Boonie Bears
Boonie Bears is a Chinese animated television series shown on multiple Chinese platforms and television stations, including Central China Television and Beijing Television Network. The series features two Asian black bears, Briar and Bramble, who try to stop Logger Vick from destroying their forest home. Some other minor characters, mainly animals, are also shown, such as an owl, a gopher and two monkeys.
The franchise is Fantawild Animation's tentpole and "has been the biggest animation brand in China for many years" according to Variety. As of 2024, the animation brand has developed more than 3,000 products, covering a wide range of categories like food, beverages, clothing, learning supplies and toys.
Origin
Boonie Bears was first shown in January 2012 and last shown in February 2024 and became the most popular children's show in China. More than 600 thirteen-minute episodes have been produced so far. The series is produced by Fantawild Holdings Inc.Creation and translations
Although originally created in China, Boonie Bears has been translated to other languages, such as English, Spanish, French, Russian, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, Arabic and Hindi. It has now been distributed to 82 countries worldwide and partnered with Netflix, Sony, and Disney.Characters
Victor "Vick" Von Finkelstein
Vick is a logger who often runs into the animals for his misdeeds against the forest. He is considered as the primary antagonist in the earlier seasons, until redeeming himself and eventually becoming one of the main protagonists starting in season 8: Adventure 1. He is bald, usually wearing a hard hat or an Ushanka to conceal it. Vick wears a jacket and jeans. He is often seen carrying a chainsaw which he uses to cut down the trees or a hunting rifle that he uses to try hunt down Briar and Bramble whatever they try to stop him from cutting down the trees. Despite his menacing demeanor, Vick is often stays determined in light of threats from the forest, his superiors and poverty, not wishing to be in conflict with anyone if possible, despite sometimes seeking vengeance as a hunter. Vick later decided to quit logging and becomes a tour guide to preserve the forest with his animal friends., Paul "Maxx" RinehartMr. Li
Mr. Li is Logger Vick's unseen, merciless boss. He is primarily known for threatening Vick and deducting his salary for providing any benefits.Briar
Briar is the titular co-protagonist of the show, he is an Asian black bear who is Bramble's older brother, and a valiant, kind respected and sometimes arrogant stubborn and hardheaded figure in the forest. His intelligence and leadership allows him to rally other animals and battle whatever antagonist, be it Vick or not. Whenever the forest is not under threat, Briar has a carefree life with his brother inside their tree-like cave., Gene E. Hobbs III, Kieran Katarey, Patrick FreemanBramble
Bramble is the titular co-protagonist of the show. Like his brother, he is an Asian black bear and is Briar's younger brother. Bramble is physically slightly robust but brash, dim-witted, naive, kind, hedonistic, also sometimes cowardly, clumsy and childish. He also has a tendency to daydream, much to Briar's annoyance, although he has proven himself on several occasions. He also enjoys eating food of many kinds, specifically fruit, fish and honey. In relation to the character, he is thus similar to Po from Kung Fu Panda., Joseph S. LambertWarren
Warren is a nervous red squirrel and a friend of the bears. He likes pine cones and nuts. Warren's agility allows him to weave through threats and conduct espionage for the bears. He is allergic to snacks. He is also mistaken for a female due to his voice.Herbert "Herb" Diggs
Herbert Diggs is a gopher who lives in the forest. He is unusually obsessed with radishes, carrots and turnips, attempting to secure them at all ends when given the chance. His expertise in subterranean navigation and excavation gives him the upper hand in many confrontations. His voice is somewhat high-pitched in the Mandarin version.Hoo Hoo
Hoo Hoo is a barn owl who lives in the forest. She is very forgetful and lazy, dozing even in her flight. She is only occasionally helpful and refrains to join their conflicts. More often than not she is also mistaken for a male due to her voice which sound like a high-pitched version of Rick Jay Glen’s voice.King Tiki
Tiki is an arrogant, and greedy monkey. He is the self-proclaimed ruler of the forest that occasionally runs into conflict with other animals and questions Briar's leadership. He and his servant Babu originally came from a jungle along with other monkeys before they were accidentally shipped and transported to the Pine Tree Mountain forest where they currently live. He really loves fruit, especially bananas. He usually keeps a pineapple crown. He also holds a curved stick in his hands containing a hanging pine cone and wears a necklace made of leaves.Babu
Babu is a small golden marmoset who is the loyal sidekick servant and best friend of Tiki. She admires Tiki and is like both a daughter and little sister to him. She likes bananas just as much Tiki does.Fabian
Fabian is a British Shorthair who became Vick's pet to escape his nomadic life. A fraudulent con artist, he often manipulates Vick and other creatures for private gains. He likes food, particularly fish. Vick officially adopted him in the Boonie Bears Forest Frenzy episode I'm Feline Fine!.Natasha
Natasha is a female Asian black bear. She lives in the city and works in a circus. Both Briar and Bramble have a crush on her, although she perceives them friends. She also came to the forest for the bears once.Louie
Louie is a Chinese alligator who lives in the city along with his friends. He also works in the circus. He often tells stories to his circus friends and the bears. He laughs very loudly, and has also stolen Vick's mother's ornaments.Shao Lin
Shao Lin is a South China tiger who also works in circus and who only appears in Boonie Bears Or Bust. He lives in a cave with his friends in city. He knows martial arts and is often seen practicing. He sometimes saves the bears from Vick.Sheldon
Sheldon is a small tortoise. He is also a worker in the circus and only appears in Boonie Bears or Bust. He has a big iron ball which he likes a lot, usually wears a cap, and walks much slower than the other characters.Carly
Carly is a teenage girl coming from a small town. Sometimes, she takes foolish decisions. She likes the forest and the nature. In the English episodes where she first appeared, she is trying to find her friend Kitty, which happens to be a Siberian Tiger. She wants Logger Vick to help her to find her tiger friend. She was the only female characters to have a main role. She is also the main protagonist of her own spin-off series, titled Adventurer Carly.Maurice
Maurice is a swindler and gangster. He and his partner Arnold have an abundant criminal history, working for many crime lords as henchmen. He is tall and thin, values image and carries a comb all the time. He is also self-indulgent, narcissistic and self-centered. He also has a bit of a French or German accent.Arnold
Arnold is a pudgy and short criminal and sidekick of Maurice, who he aids in their quest. Though violent, he is often seen more as an annoyance than anything with his reckless tendencies. He also speaks with a lisp.Rex Vector
Rex Vector was the primary antagonist of the show starting in Adventure 2. He is a proclaimed scientist, an inventor, and an animal poacher. However, his boss Wolfgang ends up firing him because he is unable to catch any animals because of Briar and Bramble. In Monster Plan, he creates a chimeric robotic monster along with special electronics that resemble fruits and beehives to collect the animals' powers. And in Boonie Bears: Monster Plan, he intends to create a far more powerful and improved version of the Monster Robot to win in a science competition. To accomplish his goals, he seeks to find various scattered energy stone fragments across the forest.Mr. Pete
Mr. Pete is Rex Vector's animal partner, who is a hamster. He is very loyal to Rex Vector. Before he met Rex Vector, he couldn't walk. He tried a lot to let people buy him, but the employee of the pet store was afraid to sell a costumer a lame hamster. However, Rex Vector brought him from the pet store and fixed his leg because he wants the science rewards. After he got a "Most caring award", he let Mr. Pete be his animal assistant and worked for him.Theme songs
- Part 1: "I'm a Little Confused"
- Part 2: "Universal Adventure"
- Part 3: "I'm a Little Confused"
- Part 4: "My Sweetness"
- Part 5,6,7: "I'm a Little Confused"
- Chinese New Year Films: "I'm a Little Confused"
Series overview