If you grew up in the 1970s or 1980s as I and my sister did, there is a very good chance that you are familiar with the Berenstain Bears, the lovable, furry family who has appeared in literally hundreds of books since the very first one came out in 1962. The focus of the books has shifted a bit in recent years, but the classic stories are some of my favorites from my childhood. During my research, I learned a ton of incredible information so I thought I would share some of that here!
#5: It actually took quite a while for the authors and illustrators, Stan and Jan Berenstain to find a publisher for their books. In the meantime, their two young children were huge fans of Dr. Seuss. The Berenstains ended up working with the publisher, Random House, and guess who was their editor? Dr. Seuss!
#4: The creation of the Berenstain bear books typically followed a consistent pattern between Stan and Jan. For most of their career, they worked out of their home studio. The couple would generally come up with the plots together, then Stan would revise the manuscript. They always collaborated on illustrations.
#3: The Berenstain Bears really became a household name in the 1980s and 1990s and this was evident by the diverse array of products featuring their likeness during this time. In the early 1980s, the furry family became the poster bears for encouraging vaccination. Berenstain Bears stuffed animals and books could be found in tons of pediatrician offices across the United States. After a child received say a tetanus vaccine, they may have been given a Berenstain Bear sticker that read “Berenstain Bears award. I’m immunized.” In 1982, Fisher Price released plush Berenstain Bear stuffies. In the 80s your parents could purchase you one of those terrifying Halloween costumes in which you could get a Berenstain Bears face mask complete with a garbage bag-like shirt to match. In 1986 for example, you could find Berenstain Bears toys in happy meals in McDonald's. I know for sure that I had several of these if not all of them! In 1992, you could purchase Berenstain Bears trading cards. To coincide with the Beanie Baby craze, in 1999 you could find the Berenstain Bears in a line called “Signature Superstars” which had a similar design to their bean-filled counterparts. At one point there was even a tin Bear Country picnic basket. There were also action figures, keychains, and many different versions of the plush characters.
#2: In 2002, the Berenstain couple published a memoir entitled “Down a Sunny Dirt Road.” It was written for middle-school-aged audiences, but it’s something I think I would be interested in reading someday.
#1: Drum roll, please! The final fun fact that I learned (which is super impressive) is: 35 books in the Berenstain Bears series have made Publisher’s Weekly list of the top 250 children’s books of all time, 15 of those are some of the best-selling children’s paperback books of all time. There are over 300 different BB books and 260 million copies of their books have been sold. Further, the books have been translated into 20 different languages.
My episode on the Berenstain Bears is out now! You can listen to it right here.
