The WereBears were a series of teddy bears released in 1983 in the United Kingdom. They were created by a man named George Nicholas, a famous children's author, so that boys could have teddy bears without worrying about being bullied.
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Four bears were originally released in 1983. The bears were named Grizzler, Howler, Fang, and Gums. Each bear came with a story tape narrated by Oliver Postgate of Bagpuss fame, with one side explaining how the WereBears came to be and the other telling the individual bear's own adventure. In 1986, another line of teddies called the TerrorTeds were created. A fifth WereBear named Growler was released the same year. In the late '80s and early '90s, Hornby bought the rights to the WereBears. Shortly afterwards, the toyline was discontinued. Recently, two websites with information on the WereBears have appeared, explaining that a relaunch of the franchise will happen in the near future. Prototypes with glowing green eyes and a piercing howl were made and packaging was designed, but the project was then put on hold.
The story of the WereBears takes place in the fictional Bavarian village of Muncheon-Luncheon. In Castle Casserole lived a kindly toy maker named Baron Egon Baconburger. He was making four teddy bears when the full moon shone upon him. As it turns out, the Baron had a family curse that turned every Baron Baconburger in his family into a werewolf. The curse also affected the four bears, bringing them to life and transforming them into the WereBears. The Baron names them and then sends them off to have adventures. Eventually, the Baron misses his bears and looks for someone to help him find his missing bears. He ends up asking help from the one person he'd never trust, the wicked Witch Hazel. Witch Hazel gets Baron Baconburger to sign a contract declaring that if she finds his bears, she will have to be repaid with his fortune and Castle Casserole. Hazel then creates the TerrorTeds and uses them to search out and destroy the WereBears. The Baron then creates a fifth bear named Growler and dips him in a magic potion, enabling him to change into a WereBear at will, when the others can only change during a full moon or if they are scared. Growler then sets off to rescue his friends from the TerrorTeds. After the TerrorTeds were defeated, the WereBears attempt to return home to the Baron, but they get lost and Growler disappears. The listener is then left to decide whether the bears made it home or not and whether they are reunited with Growler.
A comic book was published in 1990 by Clearmark Productions/London Editions Magazines and lasted seven issues. The first issue was a retelling of the WereBears' origin, the second issue retold the origin of the TerrorTeds, and the third issue retold the origin of Growler.[1] The following four issues each focussed on an adventure of one of the WereBears versus one of the TerrorTeds. Also, Universal Studios were in talks with George Nicholas to make a film about the bears shortly before the toyline's cancellation, but were unable to strike a deal.[2]
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