Humphrey the Bear

Humphrey the Bear
Disney character
Humphrey the Bear sporting his signature grin; from the intro to "Hooked Bear" (1956).
First appearance	Hold That Pose, 1950
Created by	Walt Disney
Voiced by	James MacDonald Frank Welker Jim Cummings
Information
Species	Bear
Gender	Male

Humphrey the Bear is a cartoon character created by the Walt Disney studio in 1950. He first appeared in the Goofy cartoon Hold That Pose, in which Goofy tried to take his picture. After that he appeared in four classic Donald Duck cartoons: Grin and Bear It, Bearly Asleep, Rugged Bear, and Beezy Bear. Disney gave him his own series in 1955, but only two films resulted (Hooked Bear and In the Bag) before Disney discontinued making theatrical short subjects. When the shorts division closed, Humphrey was the last of only seven Disney characters who had been given a series of their own, starring in cartoons who opened with their own logo (the six others were Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Chip 'n' Dale (counting as one), and Figaro). The Humphrey cartoons have been aptly described by Leonard Maltin as "belly-laugh" shorts, and they feature a broader, wilder style of comedy than the usually cute or coy Disney gags.

Humphrey is a big, foolish, opportunistic, neurotic brown bear who lives in Brownstone National Park. He is constantly trying different ways to catch food and/or shelter from unsuspecting visitors, often violating social rules in the process. It is somewhat understandable, however, that he tries to fulfill his desires this way, as it is often shown that he is seldom rewarded when he follows the norms. Unlike most Disney characters, Humphrey does not speak, but instead makes an assortment of inarticulate sounds to convey his emotions. These grunts were supplied by Disney staffer Jimmy MacDonald. When stricken by worry or panic, Humphrey runs desperately in place, with his feet seemingly headed — much as his gaze from his rapidly turning head also does — in all directions. Humphrey's foil is usually Donald Duck, one of his antagonists; otherwise it is an officious park ranger voiced by Bill Thompson. The ranger's name was never identified in the theatrical shorts, but when the films were re-edited into an hour-long Disney TV episode, he was referred to as J. Audubon Woodlore.