Retro Oasis is a blog about nostalgia. Sometimes as a crutch to recall the good old days, but more often than not a blog that celebrates those pieces of nostalgia, seeing just how important they truly are and how their impact lasts in a changing society. And I can't think of any other piece of nostalgia so integral, so perfectly placed in the right time of my childhood, and whose impact seems to be still relevant in this modern era, than a little two hour cartoon block known simply as the Disney Afternoon.
The fall of 1990 brought forth the Disney Afternoon block, which featured two hours of television based on several animated properties from Walt Disney Television Animation. The block would air Monday to Fridays after school and would feature four cartoons. This would include many classic cartoons such as DuckTales, Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers, TaleSpin, Darkwing Duck, and many more. Its success would spawn in toys, music soundtracks, apparel, characters appearing in Disney Attractions, comic books, the Disney Adventures magazine, and most importantly video games. Lots and lots of video games. A total of thirteen cartoons were featured in the official list of Disney Afternoon shows between 1990 and 1997. And I intend in the coming months to give reviews on all of these shows. From the good, to the bad, to the Shnookums and Meat. But before we can go to the series proper, we have to go back five years, when Disney was in bad shape and its new CEO was inspired by the sweet tooth of his children.
The landscape of the television animation world in the mid-1980s is a rough one in hindsight, with most shows being aired being that of cheap quality, mainly built as 30-minute commercials. He-Man, Transformers, G.I. Joe, the works. That's not a knock on these shows as they've all left a nostalgic impact, but the truth is there to be seen. Meanwhile, The Walt Disney Company had hit a quality slump after the death of Walt Disney in 1966. This slump made no better after the infamous critical and financial bomb that was 1985's The Black Cauldron. Disney's gamble at a darker, PG animated film cost them greatly. The facts were plain to see. There needed to be a change in the works. And if the road was rocky for Disney to climb back to theatrical success, then having a wider audience with television seemed like a logical idea. Disney had been a staple of television since the dawn of the medium, but for the 80s especially, it needed a fresh coat of paint to attract a burgeoning new young audience. And thus then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner spearheaded Walt Disney Television Animation.
Michael Eisner is no saint, and we could go on forever on many of the terrible things he did. Be it the fallout with Jeffrey Katzenberg, his gutting of traditional animated films in the early aughts, and the near disastrous split with Disney and Pixar. But for the story of Disney's bounce back into television at its most crucial time, Michael is a key player in the birth of it. Walt Disney Pictures Television Animation Group (later named Walt Disney Television Animation) began in November of 1984. The initial intention of the company was to break into television markets, namely the booming syndicated market, which was proving a lucrative success at the time. This was also a great way to boost content on their new premium cable channel known as The Disney Channel.
The first two animated shows for this new endeavor premiered in the fall of 1985. One of these two shows was CBS' The Wuzzles, which saw adventures in the fictional land of Wuzz, where its inhabitants were creatures that took on traits of two different animals. Like Eleroo, a part-elephant, part-kangaroo. Or Bumblelion, a creature that's part-lion, part-bumblebee. While the show was cute, and led to a short-lived merchandise run, it only lasted a single season of 13 episodes. And unfortunately, since it never saw air on the Disney Afternoon, it won't be brought up much in this retrospective. Though I do intend to give it a fairer look sometime soon for my other blog, One Season Wonders. The other cartoon that premiered on NBC in 1985 however, is our first stop for the history of the Disney Afternoon. Eisner would suggest to the new animation group they create a new animated series after one of his sons requested he buy him some of his favorite candy. That candy was Gummy Bears. And Thus, Disney's Adventures Of The Gummi Bears (With an I to avoid lawsuits) was born.
Of all the shows we're going to cover for this blog, Gummi Bears is the one with the longest television tenure. Premiering on September 14th, 1985 on NBC where it would see four seasons of television, before moving to ABC in 1989, until finally seeing its final season air in syndication in 1990 when it became one of the original four shows on the Disney Afternoon block. The final episode airing February 22nd, 1991. This gave Gummi Bears a six season run in total with 95 segments combined into 65 episodes (most episodes consisting of two 11-minute segments).
The show sets us in medieval time in the fictional Dunwyn. The age of sorcery, knights, goblins and ogres. But our main focus is on the mythical Gummi Bears. Once long ago, creatures known as gummi bears used to live alongside the humans of the land of Dunwyn, but now they've become believed to only be old legend. That is until a young squire named Cavin accidentally meets with six gummi bears who live in their underground hideout of Gummi Glen. These bears believe themselves to be the last of their kind, and have long forgotten about the many wondrous things that the ancient gummis have done. With the help of a medallion that Cavin's grandfather gave him, the Gummi Bears open the great gummi book, which over the course of the series, helps them learn about magic spells, provides information on old gummi technology and unlocks secrets about their past. Cavin promises to keep them secret from the other humans, though later on, the gummis do befriend Princess Calla, daughter of King Gregor, ruler of Dunwyn.. The initial six Gummi Bears of Gummi Glen consist of:
Gruffi Gummi. He is the de facto leader of the group, though often because he's also the most bossy. He's often unwilling to accept change, believing that it's better to only live like the ancient gummis intended. He is extremely argumentative, but is usually willing to do what's right and easily softens up when the situation demands. Gruffi was voiced by Bill Scott in season one of the series. Scott was best known as the voice of Bullwinkle J. Moose, Mr. Peabody, and a host of other classic characters. However, Bill Scott would die of a heart attack on November 29th, 1985, just as the first season was airing. This death was a massive blow to the series, and would be a factor in the early cancellation of The Wuzzles as well. Corey Burton would come in as Gruffi for the remainder of the series. Remember Corey's name when we talk about some other shows later down the line.
Next up is Zummi Gummi, the mage and keeper of knowledge. As the series progresses, Zummi learns more forms of magic that often aid the gummis on their adventures. Though, more often than not, he bumbles and makes more of a mess than intended. His main ticks are that he's prone to forgetfulness and often accidentally speaks in spoonerisms. He also has a terrible case of acrophobia. His voice actor is Paul Winchell, who is perhaps best remembered as the voice of Tigger until his retirement in 1999. He would be replaced by Jim Cummings in season six.
Grammi Gummi is the matriarch of the group. She cooks, cleans, makes their prized gummiberry juice and keeps the gummis in line more often than not. She usually butts heads with Gruffi the most as both have a hard time accepting compromise. She was voiced by June Foray, who has one of the most legendary careers in the entire voice acting medium. From Rocket J. Squirrel to Magica DeSpell to Granny from Looney Tunes, Foray had a career that spanned almost a full century. From work in the 1930s to as recently as 2014, well into her nineties. I like the episodes of season 1 with Grammi and Gruffi's squabbles mainly because it makes me think of Rocky and Bullwinkle arguing with one another.
Tummi Gummi is one of the younger gummis. He's the more laid back of the bunch, usually more focused on wanting to eat and relax. He's also a bit simple minded, and often takes things too literally. But when others need his help, he's always quick to action. However, he can also be known to cut corners on things, which often causes more harm than good. He's also the fat one, which means he usually has a hard time controlling himself around food. Tummi was voiced by Lorenzo Music, who voiced two other beloved slacker characters in Garfield and the original voice for Peter Venkman in The Real Ghostbusters. Tummi is much like those characters, only without their more cynical attitudes. I think Lorenzo Music was the first time I realized that cartoons had similar voice actors as his distinct voice is easy to recognize.
The second youngest is Sunni Gummi, the preteen of the group who is less interested in the ways of the gummis and more into learning about the ways of the human world, particularly in wanting to be a princess like her best friend Calla. This can at times make her a bit arrogant and bossy, but she eventually learns her lesson by episode's end. She was voiced by Katie Leigh, who we'll see again in this retrospective as she provided the voice of Honker Muddlefoot on Darkwing Duck. Finally for the original six, there's Cubbi Gummi, the youngest. He's the most adventurous of the group, with aspirations of being a legendary gummi knight. He even has his own masked alter ego known as The Crimson Avenger. Cubbi was voiced by Noelle North, who doesn't have as extensive a history in the voice industry as others mentioned. She did voice Grouchy Smurf in the Smurfs.
Added at the end of season two was Augustus "Gusto" Gummi, the artistic member of the gummis. He was found on a sinking island in the ocean with his toucan friend Artie Deco. Thanks to a rescue from Tummi and Gruffi, he became more featured throughout most of the remainder of the series. He doesn't live in Gummi Glen with the others, preferring his home behind a waterfall in another area of Dunwyn. He's voiced by Rob Paulsen, who is best known for a ton of works. Be it Raphael in the 1987 Ninja Turtles, Donatello in the 2012 Ninja Turtles, Yakko Warner, Pinky. If you have a list of favorite nineties characters, chances are his voice is involved a couple times.
The other major characters of the show include Cavin and Princess Calla, the two human children who befriend the Gummi Bears. Cavin is a squire with dreams of becoming a knight and defending Dunwyn. He's a likable kid character, especially for Disney. He's not whiny or annoying, and does prove to be resourceful. Learning lessons that help him grow as a character. He was voiced by several people including Christian Jacobs (co-creator of Yo Gabba Gabba and MC Bat Commander of the Aquabats), David Faustino, and Jason Marsden just to name a few.
Princess Calla is your average rebellious princess archetype. Often the first to leap into adventure, and has a touch of the daredevil side to her. Be it leaping off castle towers for an example. She hates having to follow princess duties, and would rather go adventuring. They set up Calla and Cavin having romantic feelings for one another, but it never goes beyond friendship. Cavin is the first to meet the Gummis in the pilot episode "A New Beginning", but Calla is introduced in the sixth episode "A Gummi By Any Other Name", when she and Sunni are kidnapped due to Sunni wearing a hat that can change her into anyone, including Calla. Noelle North also provided her voice.
The Gummi Bears do have one thing from the past they've held on to, and that's the recipe of Gummiberry Juice. A concoction that gives the gummis the power to bounce really high for a brief period of time. With humans and ogres it can give them super strength for a brief period of time, but only once per day, or else suffer side effects from over-consumption. This juice is useful for when the Gummis have to deal with their many enemies. The main being Duke Igthorn, ruler of Castle Drekmore. He dreams of taking over Dunwyn Castle and overthrowing King Gregor. He also tries to capture the Gummi Bears in hopes of gaining access to their Gummiberry Juice. He commands an army of ogres, with the aid of his lackey Toadwart (or Toadie). I really like Igthorn as he's the perfect kind of villain. Cruel, arrogant, self absorbed. He's the kind of villain that you enjoy seeing get bested by what are literally the Care Bears fused with Smurfs (I kid, I kid.) Veteran voice actor Michael Rye provided his voice throughout the entirety of the series, along with King Gregor.
Despite his many attempts, he's often thwarted by the Gummi Bears, or chased off by the knights of Dunwyn, led by Sir Tuxford. Tuxford may be one of the most unfortunate characters ever as within the span of two seasons, two of his voice actors passed away. Bill Scott as previously mentioned (Scott also voiced Toadie in season 1), and Roger C. Carmel in season 2 (best known for his work on Star Trek as Harry Mudd). Brian Cummings provides his voice from season 3 onward.
Now that I've covered the main stuff about the show, let's cover the series proper. I'll do a rewatch of all the episodes, and give my thoughts on the show as a whole. I'll also pick out favorite episodes, while mentioning any that may be terrible. Kind of like my "One Season Wonders" format, but far less taxing. But before we get to that, it's the part that I know most have been waiting for. Let's talk about the theme song. Because if there was one thing the Disney shows did right, it was provide some extremely catchy theme songs. And Gummi Bears is no exception.
There's a lot to like about this theme. Particularly how the instrumental makes it sound fitting to the concept of fantasy and medieval adventure. It readies you for a journey you won't forget. Lyrically, it rhymes well and does a good job in telling you the basic concepts of the show, particularly in that they bounce here, there, and everywhere! Disney is known for their iconic music, and this proves to be a strong start for their television division. The theme was made by Silversher & Silversher, a songwriting duo that will also be responsible for the TaleSpin theme, along with other songs sung throughout episodes of Disney shows.
I'll also bring up the "second theme" of sorts, which is the "Gummi Bears & Winnie the Pooh Hour" intro. When Gummi Bears moved to ABC in 1989, they were put in an hour block with The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which gives us this catchy little forgotten tune.
FAVORITE EPISODES:
Now there were a lot of episodes I enjoyed, but since I don't intend to fill this with almost 95 episode suggestions, I'll boil it down to several from each season of the show. Starting with:
-A New Beginning: The series premiere starts the show strong by introducing us to our main six gummis, Cavin, Igthorn and the people of Dunwyn. It does suffer from the standard issues with pilots as we have to focus more on introductions than plot, but the episode still gives enough of the general concept of the series to move us forward to bigger episodes down the line.
-A Gummi in a Gilded Cage: The Gummis build a flying machine, much to the chagrin of Gruffi, who believes that Gummis weren't meant to fly. However, this becomes a moot point when creatures known as the Carpies kidnap Sunni to use her as a songbird for their king. What surprises me most about this rewatch is that Gummi Bears does have some strong adventure episodes that still hold up great, and this episode is no exception.
-A Gummi By Any Other Name: When Zummi gives Sunni a magic hat that can change her into anyone, she turns into Princess Calla. Meanwhile, Calla is annoyed with her princess life, and leaves to be like a commoner for a while. This leads into a mix-up as both Calla and Sunni end up captured by Igthorn and his ogres. It's a fun little episode which serves as a good spot to involve Calla more into the series by having her learn of the Gummi Bears.
-Night Of The Gargoyle: Igthorn manages to get a stone Gargoyle sent to King Gregor. The reason being that the Gargoyle comes to life at night and causes disaster. Particularly in trying to kill the king. Despite being only eleven minutes, it still churns out a solid adventure episode overall with the gummis and Calla trying to find a way to stop he gargoyle before the thing literally tries to drop a chandelier on King Gregor. That feels dark even for this show.
-Sweet and Sour Gruffi: After Gruffi gets on everyone's nerves with his anger, the other gummis place a personality spell on him. When anyone says "please", he acts with incredible kindness. However, when they say "thank you", he turns into a psychopath, destroying everything in sight. It's not the deepest episode, but it does offer some fun moments, and Gruffi's mean version is fun to watch.
-What You See is Me: Tummi meets a blind woman named Trina. At first he thinks she needs help with everything, but is soon wowed to realize how resourceful she is despite her handicap. She even manages to easily outsmart Igthorn and his ogres. But then again, that seems pretty simple regardless of sight. It's a fun little episode with a good moral that just because some people live with disabilities doesn't mean that some can't take care of themselves. I like that it doesn't dwell too long on Tummi trying to help Trina and just lets her show him just how skilled she is. You don't really get episodes like this on television anymore, which I think really gave it more appreciation from me. Regardless, it's a definite must-watch.
-Light Makes Right: The season one finale of Gummi Bears offers lore aplenty. We get to see how most of the ancient gummis left Gummi Glen. Our main gummis try to use an old lens called the Gummi Scope to signal a message in hopes to find any other gummis,. Meanwhile, Igthorn recalls hearing about the scope through fairy tales he read as a kid. He eventually manages to seize the Gummi Scope to use it as a laser to destroy castle Dunwyn. We get a bit more continuity building as we learn a bit more about Igthorn's exile from Dunwyn, as well as the first signs that there are more gummis still alive. However the episode ends on a massive tease as Zummi manages to get a message from the other Gummis, but it gets destroyed along with the Gummi Scope.
-For a Few Sovereigns More: In this episode, Igthorn literally hires Clint Eastwood (or Flint Shrubwood) to capture a Gummi Bear for him. He manages to kidnap Cubbi with ease as he's an expert hunter, complete with a boomerang crossbow. However, when Igthorn decides to screw over Shrubwood, he gets captured and shackled with Cubbi. When the ogres try to bail Igthorn, they try to trick him out of money as well, and they end up captured. What makes this one good, besides Shrubwood, is that we get a bit more insight on how terrible a person Igthorn is, and how he tries to teach Cubbi his terrible mentalities. It's a fun 11-minute episode that's worth a look.
-The Crimson Avenger: In hopes of aiding the people of Dunwyn, Cubbi becomes a masked vigilante known as the Crimson Avenger. However, a petty crook and his cronies have other plans. Framing Cavin for stealing the king's rubies, making the Avenger look like a criminal, and even getting Calla in trouble (who also dresses as the Crimson Avenger). I like this episode, but I think it's a bit muddied. I think it's the first 22 minute episode that feels like it stretched itself too thin by the end.
-For Whom The Spell Holds: Zummi, feeling inadequate about his magic thanks to Gruffi, tries to use the great book of gummi to become an expert magician. However, it gets the attention of another powerful wizard named Zorlok, who wants to use the book to free himself from a holding spell placed on him by the ancient gummis and then take over the world. It's a solid story throughout with some great action, a good bit of lore building, and has a decent lesson about not depending on something when you can clearly do things without it.
-My Gummi Lies Over The Ocean: The season two finale sees Tummi and Gruffi stranded at sea. They crash on a sinking island inhabited by Augustus "Gusto" Gummi and his toucan friend Artie Deco. The episode is a solid way to introduce Gusto, who is as spontaneous and free thinking as Gruffi is stern and obsessive compulsive, which does give us a quality clash of methodologies. The third act of them escaping the sinking island also stands as an excellent action highlight for the series.
-Just A Tad Smarter: Toadwart's genius cousin Tadpole, intent on destroying the gummiberries, overthrows Igthorn with his promises of being nicer to the ogres. However it turns out that, shocker of shockers, he's even more of a tyrant than ol' Iggy. So, in the most unexpected of outcomes, the gummi bears and Igthorn work together to help him get back control of Castle Drekmore. Without getting too political, I gotta admit, this does feel strangely relevant. Clearly evil individual manages to gain power thanks to those gullible enough to believe them, only to turn out to be more evil than expected. Also, something about how pathetic Igthorn is without his army is oddly endearing.
-Day of the Beevilweevils: Tummi's attempts to attract bees to the gummiberry bushes runs foul when he accidentally attracts insects known as beevilweevils which destroy all the gummiberry bushes. Hoping to find any remaining bushes to replace the damage, Tummi and Gusto head to Fangwood Forest. However, they end up accosted by living trees, who once were friends with the ancient gummis, but felt betrayed when they all vanished. This is the first episode to feature Gusto since the season 2 finale, and he already fits in well with the rest of the show's established cast. As for the general plot, it flows well and does what I enjoy the most about this show, continue to forward the deep lore that the series has been building on. I will say the title seems pointless as the beevilweevils only play into the first act, but that's a minor nitpick.
-The Knights of Gummadoon: Holy lore dump, is this one filled with backstory. We learn that the ancient gummis were protected by magical knights of Gummadoon, who defended them from evil humans. They also come back for one day every 100 years. The kingdom returns, and the knights become impressed with Cubbi's skills in battle. They deem him an honorary knight and allow the other gummis to see the world of their ancestors. However, there's a snag as they don't trust Cavin, and lock him in their dungeon. So it's up to Cubbi to free him and try to change the minds of the ancient gummis. While all that's going down, Igthorn manages to get some gummiberry juice and uses it to power his ogres to attack Gummadoon. It's a strong 22 minute episode filled with action, strong morals about how not to judge everyone as your enemy, and even has some solid character development (particularly when involving Gruffi's fixation on the ways of the ancient gummis). I'd say of all the episodes so far, if you want one to watch that represents the strength of this series, this is definitely the one worth checking out.
-The Magnificent Seven Gummis: A man from the far east named Prince Moon arrives in Dunwyn, seeking the aid of the gummi bears. After earning their trust by fixing their broken air conditioner, he enlists their help to save his kingdom from a rampaging dragon. This is a pretty fun episode to start off the fourth season. Prince Moon is a great addition to the cast for this episode, and the episode provides a look into Asian culture that doesn't feel all too racially insensitive. Also Igthorn and Toadie are in this episode, and almost every episode involving them is a must-watch.
-The White Knight: Sir Victor, a famous knight, visits Dunwyn to receive a prestigious honor. However, he hides a terrible secret. He's Duke Igthorn's brother! Igthorn uses this to blackmail Victor in hopes that it will help him take over Dunwyn Castle. Overall, I liked this episode mainly for being another lore dump, though this time directed toward Igthorn's past. Victor is a great character, played up to be a Dudley Do-Right style character, and the climax features a fun sword fight between the two brothers.
-Girls Knight Out: Annoyed that her father is seeking out a knight to take care of her (particularly the arrogant Unwyn), Calla disguises herself as a knight to win a competition and earn her independence. I'll say it here. Calla is an awesome character. At first I thought she'd be a bit too annoying with her rebellious attitude, but they manage to write a character that's resourceful, smart, and pretty kick butt. I also like that this becomes a lesson for King Gregor in some ways as he's been written a bit too much to be kinda sexist at times.
-Gummis at Sea: In the fourth season finale, Tummi discovers an ancient gummi submarine (or Gummarine as they dub it) and hopes to use it to aid the gummis in their search to find any of their kind in the mysterious New Gumbria. However, Tummi hits a snag in his plans, first thanks to Gruffi treating him like a kid, and Duke Igthorn commandeering the ship in hopes to destroy King Gregor's ship. It amazes me how well the shows its strong continuity by bringing up events from as far back as the season one finale, as the plot of "Light Makes Right" focused on their hopes in communicating with New Gumbria. It's also a great character building episode for Tummi, who despite often being the more laid back of the bunch, he knows how to show initiative when the situation demands. A strong final episode for the NBC era.
-The Road to Ursalia: We're now in 1989 and the fifth season, which means it's the ABC era of the show. Which gives us new lore and a new villain. When Gruffi accidentally burns the great gummi book, he goes out to find a replacement in the mysterious gummi land of Ursalia. Cubbi joins him, and the pair find the remains of the city, still being guarded by a gummi bear named Sir Thornberry. He's trying to protect the gummi library from an evil sorceress named Lady Bane (voiced by Tress MacNeille. Remember that voice for later as well) and her jackal-like lackies known as Troggles. She is the only other known human in possession of a gummi medialion, which she hopes to use to unlock Gummi Magic that will aid in world domination. It's a solid episode, but I feel that with all the new stuff being added, this would have benefited more from being a two parter. Thankfully, we do get more of Ursalia later on.
-Life of the Party: Smitten by Lady Bane, Igthorn tries to get on her good side, hoping she'll aid him in taking over Dunwyn. So he hosts a party in her honor, which goes wrong in all the wrong ways. Both from the ogres and the gummi bears. It's a fun little episode. I love how lovesick for Lady Bane Igthorn gets, and it flows well for an 11-minute story. Though I would say that maybe if you didn't involve the gummi bears at all and had it be a full on Igthorn story, it would have benefited even better.
-Return to Ursalia: Season 5 comes to a close as the gummis learn that there may be more gummi bears in Ursalia. However, when they arrive, they learn that these gummis are the violent and barbaric Barbic Gummis. After their home was destroyed by humans, they've come to Ursalia in hopes to find the ultimate weapon to destroy all humans. Gruffi and the others clash with the Barbic gummis, trying to convince them that not all humans are bad, but things complicate themselves when Igthorn shows up, also seeking gummi weapons to aid in his takeover of Dunwyn. Much like the season premiere, this episode is another heavy lore dump with plenty of brand new characters. The Barbic gummis are great new additions to the cast. Most notably their leader Ursa. For the final major episode of the Saturday morning era of the show, it ends giving us promise of bigger adventures in the future.
- Toadie the Conqueror:And thus we now enter season 6, which brings us to the syndicated Disney Afternoon era. With an exception of a few episodes, the season is now majority 22-minute episodes. In this episode, Igthorn seeks out a magic suit of armor that is nearly invincible. The catch is that it's too small for him, but fits Toadwart perfectly. They manage to take over Dunwyn castle, but suddenly Toadie, remembering the years of abuse given to him by Igthorn, becomes mad with power, throws Igthorn in the dungeon and takes over Dunwyn. It's a great episode mainly for the fact that Toadie finally gets some measure of revenge for the first time in a long time. I will say the way the suit of armor is taken off him is a bit of a cop out, but other than that, this is a fine later season episode.
-King Igthorn, Parts 1 & 2: It's the show's only two parter, and holy crap is it a great one. Igthorn vanishes from Dunwyn for over a year. Enough time for Zummi to believe that they can finally signal for the ancient gummis to return. However, Igthorn does return and uses a powerful termite to completely destroy Gummi Glen. He manages to capture Zummi and the great book, which he threatens to destroy unless he gets the correct recipe for gummiberry juice. We end part one with Igthorn and the ogres overtaking Dunwyn and capturing most of the gummi bears. In part two, we get what feels like the culmination of almost the entire series with Zummi getting the help of the Barbic gummis to save the others, retrieve the book, and destroy Igthorn's juice factory. If there weren't a few more episodes left, I'd say this feels like the perfect series finale. I will say there are a few plot craters left after this one, like how do the gummis fix Gummi Glen, and even with his factory destroyed, wouldn't Igthorn still have the recipe, those sort of issues. But if you can overlook them, this is definitely apex Gummi Bears.
And that's the majority of episodes I truly enjoyed from the show, though I will add some more honorable mentions. Ones that were okay, but not in my top list of favorites.
A Hard Dazed Knight: When Igthorn uses a magical egg to turn King Gregor to stone, Gruffi and Calla use a mechanical knight to try to save the day.
Little Gummis Lost: Zummi and Grammi end up accidentally shrunk and have to work together to find the spell to change them back.
The Crimson Avenger Strikes Again: After Tummi is told to stop being the Crimson Avenger, Toadwart takes up the mantle instead.
Top Gum: Cubbi builds a jet pack and flies to the sky to meet the legendary Aerials, who are not as kind as the legends claim.
Friar Tum: Tummi sneaks into the company of monks to partake in their meals, but also finds himself having to save them from a troll attack.
Tuxford's Turnaround: When Sir Tuxford fears that he'll be outclassed in a knight's tournament, Cavin and the gummis try to boost his confidence, while also trying to stop Igthorn from finding a gummi entrance.
Thornberry to the Rescue: Cavin and Sir Thornberry have to save the gummis from an evil spider named Spinster.
Trading Faces: Igthorn pretends to be his brother Sir Victor to conquer Dunwyn.
The Rite Stuff (the final episode to see air): When Cavin gets a chance to meet the barbics, he has to undergo a manhood ritual, while also dealing with a pair of Satyrs.
As for bad episodes, I think only two episodes made that list, and both involved the snooty french princess Marie. These episodes being Princess Problems and May the Best Princess Win. Mainly due to how unlikable Marie is, and through osmosis, it makes Calla kind of detestable as well with how mean spirited she can get in her hatred. Other than that, there were some mediocre episodes, but nothing that really left me annoyed with the show in general.
So after watching all 95 episodes of Gummi Bears, my opinion is that this is one of Disney's finest works. As a kid, for some reason, it was the show I didn't care that much for. But with an adult eye, I can really respect this show for how much it actually cares about its world building and continuity. They build an impressive lore throughout the six seasons, and every season dedicates at least a couple episodes to continuing the lore. Majority of the series is focused on your standard adventure plots that focus more on teaching valuable life lessons. Everything from respecting your elders to learning how to say no to others. It especially helps that this is a great cast of characters. My personal favorites being Gruffi, Zummi, Grammi, Tummi, Gusto, Igthorn, Toadie and Calla, just to name a few.
It also feels a bit disheartening that it's become a bit of a black sheep show within all the Disney Afternoon nostalgia. You'll get tons of stuff for Ducktales, Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck, and occasionally TaleSpin, but barely anything for Gummi Bears. I'm unsure if that's partially an issue with rights due to the candy and... That video with the twerking gummy bear (shudder). But it just generally feels less celebrated than the other shows. Which is a shame because it deserves a lot more recognition than it gets. If you haven't seen it, or haven't seen it in years, I'd highly recommend giving it a watch. The show is available in its entirety on Youtube, while the first three seasons are also available on DVD (a sad trend of unfinished TV show sets from Disney). It's a show that definitely deserves a lot more nostalgic love.
FINAL RATING: A-
OFFICIAL SHOW RANKING:
#1. Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears
In our next chapter...
Walt Disney Television Animation sees it's first big TV flop, but bounces back big time as we get to talk even more about Scrooge and the gang with Disney's DuckTales.
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