Barney Bear

Lore & Background

The character was created for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer by director Rudolf Ising, who based the bear's grumpy yet pleasant disposition on his own and derived many of his mannerisms from the screen actor Wallace Beery. The character was voiced by Rudolf Ising from 1939 to 1943, Pinto Colvig in 1941, Billy Bletcher from 1944 to 1949, Paul Frees from 1952 until 1954, Frank Welker in 1980, Lou Scheimer in 1980, Jeff Bergman in 2004, and Richard McGonagle from 2012 to 2013. Barney Bear made his first appearance in *The Bear That Couldn't Sleep* in 1939, and by 1941 he was the star of his own series. The only Barney Bear cartoon to receive an Academy Award nomination was *The Bear That Couldn't Sleep* (1939). Ising left the studio in 1943. Three additional cartoons were produced and directed by George Gordon before he too left in 1945.

Ising's original Barney design was very detailed, with shaggy fur, wrinkled clothes, and six eyebrows. Over time, the design became simpler and more streamlined, especially in three late-1940s shorts by the short-lived team of Michael Lah and Preston Blair. Those cartoons resembled the work of Hanna-Barbera (not surprising, since William Hanna and Joseph Barbera supervised the first one) and Tex Avery. Both Lah and Blair had worked as animators on Avery’s films. The final original Barney Bear cartoons came out between 1952 and 1954, directed by former Disney/Lantz animator Dick Lundy, who used Avery’s unit while Avery took a year off. In these later shorts, Barney’s look was simplified, similar to Tom and Jerry.

In the 1941 cartoon *The Prospecting Bear*, Barney is paired with a donkey named Benny Burro. Benny appeared in only two more cartoons but later became Barney’s regular partner in comic books. In the 1944 Avery cartoon *Screwball Squirrel*, Sammy Squirrel mentions Barney Bear. Barney didn’t appear in new material until Filmation’s *The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show* in 1980. More recently, he appeared in the direct-to-video films *Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse* (2012) and *Tom and Jerry’s Giant Adventure* (2013), which again paired him with Benny Burro. He also made cameos in *Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes* (2010) and *Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz* (2016).

Barney Bear also appeared in comic book stories from *Our Gang* #11–36 (1944–1947), but these were not the work of Carl Barks; they were drawn by other artists

Reader's Guide

Barney Bear represents a notable but lesser-known entry in MGM's animation history, with 26 cartoons produced between 1939 and 1954. The series is significant for its Oscar-nominated short The Rookie Bear (1941) and for the creative contributions of directors such as Rudolf Ising, George Gordon, Michael Lah, Preston Blair, and Dick Lundy. The character's design evolved from a detailed, shaggy appearance to a streamlined look similar to Tom and Jerry. Barney Bear also appeared in comic books starting in 1942, notably with stories written and drawn by Carl Barks from 1944 to 1947, and later in direct-to-video Tom and Jerry films in 2012 and 2013. The series is currently owned by Turner Entertainment Co. Like many cartoons of its era, Barney Bear featured racial stereotypes, with scenes sometimes omitted from re-airings on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. The shorts have been released on home media as extras on classic film DVDs and Blu-rays, and most were made available on the Boomerang streaming app in 2017.

Did You Know?

• Barney Bear received an Oscar nomination for his fourth cartoon, the 1941 short The Rookie Bear.
• The character's original design included six eyebrows, shaggy fur, and wrinkled clothing.
• Barney Bear was paired with a donkey named Benny Burro in the 1941 cartoon The Prospecting Bear.
• Carl Barks wrote and drew Barney Bear comic book stories from Our Gang #11-36 (1944-1947).

Origins & Creative Evolution

Barney Bear was conceived by director Rudolf Ising for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, debuting in the 1939 short The Bear That Couldn't Sleep. Ising drew the character's grumpy-yet-pleasant personality directly from his own temperament, while borrowing specific mannerisms from the screen actor Wallace Beery. The original design was remarkably intricate—shaggy fur, wrinkled clothing, even six eyebrows—but as the series passed through different hands, the look was progressively pared down. After Ising departed in 1943, George Gordon helmed three more shorts before leaving in 1945. The most streamlined designs emerged from the brief partnership of Michael Lah and Preston Blair in the late 1940s, whose work echoed the style of Hanna-Barbera and Tex Avery, both of whom had collaborated with them on other projects. The final original cartoons, released between 1952 and 1954, were directed by Dick Lundy using Avery's animation unit during the latter's sabbatical. In total, 26 shorts were produced across the 1939-to-1954 run, and the series is now owned by Turner Entertainment Co.

Voices & Performance Across Decades

Bringing Barney to life behind the microphone was a rotating cast spanning multiple decades. Rudolf Ising himself provided the voice from 1939 through 1943, lending the bear a personal touch that matched his own creation. Pinto Colvig stepped in for 1941, while Billy Bletcher handled the role from 1944 to 1949. Paul Frees took over for the final original shorts from 1952 to 1954. After a long hiatus, the character returned in 1980 on Filmation's The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show, voiced by both Frank Welker and Lou Scheimer. Jeff Bergman gave the bear his voice in 2004, and Richard McGonagle performed the role in the 2012 and 2013 direct-to-video films. Notably, Barney is primarily a silent character, communicating through physical comedy and expression, though he occasionally speaks. His sidekick Benny Burro, a curious donkey introduced in the 1941 short The Prospecting Bear, never spoke in the cartoons but did talk in the comic book adaptations.

Comic Book Legacy & Supporting Cast

Barney Bear's life extended well beyond the silver screen, beginning in 1942 when Dell Comics licensed the MGM character for backup stories in Our Gang Comics. The series ran through 1949, then continued in Tom and Jerry Comics and its spinoffs. A particularly significant chapter came when Carl Barks, the renowned Disney artist, took over writing and drawing the Barney stories from Our Gang #11 through #36 (1944–1947). Barks regularly paired Barney with Benny Burro and introduced the obnoxious neighbor Mooseface McElk, a character created by Western Publishing colleague Gil Turner. After Barks, Turner himself wrote and drew the series for several years, and later artists added new characters including Barney's nephews Fuzzy and Wuzzy. Lynn Karp also contributed to the comic run. The series saw publication in numerous titles across the 1940s and 1950s, including Australian editions by Magazine Management and Rosnock. In 2011, Yoe Books published a hardback volume collecting all of Barks' Barney Bear work, cementing that era as a notable part of the character's broader legacy.

Controversy & Modern Availability

Like many animated productions from the 1930s through the early 1950s, the Barney Bear shorts contain racial stereotypes that have drawn criticism over the decades. In several cartoons, characters struck by explosions would instantly appear in blackface, with exaggerated features and speaking in a stereotypical dialect. One particularly noted example occurs in The Little Wise Quacker, where an electrical shock turns Barney's face black and he rocks a duckling—also depicted in blackface—while singing "Shortnin' Bread." When Cartoon Network and Boomerang aired the shorts, these scenes were typically cut. In terms of modern availability, a selection of the cartoons appeared on VHS tapes and the Happy Harmonies Cartoon Classics LaserDisc through MGM/UA Home Video in the 1980s and 1990s. Several shorts also serve as bonus features on Warner Home Video DVD and Blu-ray releases of classic films from the era. In 2017, the majority of the Barney Bear library became accessible through the Boomerang streaming app, making the full run more widely available than at any previous point.

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