaw sometimes dropped. Honestly, that stuff goes over kids' heads. If you don't make a big deal over it, the kids won't know it's a big deal.

 

[PattnFmly]

I love the country bears! Fond memories of our first family trips to WDW! And seriously, you hear so many worse lyrics in today's music....even the pre-teen set listen to that music and I'm often shocked at what they are really saying. Give me Big Al anyday...he's my favorite!

 

[brookmey]

I agree. As an adult, watching some of the cartoons, tv shows, and movies I loved as a kid, my jaw sometimes dropped. Honestly, that stuff goes over kids' heads. If you don't make a big deal over it, the kids won't know it's a big deal.

So true!

Country Bears was always one of my favorites when I was little. I would laugh so hard at Big Al and I thought the singing voices of the sisters were so pretty. I had no idea what the words were, since I was paying more attention to what the characters looked and sounded like.

Even now, when I see the world as a parent, I still find myself focusing on Big Al's voice, guitar twangs and the beautiful singing voices of the sisters!

 

[lovebug33]

This was our first time going to the "show" and was shocked at some of the songs the bears sang. There's one w/the 3 girl bears and they sing how "every guy that turns them on, turns them down" then the bear on the left singing about blood. "Blood on the saddles, great big puddle of blood" What the heck?
Isn't this Disney? and a kids show? These things went over my 5 year olds head, but really what were they thinking?

Thanks for this! I was trying to figure out what was on the saddles! I couldn't understand him!

 

[castmember19]

I'm laughing as I read this. I have been to WDW plenty of times and not once did I understand the meaning of "all the guys who turn me on turn me down" until I went at seventeen years old.

Right over the kids heads, as you say... They don't even understand the true meaning until they're mature enough, I'd say. I don't think I would worry about it if I had kids... then again I hate those darn bears, so I don't think my kids would be seeing it anyway.

I agree. As an adult, watching some of the cartoons, tv shows, and movies I loved as a kid, my jaw sometimes dropped. Honestly, that stuff goes over kids' heads. If you don't make a big deal over it, the kids won't know it's a big deal.

Also, that's how I feel about Hunchback of Notre Dame. I rewatched it as an adult and said... "What?" Esmeralda on a pole... Frodo singing "Hellfire"... all very strange, also dark, for a kids movie. But oh well. The movie was one of my favorites as a kid and I have no bad memories of it. I probably didn't even realize.

 

[chartle]

One other thing that shocks some people is that this lame attraction was an E ticket along with, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Small world.

 

[si-am]

I was just posting because this was not really in the Disney theme of fairies and pixie dust and Dumbo and happiness! It's marketed as a little kid show, unlike Haunted Mansion. I didn't realize it was an original show and things weren't so pc then. It was my first time seeing it so I really didn't have the "just skip it if you don't like it" option.

Fairies and pixie dust and Dumbo are all exclusively in Fantasyland. Country Bears is in Frontierland.

 

[dntd]

IDK this is mild compared to movies these days, first I thought the movie Ants was bad but Rango was horrible! A part in the movie a kid gets given a gun, he looked don the barrel says yep it's got a bullet and then points it at his head, then the mom and then puts it into his mouth! It was riddled with junk kids shouldn't see yet it was marketed towards them!

 

[bumbershoot]

The blood stuff is gross, but the phrase "turn me on" probably didn't mean the same thing then as it means now. Just like when you watch old movies, a Marx Brothers movie comes to mind right now, when they talk of "making love" they do NOT mean what we think they mean!

Meanings of words and phrases change, and since the earliest "naughty" type of reference I can find for it started in the 60s (in the 50s with Beatniks it meant a sort of spurring of knowledge, perhaps with a bit of substance use linked to it (oh why isn't my mom still around, she would KNOW THIS!)), it was likely much less about "tingly" feelings as it is today, and more just along the lines of "I like him".

 

[Disney Jen]

My now-4 year old son LOVES the Country bear Jamboree, ever since he was 2.5 years old. Last time we went to WDW in December 2010, he spent one day watching it again and again (I think he did it 4 times in a row and would have kept going if we didn't tell him time to move on)!

Well, I knew he liked it but didn't realize too much about it until MVMCP in December. We are walking around and see Big Al. DS4 yells out, "That is the blood guy. He is my favorite." Didn't realize that he was listening to words...or knew the songs! Maybe seeing Big Al in real-life triggered it ! haha!

Fast forward to his first T-Ball practice 3 weeks ago. At beginning of practice, the coach had all the 4 year olds line up. My DS4 loudly says, "Let's all sing a silly song. There was blooooooooood on the saddle, there was blooooood all around."

If he would have been at a school, he probably would have been sent to the counselor for being a danger to himself or other haha! But it is very innocent!

 

[Sugarglider]

hmmm .... yes ... my nephew was all "BLOOOOOD - YEAH - BLOOOOOD - WOW" and he thought it was fantastic. It wasn't a morbid or violent response and he's not obsessed. He was just like a lot of other little boys who also giggle when someone says "bum"
He's studying law now - doesn't even remember it - and certainly hasn't been affected by boyish fun and games

 

[Babbletrish]

IDK this is mild compared to movies these days, first I thought the movie Ants was bad but Rango was horrible! ...It was riddled with junk kids shouldn't see yet it was marketed towards them!

Um... no. Not it wasn't. At all.

From all I saw, "Rango" was marketed towards fans of Clint Eastwood and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and, err, Johnny Depp's voice ( ). "Ants" was targeted towards people who wanted to see a movie wherein Woody Allen is an ant. Both films were rated PG-13, I think. Animation isn't just for children, but thanks for proving that this trope is alive and kicking.

Fairies and pixie dust and Dumbo are all exclusively in Fantasyland. Country Bears is in Frontierland.

Yeesh, I know, right? Just how many Disney movies has the OP seen? Let's count the fairies and pixie dust in "Victory Through Air Power".

 

[CurlyJo224]

Hmm, The Rescuers? Pretty dark. Hunchback of Notre Dame? Pretty dark. The Black Cauldron? Pretty dark. Really just about any of the Disney movies that have actual villains are pretty dark and scary. All skinning puppies and killing little girls because they're fairer than you. All the sweetness and pixie dust is fairly recent.

Give kids a little credit. If it doesn't fly over their heads, they'll probably be fine anyway. All the other kids who've seen the show over the last 40 years have been.

 

[GameDevLovesDisney]

Thinking back, would you let your children watch the Jetsons? The Flintstones? Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner?

The Jetsons pilot featured George coming home from work, lighting a cigarette, pouring a martini, and screaming at his wife. The Flintstones actually advertised Winston Cigarettes during the show. And playing with explosives, fire, anvils, and other WMDs Wile E? Totally not PC.

 

[pampam]

The first time I saw POTC the scene where they are trying to drown the guy in the well if he doesn't tell where the town has hid it's valuables bothered me. Now, not so much. I guess I've been desensitized to it. And that is quite unfortunate.

 

[ccudmore]

I guess I better not "turn on" the lights in my house today lest I scar my children for life.

 

[Danibelle]

Country is totally tongue in cheek...Guess you were also offended when they wanted to shoot little Buford....like someone said, its been around for 40 years and this is the first time I've seen anyone complain. Big Al and blood on the saddle, etc. is a satire of a western movie---I think the original song was done by Tex Ritter...you have to be pretty deficient in the humor area to find any offense in the show.....doodle doodle do, do whop

My DH has to see this every time!