"I’m A Bear Called Jeremy" - Jeremy the Bear on TVO
aka Colargol, Beertje Colargol, and Barnaby the Bear

This site pays tribute to the little bear known to some as Jeremy, to others Barnaby, and to still more as Colargol.

However you know him best, he was born in an age just shy of cell phones, the Internet, and DVDs, and thus, there has never been a wealth of information about the bear on the world wide web. Out of nostalgic curiosity, I have often tried searching for any reference to Jeremy the Bear on the web, perhaps the same way you have.

About The Creators

If you persisted in your quest, you might have learned that the creative inspiration for this unique animation series came from Olga Pouchine in the 1950s. She originally created the character of Colargol for bedtime stories that she told to her son. Agnès Moreau reveals some of the lesser known details behind the aspiring bear singer's career in her book, "De Nounours à Casimir", Editions Charles Massin (1997) {ISBN : 2707203289}. [source]

Before Colargol was realized on film, he first became famous as a recording artist. Victor Villien, a friend of Olga Pouchine, was so inspired by the richness and poetry in the stories of Colargol, that around 1957, he wrote the words to an operetta for children, and presented the idea to the Philips record label.

At the time, Philips had a complete children's catalogue, but it was not easy to convince the label to release an album about a bear that could not sing. It took patience, persistence, and a good deal of effort before the project was taken seriously, and ultimately accepted.

The first two albums were released in 1961 with music by the wonderful Mireille. The success of the recordings was so impressive that Philips asked for eight more records.

On this momentum, Victor Villien presented his idea for an animated series to the ORTF, the French television network. But his proposal failed: the network refused, asserting that a small bear cub did not have any chance of success. They failed to see any originality in the story and were convinced it would be a money losing proposition.

Instead of giving up defeated, Victor joined forces with the independent French animation producer Albert Barillé. Barillé proposed to take responsibility for the production of the series, and he called on skilled Polish animator Tadeusz Wilkosz to do the job.

As the ORTF expected, Colargol was an expensive series to produce. It was said that one episode of around 13 minutes cost more then fifty thousand [1970?] dollars. Multiply that by 53 episodes and you've got $2.65 Million, though I don't know if that was the actual total budget for the entire production.

The attention to detail in the series is remarkable. A unique combination of stop motion animation and cell drawn cartoon, the show sparkles with wonder and imagination. Every viewer of the series is sure to remember the "barber pole-like" animation of the ocean waves, and the magical transforming suitcase that was light years ahead of it's time! Perhaps like many other young viewers, I had only ever seen Jeremy on a black and white TV. When I first saw him again in colour, it was like entering a whole new world!

The series was picked up by the ORTF, and the first episode aired November 9, 1970. Like the 45s and LPs before, the program was destined to become a hit in the hearts of children around the world.

About The Story

Jeremy the bear lives with his parents in Greenwood Forest, while the French Colargol lives in la forêt de Bois Joli (Pretty Wood Forest), and in Norway, Eventyrskogen (Fairytale Forest). The stories are instantly identifiable, touching on universal themes seen in other great children's stories. Jeremy's adventures take him far from home, but happily for him, he always manages to return. The nature of the short 15 minute cliff-hanging episodes gave the impression that he was very lost and never found his way back home, but don't underestimate this little bear; in total, he does find his way back to Greenwood Forest at least 5 times; in episode 7, 13, 21, 40, and 51.

In his very first episode, he arrives late for school and does poorly at arithmetic. Instead of studying math, he longs to follow his heart and sing, even if he does so badly. Sent home from school, a sad musical motif begins to play, one which is repeated throughout the series whenever Jeremy is feeling blue. But as long as Jeremy remembers his own theme song, he can do just about anything. He goes on to become the first bear to meet the King of Birds; he was an instant star performer at the Circus; he even travels to the moon and back!

Jeremy, like Pingu, had a rough first day at school

In fact, Jeremy's trip to the moon occurred not long after the Apollo 11 mission of 1969. Like Antoine de Saint Exupéry's Little Prince, Jeremy's trip to outer space was less about the science of space travel, and more about the beauty of space and friendship. Upon landing on the moon, Jeremy collects rocks of crystal to make a necklace and ring for his friend. After accidentally landing on the Planet of the Wicked Witch, Jeremy and friends are held hostage until they can present the Wicked Witch with a flower. Their space exploration ends happily enough, catching a rainbow home and landing safely on pillows laid out by Jeremy's parents.

Tintin, Jeremy, and the Little Prince all had great adventures in space

But for all the adventures that Jeremy lives to see, none were so enchanting as his trip around the world with his magic suitcase. This magic suitcase, more powerful than any laptop, could automatically transform into whatever mode of transportation was most appropriate; car, boat, moped, or helicopter. The fact that the suitcase would sometimes malfunction did not stop Jeremy and his friends. Though adversity always seemed to be right around the corner, they still managed to travel the world, meet new friends, and even make it home in time for Christmas.
 

The Dilemma

By now you might be wondering where this little bear has disappeared to, and why hasn't he been released on DVD somewhere? The fact is, he has been, but only in Polish. In fact, Colargol has been commonly found in Poland on PAL VHS tapes for some time now, and at least 3 Polish PAL DVDs have been released with perhaps more on the way.

Why then is Colargol available in Polish? Because SEMAFOR was a state run organization, and it collapsed in 1999. All work produced by SEMAFOR between 1947 and 1999 now lies with the Polish National Filmotheque. But as for a release in English, French, or Norwegian, there are legal difficulties.

Colargol fan Christin in Norway has heard it broadcast on NRK Norwegian television that a rerun of the show won't happen until the author, producer etc have agreed in court about legal rights...

Should you write to Procidis in Paris, you might get a response along these lines: "il y avait mésentente entre les auteurs" or in English, 'there was dissension or disagreement between the authors...'

Write to TVO, and if you get a response at all, it will simply state that they have no rights to broadcast the show.

It would appear that Jeremy has been captured once again, but this time, it is Jeremy's creators who cannot reach an agreement about the broadcast rights to the show.

Ironically, it seems the music rights are the source of the contention. As I understand, it was Victor Villien (who was also the voice of Corbeau 12 for the first 33 episodes) and the original recording artists/inheritors of the Colargol operetta who took Procidis to court, and apparently Procidis lost the case! Sadly, this has left the animated series out of reach for anyone outside of Poland.

It is a shame that this issue could not be resolved, so that Jeremy and Colargol could be set free once again! Until this happens, if you're looking to see Jeremy or Colargol one more time, you can try tracking down obscure Videos of the show or at the very least catch up on all 53 episodes in this comprehensive online episode guide!

In the News

In March of 2005, Tadeusz Wilkosz, the Polish animator of the Colargol series, received special recognition for his lifelong dedication to puppet animation at the 15th Cairo International Film Festival for Children in Egypt. He has also been invited to produce a play in Egypt, and will perhaps produce another show this year! In 2004, he produced a 70 minute film with AnimaPol producer Jadwiga Wendorff, an interesting mix of stop motion animation and live action.

The Secret of the Fern Flower (Tajemnica kwiatu paproci) features four puppets living in a kindergarten playroom who are kidnapped by a pair of thieves posing as security guards. After escaping from the hands of their kidnappers, they get lost in the woods. While wandering through the forest, the puppets stumble upon a garbage dump that threatens not just the local ecology, but their own lives as well! A great adventure for kindergarteners and environmental activists alike! This film has toured select festivals around the world from Cairo to Chicago to London, and will perhaps be screened at an upcoming Polish Film Festival near you!

Available on PAL DVD (in Polish only).
http://merlin.pl/Tajemnica-kwiatu-paproci_Tadeusz-Wilkosz/browse/product/2,435872.html

September, 2005: An interview with Tadeusz Wilkosz has been published in the September 2005 issue of www.fpsmagazine.com. Frames Per Second Magazine is an outstanding fan publication geared towards the art and science of animation.

http://www.fpsmagazine.com/feature/050901wilkosz.php [link to article]
http://www.fpsmagazine.com/mag/2005/09/fps200509lo.pdf [1.6mb PDF]

YouTube UPDATE: YouTube video clips added throughout the site! And be sure to check out these two spoof-a-licious commentaries!

Part 1 of a tongue-in-cheek commentary by Fred Palmer who claims to be the
British director of the 1973 classic episode "The Circus". He gives some fascinating
(and sometimes dubious insights) to the making of the film.

Part 2 of a tongue-in-cheek commentary by Fred Palmer. Don't believe
everything you hear on the Internet : )