Adventures of the Gummi Bears

Did You Know?

• The series moved to ABC for one season from 1989 to 1990, airing alongside The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh as the Gummi Bears-Winnie the Pooh Hour.
• In May 2026, concept art for a proposed reboot pitched to Disney Television Animation in 2018 was uploaded by Brayden Kowalczuk.
• In July 2024, Brazilian animator Pedro Eboli revealed that he and Mark Satterthwaite attempted to pitch a reboot, but Disney TVA gave them an overall development deal for original series instead.

Premise

The series takes place in a medieval fairy tale world and follows six Gummi Bears, anthropomorphic bears skilled in magic and technology. They live in the underground settlement of Gummi Glen within the forest of the kingdom of Dunwyn. Long ago, the Gummi Bears had a powerful civilization but were persecuted by human armies seeking their knowledge, driving most of them north to a continent unknown to humans. Over time, they became considered a legend, though a few humans know they still exist. The bears repeatedly discover old ruins and high-tech devices as they search for their heritage. Despite wanting to live free from human influence, they gradually encounter humans; most dismiss these encounters as illusions, but some children befriend them. The bears' closest human friends are Princess Calla, daughter of King Gregor and heir to Dunwyn's throne, and Cavin, squire to Sir Tuxford. The bears are named for a magic potion called gummiberry juice, made by Grammi Gummi from Gummiberries, which allows them to bounce like a rubber ball. The juice gives humans superhuman strength for a short time but works only once a day. The evil Duke Igthorn, with his servant Toadwart and an army of ogres, constantly tries to obtain the potion's formula and the bears' secrets to conquer Dunwyn. The Gummi Bears must secretly intervene to protect the king, their friends, and their secrets.

Characters

Zummi Gummi, voiced by Paul Winchell in seasons 1-5 and Jim Cummings in season 6, is the aged leader of Gummi Glen, caretaker of bear knowledge, and a modest magician who is forgetful with spells and afraid of heights. Gruffi Gummi, voiced by Bill Scott in season 1 and Corey Burton in seasons 2-6, is the grumpy craftsman and mechanic, acting as the voice of reason and a strategist. Grammi Gummi, voiced by June Foray, is the matriarch who cooks, does housework, and prepares Gummiberry Juice using a secret recipe. Tummi Gummi, voiced by Lorenzo Music, is an overweight teenage bear who is relaxed and loves food, but has hidden technical skills and often acts as an arbitrator. Sunni Gummi, voiced by Katie Leigh, is an excitable preteen bear interested in human culture and fashion. Cubbi Gummi, voiced by Noelle North, is the youngest bear, who dreams of becoming a knight and is adventurous and impetuous. Cavin, voiced by several actors over the seasons, is a young page and squire who first encounters the bears and befriends them after leaving a Gummi medallion with Zummi. Princess Calla, also voiced by Noelle North, is the defiantly adventurous princess of Dunwyn who befriends Sunni after meeting the bears.

Home media

Several VHS cassettes of the series were released internationally, with eight cassettes containing 32 episodes listed. The first four cassettes, containing 20 episodes, were released in English in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, and also in some European countries. The other four cassettes were released exclusively in other European countries. Seasons 1 to 3 were released on DVD on November 14, 2006, as Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears: Volume 1 in Region 1, with no bonus features except subtitles for the hearing impaired. The series has never been officially released on DVD in the UK, but has been available on DisneyLife since November 2016. In Australia, nine discontinued DVD volumes were released in production order, starting from episode 19 of series 2; episodes 1-18 are only available on the Region 1 collection. The series has been on Disney+ since that service's debut on November 12, 2019.

Legacy

Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears was Disney's first major serialized animated television series, released back to back with The Wuzzles, and is credited with helping jump start the television animation boom of the late 1980s and 1990s. It became the forerunner to Disney's Disney Afternoon timeslot, which led to series such as DuckTales, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Gargoyles. The show was so successful in the United Kingdom that two episodes were released as theatrical featurettes in 1986 and 1987 alongside The Great Mouse Detective and a re-release of Pinocchio. Appearances in other media include Gruffi Gummi in a D-TV music video of Elvis Presley's 'Teddy Bear' in 1986. The show's popularity led to a re-theming of Disneyland's Motor Boat Cruise as 'Motor Boat Cruise to Gummi Glen' and the creation of 'Disney Afternoon Avenue'. The Gummi Bears have been featured as meetable characters in Disney theme parks. The opening title was featured in an episode of Ted, and the Gummi Bears made a cameo in DuckTales (2017-2021). Characters have also appeared in the animated series Chibiverse.