Changes

The Although the Country Bear Jamboree opened with the park on October 1, 1971. The , the plans for the attraction however, date back to 1966 and Walt Disney himself. In 1966, Walt decided that he would need some sort of attraction for his Disney's planned Disney’s Mineral King Ski Resort. He tasked Imageneer Imagineer Marc Davis with creating a show based on Audio Anamatronic BearsAnimatronic bears. Davis, and fellow Imageneer Imagineer Al Bertino came up with many ideas including, marching band bears, mariachi bears, and Dixieland bears. Walt Disney was said to have like Marc Davis' drawings of the bears so much that they actually made him laugh(thus the attraction would eventually be known as Walt’s last laugh). The Country Bears would be one of the last attractions that Walt had 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 it the Bar Band Restaurant Show. 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. 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. The attraction opened as the Country Bear Jamboree with the rest of Walt Disney World on October 1, 1972.  When the Country Bear Jamboree openedin the Magic Kingdom, it was proved to be so popular that another one a copy of the attraction was built for Disneyland. Starting in 1982, the County Disney World’s Country Bear Jamboree remained unchanged until 1982 when the attraction was given a new show during the holiday season called the Country Bear Christmas Special. The show would return annualy annually around Christmastime until 2005. Due In 1986, due to the popularity of the Country BearsBear’s popularity, Disney decided to create a new show was created in 1986 called for the attraction, The Country Bear Vacation Hoedown. The new show Country Bear Vacation Hoedown featured the bears in their vacation outfits and also featured them , singing new songs such as Ghost Riders in the Sky and On The the Road Again. Due to attendance struggles the however the new show only lasted for six years. In 1992 as part of the Magic Kingdom's 20th anniversary celebrations, the Country Bear Jamboree was reverted back to it's its original form.On August 21 2012, the Country Bear Jamboree was closed for a two moth refurbishment. When the attraction reopened on October 17, the show as noticeably shorter, and the bears had all received new “fur”. The songs "Pretty Little Devilish Mary" and "Fractured Folk Song" were removed during the refurbishment, and much of the attractions dialogue was cut. In total the current version of the Country Bear Jamboree is about 1/3 shorter than the original.

The Country Bear Jamboree takes place inside Grizzly Hall. The Disney World waiting area in Grizzly Hall features various caricature ; here guests can see caricatures of the bears that the guests they will soon meet. Drawings of Henry, Wendell, Trixie, and the Five Bear Rugs can all be see in the waiting areaseen here. Guests can also find a souvenir penny machine which will make Fronteirland Frontierland themed pennies for 51 cents.

The Country Bear Jamboree is a "hoedown" style show that features almost constant singing. The show begins with Buff, Melvin and Max (mostly Buff) Telling Henry that its it’s time to start the show. The show then takes place on five stages: a far right, a center right, a center, a center left and a far left.

In the first song the attraction Henry welcomes guests to the Country Bear Jamboree. He then introduces Gomer who's (on the center stage, ) who plays piano while Henry sings. Henry wears a grey top hat, starched shirt front, and a string tie. Gomer wears a blue color and tie, and always as has a honeycomb on his piano.

Pianjo leads directly into the Bear Band Serenade, in which Henry introduces the 5 Bear Rugs who are on the center stage.The Five Bear Rugs consist of:

*Zeek- The lead singer of the bears, he . He is a grey bear with glasses who wears a tan top hat. He Zeek plays the banjo and dishpan.

*Fred-The largest of the bears,Fred is a brown bear and wears blue jeans with suspenders and striped red and white tie. Fred plays the mouth harp.

* Tennessee- Tennessee is a A brown bear who plays the One-String Thang, which sounds just like a guitar (but only has one string). Tennessee years wears a red bandanna around his neck.

*Baby Oscar- The smallest of the bears, Baby Oscar never plays an instrument nor does he speak. He is never without his teddy bear, which he squeezes to make a squeaking noise.

In the Bear Band Saranade Serenade Henry sings, Gomer plays piano, and the Five Bear Rugs play their respective instruments. When Henry introduces an individual bear, a spotlight shines down on them.

After the Bear Band SaranadeSerenade, the curtain closes on the Five Bear Rugs and Gomer. Then, Wendell a golden brown bear emerges on the center stage. Wendell wears a blue bandanna around his neck and has a light brown hat. He is also easily recognizable because of his large overbite and buck teeth.

Following the Fractured Folk Song, Henry introduces Liver Lips McGrowl who is on the far right stage. Liver Lips is a large brown bear who wears brown overalls and a red and white bandanna around his neck. He get's gets his name from his large lips, and plays the guitar. Liver Lips sings unaccompanied.

When Liver Lips is finished with his song, Wendell and Henry come back on stage to sing another song, “Mamma, Don’t Whip Little Buford”.

After "Mamma, Don't Whip Little Buford", Wendell once again leaves the stage. Henry then proceeds to introduce Trixie, a very large brown bear who wears a bow in her hair and a blue tutu on her waist. Trixie plays no instrument, and is holding a blue handkerchief and a glass of wine in her hands. Gomer is raised back on the center stage to accompany Trixie who is located on the far right stage.

Following Trixie's song, Henry compliments her on how big her song was. Hearing that, Buff, Max, and Melvin inturupt interrupt the show (starting with Buff who comments that the song wasn't all that's big). Henry tells them if they're quiet, the bears might dedicated dedicate the next song to them (which they do). The Five Bear Rugs then reappear on center stage, with Zeke singing leadon “Pretty Little Devilish Mary”.

Following the end of the song, the curtain once again closes on the Five Bear Rugs, . Shaker (also known as Terrance) then appears on the left-center stage. Shaker is a tall, tan bear who wears a minor cap and plays guitar.

After Shaker sings his song, Henry reappears on the right-center stage. He itroduces introduces the next act, three identical girls from Florida: Bunny, Bubbles and BuelahBeulah. Together the three sisters are known as the Sun Bonnet Trio. All three girls have brown fur and wear blue dresses and bonnets. On stage the girls are joined by Gomer. Bunny stands in the middle with Bubbles on her left and Buelah Beulah on her right. Behind the girls a slide show illustrates the lyrics as they singtheir song, “Heart We Did All That We Could”.

[[Image:Bunnybubbles.jpg|thumb|The Sun Bonnet Trio. From left to right, BuelahBeulah, Bunny and Bubbles.]]

Following the Sun Bonnet's song, the far left curtain opens to reveal Earnest. Earnest is a brown bear who that plays the fiddle. He wears a derby and a red polka-dot bowtie around his neck and is recognizable by his high eye brows. Earnest performs “If You Can't Bite, Don't Growl”.

===Heart “Heart We Did All That We CouldCould”===Following Earnest's song, Henry once again appears on the left-center stage. He then introduces the "he last of the big time singers" Teddi Berra. Teddi decends descends from a hole in the ceiling , sitting on a swing decorated with roses.She is a brown bear and wears a blue hat with a pink feather , as well as a long pink bow around her neck. While she begins her song (“Heart We Did All That We Could”) both Buck and Henry comment on how pretty she is.

Without Following Teddi’s song (and without any introduction ) a large spotlight shines of the far left stage, slowing getting bigger. When the curtain lifts guests get their first view of Big Al. Big Al is the fattest of all the bears and he plays an out of tune guitar. He is grey with a light grey belly and wears a tan hat and a red vest.

 As Big Al finishes his song with a laugh, Henry appears on the far right stage. On his head, is Sammy, a raccoon who actually makes up Henry's hat. Together they begin to sing The “The Ballad of Davy CrockettCrockett”.

Right in the middle of "The Ballad of Davy Crockett", Big Al reappears on the far left stage, once again singing "Blood On The on the Saddle". As Henry tells Big Al to stop, Sammy begins to realize the situation is hopeless. He tells Henry that there they’re going to need help. Henry cues the gang, and all the other bears (except Earnest and Trixie) appear on stage. Together they sing the shows finale, Ole Slew-Foot. Big Al , undaunted by the singing , continues to sing "Blood on the Saddle". At the conclusion of the song the stage gets dark and a crashing noise comes from Big Als Al’s stage.

'''Henry'''- The host of the show, Henry is a large, friendly brown bear. He wears a grey top hat, starched shirt front, and a string tie. Henry is voiced by Pete Renaday and he plays the guitar. He is featured in the songs: The Bear Band SaranadeSerenade, Fractured Folk Song, The Ballad of Davy Crockett, and Come Again (Come on In). Henry is also the most mobile of the bears, appearing on the left-center, right-center and far right stages.

'''Liver Lips McGrowl'''- A large bear who gets his name from his large lips, Liver Lips plays the gutairguitar. He is voiced by Jimmy Stoneman and appears on the right-center stage. Liver Lips sings "My Woman Ain't Pretty (But She Don't Swear None)" and joins the bears in the finale, "Ole Slew-Foot"

'''Wendell'''- Wendell is a golden brown bear who plays the mandolin. He wears a blue bandanna around his neck and a light brown hat. He is recognizable for his overbite and buck teeth. He Wendell is voiced by Bill Cole and appears on center stage. Wendell sings "Fractured Folk Song" and "Mamma, Don't Whip Little BuffordBuford" with Henry. He also joins the bears to sing the finale, "Ole Slew-Foot".

'''Teddi Barra'''- Teddi Barra is the only Country Bear that does not appear on stage. Instead she comes down from the ceiling on her swing, which is decorated with pink roses. Teddi is a brown bear and wears a blue hat with a pink feather as well as a long pink bow around her neck. She is voiced by Roni Stoneman. Teddi Sings "Heart We Did All That We Could" and also joins the bears to sing "Ole Slew-Foot".

'''Shaker (aka Terrance)'''- Is A Shaker is a tall bear with tan fur who plays the gutair. Terrence guitar and wears a miner's cap and . He is voiced by by Van Stoneman. He and he appears on the left-center stage. Shaker sings "How Long Will My Baby Be Gone" and also appears with the rest of the bears to sing "Ole Slew-Foot".

'''Trixie'''- Trixie is a very large brown bear who wears a blue bow on her head, and a blue tutu around her waist. She appears on the far right stage, and holds a blue handkerchief and wine glass in her hands. Trixie is one of the few bears that does not appear in the finale of the show. She is voiced by Cheryl Poole. Trixie sings , however she does sing "Tears Will Be The Chaser For My Wine". Trixie is voiced by Cheryl Poole.

'''Big Al'''- Big Al is the fattest bear in the Country Bear Jamboree. He is grey with a light grey belly and wears a tan hat and a red vest. He Big Al plays an out-of-tune guitar and is located on the far right stage. Big Al sings He "Blood On The Saddle". His and his insistence on singing the song a second time leads to the grand finale of the show. Big Al is voiced by Tex Ritter.

* '''Bubbles'''- Bubbles stands to the audience's left (between Gomer and Bunny, ) and is voiced by Loulie Jean Norman.

'''Gomer'''- Gomer is a tall brown bear who wears a collar and a blue tie. Gomer is the only country bear in the show (with the exception of Baby Oscar) who does not sing. Instead Gomer , he plays his piano which has a honeycomb on top of it. Gomer appears on center stage and performs on the songs, "Bear Band SaranadeSerenade", "Tears Will Be The Chaser For My Wine", "All The Guys That Turn Me On Turn Me Down" and the shows finale, "Ole Slew-Foot".

'''The Five Bear Rugs'''- The Five Bear Rugs are the Country Bear Jamboree's main band. They appear on center stage and perform, "Bear Band SaranadeSerenade", "Pretty Little Devilish Mary" and "Ole Slew-Foot". The band consists of:

* '''Zeke'''- The Five Bear Rugs lead singer, Zeke plays a banjo and taps on the dishpan with "a real ol' country beat". He is a grey bear with glasses who wears a tan top hat. He was voiced by Dallas McKennon from October 1971 until July 1975, when Randy Sparks rerecorded his vocals. He Zeke is located in the center of the band.

* '''Zeb'''- Zeb is brown bear with a light brown stomach , who plays the fiddle. Zeb wears a miner's hat and a bandanna around his neck. He and ge is voiced by a member of the Stoneman family. Zeb sits on Zeke's left.

* '''Ted'''- Ted is a tall, skinny bear who blows on the cornjug corn jug and plays the washboard. His fur is brown, and he wears a vest with a brown hat. He Ted is located behind Zeb.

* '''Fred'''- The biggest of the five bears, Fred plays mouthharpmouth harp. He is a brown bear who wears blue jeans held up with suspenders as well as a striped red and white tie. Fred is located behind Zeke and next to Ted.

* '''Baby Oscar'''- Unlike the other bears in the Five Bear Rugs, Baby Oscar plays no insturmantinstrument. He does carry a teddy bear however, which he squeaks from time to time. He is brown, and on the 1971 Country Bear Jamboree Album, it is mentioned that he is Zeb's son.

'''Buff'''- Buff is considered the leader of the animal heads and is also the first animal to talk in the show. He is the head portion of an American bison Bison and is voiced by Disney legend Thurl Ravenscroft. Buff is in the center of located between Melvin and Max. All and all three heads are located on the left wall of the theater. Throughout the show they the animal heads talk both amongst themselves , and to the performers. The only song that Buff sings in is "Come Again (Come On In)" which he sings as guests leave the hall.

'''Max'''- Max is the head portion of a stag who is voiced by Peter Pete Renaday. Max talks with Melvin and Buff , as well as Henry periodically throughout the show. He is located to the right of Buff and performs the song "Come Again (Come On In)

'''Melvin'''- Melvin is a moose head who is voiced by Bill Lee. Melvin is good natured and is located on the left side of Buff. He performs the song "Come Again (Come On In) as guests leave the hall.

'''Sammy'''- Sammy is Henry's raccoon pal who cuddles around Henry's top hat. He acts , acting like a coonskin cap for Henry. He is voiced Voiced by Bill Cole. , Sammy performs on the final three songs of the attraction, "The Ballad of Davy Crockett", "Ole Slaw-Foot", and "Come Again (Come On In)"

Main AricleArticle: [[The Country Bear Christmas Special]]

From 1984 until 2005, the Country Bear Jamboree was given a special show for the Christmas season, called the Country Bear Christmas Special. The show featured the bears singing such holiday classics as (“Deck the Halls,” “Let It Snow,” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, ) as well as new original songs like “Hungry as a Bear”. The show also featured a previously unknown bear, Rufus who works on the lighting and projection for the show. In 2005 it was announced that the Christmas Special would not return. The Christmas show marked the first time that an Audio Anamatronic Animatronic show became interchangeable during the year.

Due to the overwhelming popularity of the Country Bears, a new show was created in 1986 for the attraction called the Country Bear Vacation Hoedown. The show featured the Bears wearing their "vacation clothes" and singing new songs. Included in the show were popular songs including, Singing In The Rain, On The Road Again, Ghost Riders In The Sky, Thank God I'm A Country Boy and the popular opening The Great Outdoors. This was the only show not to feature Buff, Melvin and Buck starting off the show. The Vacation Hoedown proved unpopular with guests and in in 1992 the show was reverted to its original form.