Gummi
bears are one of those confectionary treats that people either love
or hate.
My
stance? 100% Pure Love.
(And,
no, I didn't just come up with that stance just because I have some
Crystal Waters playing on my computer as I type this. I swear it.)
Seriously,
as long as I can remember, I have always loved gummi bears. I would
always go to the candy store (back when the most expensive penny
candies cost a quarter) and always get a handful of gummi bears (or
gummi worms if the bears weren't in stock) to eat whenever I was
craving them. I don't think my dentist liked me very much for eating
them, but I didn't care. I couldn't get enough of them.
To
me, they were fruit flavoured morsels of goodness!
Depending
on the brand name of the company that made the gummi bears, the
flavours of the bears varied. The orange ones were always orange
flavoured, and the yellow ones were always lemon flavoured. Green
ones could be lime or strawberry flavoured (not real strawberry
though...if they were, my allergy would act up). Red ones were
usually raspberry or cherry flavoured. And the colourless ones?
They were my favourite ones, because they were mostly pineapple
flavoured. And anyone who knows me knows how much I love pineapple
flavoured candy.
Oh,
but those aren't the only gummi bears that I like. There's another
version that I loved just as much as the ones that you eat.
Um...no.
Not that one. Somehow, a giant green bear in jockey shorts would
make me want to GIVE UP gummi bears for the rest of my life!
No,
I'm talking about THESE gummi bears!
Yes,
today is Saturday, and I thought that I would feature a television
cartoon that ended up running for several seasons. It's actually one
of Disney's longest running cartoon series!
“Disney's
Adventures of the Gummi Bears” debuted on NBC's Saturday Morning
cartoon block on September 14, 1985. It remained on the network
until 1989, when it moved to ABC for two more seasons, ending its
original run in February 1991. And would you believe that the idea
for the show was inspired by the tasty gummi bear candies? The
inspiration came from the young son of Disney CEO Michael Eisner, who
had asked his father for some gummi bear candies to eat.
The
television show was pure magic from the memorable and catchy opening
theme song to the various plots and stories that the main characters
were a part of.
In
case there are some of you out there who have never seen the show,
allow me to give you a bit of a refresher.
Centuries
ago there lived an entire race of anthropomorphic bears who called
themselves the “Gummi Bears”, and they once ruled a great
civilization which thrived. That was until humans who were jealous
of the Gummi Bears' magical powers forced the species into a
permanent exile from their own kingdom. It was widely thought by
humans that the Gummi Bears faded away into the stories of legends
and fables, but unbeknownst to them, a group of six (seven from the
second season on) Gummi Bears still live nearby, making their homes
underneath the medieval kingdom of Dunwyn in a series of subterranean
tunnels affectionately called “Gummi Glen”.
And
just who are these Gummi Bears? They are...
Gruffi
Gummi (Bill Scott/Corey Burton) is incredibly old-fashioned, and
wants to always do things the “old Gummi way. Despite this, he is
the leader of the group, and is very skilled with making sure that
the trap doors and other mechanical devices within Gummi Glen work
properly.
Then
you have Zummi Gummi (Paul Winchell/Jim Cummings), the oldest of the
Gummi Bears. He is the “Keeper of Gummi Wisdom”, and the holder
of the Gummi Medallion. He's the group's magician, and provided that
he can remember the magic words, his spells can work perfectly. But
most of the time, they backfire in a big way!
Grammi
Gummi (June Foray) is the Gummi Bear matriarch. She cooks, cleans,
and is one of only two Gummi Bears who know the recipe
for...well...I'll tell you a little later in this blog.
There's
Tummi Gummi (Lorenzo Music), a teenaged Gummi Bear whose heart is as
big as his size. Sure, he's laid-back to the point where some would
call him lazy, and his personality is easy going...but whenever the
Gummi Bears find themselves in danger, he is always the first one to
respond to the fight. If Tummi Gummi applies himself, he can be
quite valuable.
Sunni
Gummi (Katie Leigh) is the only teenaged girl Gummi, and she often
closes the book on traditional Gummi history, and is fascinated by
the world of human fashion and culture. She is the other one who
knows the secret recipe for...yeah, yeah...I'll tell you later.
Cubbi
Gummi (Noelle North) is the youngest of the Gummi Bears, and has
dreams of becoming a Gummi Knight someday. But, Cubbi also has been
cursed with a short attention span, and can easily get sidetracked by
something mysterious and exciting.
The
seventh gummi joins the cast in the second season. Gusto Gummi (Rob
Paulsen) was stranded on a deserted island for a dozen years with his
toucan, Artie Deco. He meets Tummi and Gruffi after they crash on
his island, and brought Gusto home just before a volcanic eruption
destroyed his island. Gusto is most known for thinking outside the
box, which impresses both Sunni and Cubbi.
For
years, the Gummi Bears have successfully managed to avoid any contact
with humans...but in the very first episode of the series, the Gummi
Bears cover is blown by a young boy named Cavin.
TRIVIA:
Cavin was played by five different voice actors; Christian Jacobs,
Brett Johnson, David Faustino, Jason Marsden, and R.J. Williams.
Anyway,
Cavin ends up being abandoned in the woods after a group of ogres
capture his human allies, and accidentally stumbles into Gummi Glen.
It turns out that Cavin is in possession of a legendary Gummi
Medallion (it was found by Cavin's grandfather years earlier), and
the other Gummi Bears want to know exactly how he got the medal. At
some point, Cavin manages to escape after Tummi Gummi ends up sipping
a special concoction (yes, I promise that I will reveal what it is in
due time). But when a common enemy presents himself (the evil Duke
Sigmund Igthorn and his army of ogres), Cavin stands side by side
with the Bears, and becomes one of their strongest allies.
Cavin
becomes close with all of the Gummi Bears (in particular with Cubbi
and Tummi), and Princess Calla also befriends the Gummi Bears
sometime during the series.
But
what exactly does Duke Sigmund Igthorn have against the humans and
the Gummi Bears?
Well,
in the case of the human population, it's simple. Igthorn was once
considered the greatest knight in all of Dunwyn, but after he was
exposed for plotting against King Gregor, he was exiled, finding
refuge in Castle Drekmore. He formed his army of ogres and
constantly seeks his revenge against Dunwyn.
And
his beef with the Gummi Bears stems from one of their finest
creations. A certain recipe for a certain kind of juice that makes
Gummi Bears bounce and gives human beings temporary super strength.
A recipe that only Grammi Gummi and Sunni Gummi know.
Don't
worry though. I too know the secret that goes into making the
perfect batch of Gummiberry Juice.
It's
just unfortunate that Gummi Berries don't really exist in
nature...so, the next best thing I can do is make substitutions with
real fruits. I don't know if you want to try this recipe out, but
hey, it's worth a shot, right?
Anyway,
in the cartoon, the recipe went like this.
GUMMIBERRY
JUICE
6
handfuls of red berries
4
orange berries
3
purple berries
4
blue berries
3
green berries
1
yellow berry
Once
you have the ingredients in the right amount, all you have to do is
the 3-step stir. Stir slow to the right, then slow to the left, and
then tap the pot to banish the bubbles.
Sounds
pretty good, doesn't it? Now, here's my just made up spur-of-the-moment version of it using various
fruit juices.
For
the handful of red berries, try using a red juice as a base, such as
cranberry cocktail or fruit punch.
For
the orange berries, add in four cups of pulp-free orange juice.
For
the purple berries, add three cups of grape juice.
For
the blue berries, the closest thing I can think of is 4 cups of Ocean
Spray Blueberry cocktail.
The
green berries can be added in using three cups of lemonade or
limeade.
As
for the single yellow berry, a squirt of lemon juice can work.
Now
the cartoon recipe states that you need to remove the bubbles, but if
you want to make it fizzy, you can always add ginger ale or 7-Up, or
Sprite.
Of
course, this recipe works if you are making a big bowl of Gummiberry
Juice. If you want to make a smaller version, use tablespoons
instead of cups.
Now,
this recipe is not one that I have tested, so I don't know how good
it is. But maybe that's something that I will try out now that I
have it written down. Hmmm...
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