Changes

Although the Country Bear Jamboree opened with the park on October 1, 1971, the plans for the attraction date back to Walt Disney himself. In 1966, Walt decided that he would need some sort of attraction for his planned Disney’s Mineral King Ski Resort. He tasked According to Imagineer Marc Davis with creating a show based on Audio Animatronic bears. Davis and fellow Imagineer Al Bertino came up with many ideas including marching band bearsWathel Rogers:{{“After the Mineral King contract had been signed, mariachi bears, and Dixieland bearsWalt had an idea for entertainment after people had been skiing. Walt Disney was said , ‘What we are going to do is have like Marc Davis' drawings a bear band and have them perform two or three programs of the bears so much that they actually made him laugh (thus the attraction would eventually be known as Walt’s last laugh)entertainment <ref name="Korkis">https://www. The Country Bears would be one of the last attractions that Walt had a direct involvement withmouseplanet.com/9399/The_Lost_Biographies_of_the_Country_Bears </ref>.}}

After Walt Disney’s death on December 15, 1966, plans for the bear To create this new show carried tasked Imagineer Marc Davis with creating a show based onAudio Animatronic bears. During its developmentDavis and fellow Imagineer Al Bertino came up with many ideas including marching band bears, Disney decided that the mariachi bears would perform it the Bar Band Restaurant Show. Furthermore, Disney decided that the tuba bears would sing with a “country twang”, and Imagineer X Atencio and musical director George Bruns were brought in to write songs for the attractionDixieland bears <ref name= "Spence1"> http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2010/10/country_bear_jamboree_part_one_1.html </ref> <Ref> http://passport2dreams.blogspot. Although com/2013/06/the development -music-of the show continued -country-bear-jamboree-part.html </ref>. According to go wellImagineering legend, Disney’s Mineral Kingdom Resort seemed Walt Disney was said to be in jeopardy. When it became clear have like Marc Davis' drawings of the bears so much that they actually made him laugh, thus the resort attraction would not eventually be built in the foreseeable future, known as Walt’s last laugh after his passing <ref> Walt Disney decided to move Imagineering: A behind the attraction to Dreams Look at Making the soon to be opened Walt Magic Real. New York: Disney WorldEditions, 1996. Print. </ref>. The attraction opened as the Country Bear Jamboree with the rest Bears would be one of the last attractions that Walt Disney World on October 1, 1971had a direct involvement with.

After Walt Disney’s death on December 15, 1966, plans for the bear show carried on. During its development, Disney decided that the bears would perform in the Bear Band Restaurant Show <ref name="Spence1"/>. Furthermore, Disney decided that the bears would sing with a “country twang”, and Imagineer X Atencio and musical director George Bruns were brought in to write songs for the attraction <ref> http://passport2dreams.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-music-of-country-bear-jamboree-part.html </ref>. Although the development of the show continued to go well, Disney’s Mineral Kingdom Resort seemed to be in jeopardy. When it became clear that the resort would not be built in the foreseeable future, Disney decided to move the attraction to the soon to be opened Walt Disney World <ref name= "Spence1"/>. The attraction opened as the Country Bear Jamboree with the rest of Walt Disney World on October 1, 1971 <ref> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/10/walt-disney-imagineers-talk-the-country-bear-jamboree-reimagining-at-magic-kingdom-park/ </ref>.  When the Country Bear Jamboree opened in the Magic Kingdom, it proved to be so popular that a copy of the attraction was built for Disneyland<Ref name= "Spence1"/>. Disney World’s Country Bear Jamboree remained unchanged until 1982 1984 when the attraction was given a new show during the holiday season called the “Country Bear Christmas Special”. The show would return annually around Christmastime until 2005<ref> http://waltdatedworld.bravepages.com/id250.htm </ref>. In 1986, due to the Country Bear’s popularity, Disney decided to create a new show for the attraction, The Country Bear Vacation Hoedown. The Country Bear Vacation Hoedown featured the bears in their vacation outfits, singing new songs such as “Ghost Riders in the Sky” and “On the Road Again”<ref> http://waltdatedworld.bravepages.com/id60.htm </ref>. Due to attendance struggles however the new show only lasted for six years<ref name= "Spence1". In 1992 as part of the Magic Kingdom's 20th anniversary celebrations, the Country Bear Jamboree was reverted back to its original form<Ref> http://www.wdwradio.com/2007/09/country-bear-jamboree/ </ref>. On August 21, 2012, the Country Bear Jamboree was closed for a two moth refurbishment. When the attraction reopened on October 17, the show was noticeably shorter and the bears had all received new “fur” and costumes. The songs "Pretty Little Devilish Mary" and "Fractured Folk Song" were removed during the refurbishment, and much of the attractions dialogue was cut<ref> http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/20/arts/country-bear-jamboree-at-walt-disney-world.html?_r=0 </ref>. In total the current version of the Country Bear Jamboree is about 1/3 shorter than the original<ref> http://land.allears.net/blogs/debwills/2012/10/the_country_bear_jamboree_is_b.html</ref>.