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C Bear and Jamal

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C Bear and Jamal
Genre
Created by
Voices of
Narrated byTone Lōc
Theme music composer
Opening theme"C Bear and Jamal"
Ending theme"C Bear and Jamal" (instrumental)
ComposerKurt Farquhar
Country of origin
  • United States
  • Germany
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producers
ProducerSwinton O. Scott III
Animators
  • Plus One Animation
  • AKOM
Running time25 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkFox Kids
ReleaseFebruary 3, 1996 (1996-02-03) –
February 22, 1997 (1997-02-22)

C Bear and Jamal is an animated musical comedy children's television series that originally aired on the Fox Kids programming block from 1996 to 1997.[1] It centers on an elementary school-aged boy named Jamal and his companion "C Bear", an orange hip-hop teddy bear who raps.[2] Film Roman co-produced the show.[3]

Characters

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  • Jamal Harrison Wingo (Arthur Reggie III) - Jamal is a cheerful, imaginative 9-year-old (later 10-year-old) African-American boy. He always keeps C Bear by his side.
  • C Bear (Tone Loc) - C Bear is a wise rapping teddy bear with a hip-hop style. He comes to life whenever Jamal is around and is always ready to give him advice. He has the power to take Jamal on magical adventures at the snap of his finger. C Bear sometimes breaks the fourth wall with sarcastic remarks to the audience.
  • Hawthorne Wingo (George L. Wallace) - Hawthorne is Jamal’s father. He sometimes wonders why Jamal still keeps C Bear. Hawthorne's wife died before the events of the series.
  • Bernice Wingo (Dawnn Lewis) - Bernice is Jamal's grandmother. She is kind hearted and gentle, and is most often seen cooking meals for her family.
  • Willis Wingo (Darryl Sivad) - Willis is Jamal's grandfather and the husband of Bernice. He is bald and rarely leaves his chair by the television.
  • Maya (Kim Fields) - Maya is Jamal’s classmate and love interest. She is bold and outspoken, and has a loud voice. She is the smartest of Jamal’s friends, often getting the highest test scores in class.
  • Big Chill (Aries Spears) - Big Chill is Jamal’s fat friend, who is always hungry and speaks like he has a cold. Upon entering a room, he'll say "the b-i-g c-h-i-double-l is in the hizzouse". Big Chill has been held back in school a few times. Though his exact age is unknown, he is old enough to drive a car and, in one episode, mentions filling out tax forms.
  • Kwame (Aries Spears) Kwame is Jamal's best friend. He is dressed in African clothes and believes in "power to the people". He has a tendency to label anything and everything as a "conspiracy by 'The Man'”. He is the second smartest of Jamal’s friends.
  • Chipster (Jeannie Elias) - Chipster is Jamal's Caucasian friend. He is silly and likes to make his friends laugh.
  • Kim (Margaret Cho) - Kim is Jamal's Asian friend and Maya’s best friend. She is feisty and quick to stand up to anyone who bullies her friends.
  • Javier (Paul Rodríguez) - Javier is Jamal's Latino friend. He has a wide vocabulary, often using big words that Jamal and his friends barely understand. He is the third smartest in class, achieving the second highest grades after Maya.
  • Miss Fine - Miss Fine is Jamal’s teacher. She is kind but firm, always pushing her students to do their best.
  • Sooner - Sooner is the Wingos’ basset hound and C Bear’s rival. Sooner and C Bear often engage in cartoonish chases and fights, which are usually won by C Bear.

Episodes

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Series overview

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SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
13February 3, 1996 (1996-02-03)February 17, 1996 (1996-02-17)
210September 21, 1996 (1996-09-21)February 22, 1997 (1997-02-22)

Season 1 (1996)

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleEpisode songOriginal air dateProd.
code
11"Rap Van Winkle""The Rap Song"February 3, 1996 (1996-02-03)102
C-Bear takes Jamal into the future to show him the sad effects of sleeping through his education.
22"Emperor's New Gear""New Clothes"February 10, 1996 (1996-02-10)101
C-Bear introduces Jamal to the "Duke" in an effort to convince Jamal that the clothes he wears don't matter. It's the person he is that counts.
33"Big""Jamal's Blues"February 17, 1996 (1996-02-17)103
On his 10th birthday, Jamal decides act like more of a grown-up starting with leaving C-Bear at home.

Season 2 (1996–97)

[edit]
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleEpisode songOriginal air dateProd.
code
41"Teeing Off""Ode to Duckie Jordan"September 21, 1996 (1996-09-21)104
Unable to make any other school sports team, Jamal tries out for the Golf Team, coached along by C-Bear and by Big Chill who, surprisingly, is something of a golf prodigy. Jamal fails to make the team, but learns that he has prowess in other important areas.
52"The Prince and the Po' Boy""If I Were A Rich Boy"September 28, 1996 (1996-09-28)105
Jamal becomes embarrassed about being middle class when he meets a rich cousin and begins to act more upper crust. He begins a charade of wealth and high manners, which almost alienates his friends. Jamal learns to appreciate the things money can't buy - family, friends, and love.
63"Raging Bully""Little Red Ragamuffin"October 12, 1996 (1996-10-12)106
When Jamal is teased by a school yard bully, he tries everything from avoidance to a near physical confrontation. C-Bear teaches Jamal that words can often hurt more than fists, and that bullies are usually people in need of understanding and friendship.
74"Hanging With Mr. Wingo""No Worry Free J.O.B"November 2, 1996 (1996-11-02)107
Jamal loses respect for his father when he discovers his father's job isn’t as exciting as he once believed.
85"Big Head Jamal""Benocchio's Lament"November 9, 1996 (1996-11-09)108
Jamal is cast in a commercial and adopts an obnoxious attitude when he begins to dream of a glamorous Hollywood life. When Jamal is fired from the commercial, he is humbled and must apologize to his friends.
96"Sleepless in South Central""Ain't Got No Life"November 16, 1996 (1996-11-16)110
Jamal becomes jealous when his father goes out on a date, and tries to tag along to ruin the experience. C-Bear joins in, until he realizes they're wrong. He shows Jamal the value of space in any relationship, and that his father's dating doesn't diminish the memory of Jamal's deceased mother.
107"Dumbing Down""The Thinker"November 23, 1996 (1996-11-23)112
Jamal convinces Maya to act dumb and lower her test scores before she loses all her friends, who don't get grades as good as hers. C-Bear convinces Jamal it's wrong to make Maya reduce her intelligence in order to please others
118"The Truth and Nothing But the Truth""Jamal Can't Handle The Truth"February 1, 1997 (1997-02-01)113
Jamal lies in order to get a job on the school newspaper as an advice columnist. When he can no longer lie, he begins telling too much truth, even at home. After learning how much the truth can hurt, Jamal apologizes to the people he insulted.
129"Puppy Love""Here Comes Jamal"February 15, 1997 (1997-02-15)111
Jamal wants to ask a girl to the Spring dance and fumbles through various ways to do it.
1310"Most Valuable Grandpa""Tortoise And The Hare"February 22, 1997 (1997-02-22)109
Jamal gains a new respect for his grandfather when he has to replace Jamal’s father at the Parent/Student Picnic.

Home video releases

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Xenon Entertainment Group released every episode of the show on VHS and DVD in 2000.

As of January 2022, C Bear and Jamal can be streamed on The Roku Channel.[4]

C Bear and Jamal all episodes can now be streamed on YouTube.

References

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  1. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 118–119. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  2. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 168–169. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  3. ^ "Tone Loc to Debut Cartoon Series on Fox". The Los Angeles Times. 1996-01-30. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
  4. ^ C Bear and Jamal at The Roku Channel.
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