Take a break from the heat at Grizzly Hall as you clap along to the Country Bear Jamboree!
Stomp your feet to a medley of original and classic hillbilly tunes, performed by audio-animatronic bears during this classically corny 16-minute review.
Join in the cele-bear-tion with our complete guide to Country Bear Jamboree.
Country Bear Jamboree Reimagining
Well, it’s happening. Disney has decided to update Country Bear Jamboree in 2024.
There will be new songs. That’s right, no more “My Woman Ain’t Pretty (But She Don’t Swear None)” and “All the Guys that Turn Me On Turn Me Down”. Is that really a bad thing?
Soon enough you’ll be able to sing along to some favorite Disney songs that have been reinterpreted in different genres of country music.
Per Disney, “Imagineers are envisioning the new experience as a homage to the classic musical revues in Nashville and they’re working with Nashville musicians to get the authentic country sound.”
Disney also promises that the attraction “will still have the fun and friendly tone fans enjoy with the same famous characters like the loveable Trixie, Big Al, and others.”
Until the reimagining is in full effect, here’s what you can expect from Country Bear Jamboree currently.
Country Bear Jamboree Quick Facts
Location
Country Bear Jamboree is located in Frontierland, between the Frontier Trading Post and the Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe.
How to Watch Country Bear Jamboree
Country Bear Jamboree has a Standby Line and that’s it. While the show isn’t available during Early Theme Park Entry, eligible guests can catch the show during Extended Evening Theme Park Hours.
Do I need to use Genie+ at Country Bear Jamboree?
Genie+ is not available at Country Bear Jamboree. You also don’t need it, since the show rarely ever has a long line or wait. The theater also fits a lot of guests at once.
Be sure to check out our touring plan s for Magic Kingdom for more Genie+ advice.
Rider Switch/Child Swap
Rider Switch is Disney’s system that allows guests with small children to take turns riding bigger rides, while another person/people wait with the little one.
Country Bear Jamboree does not offer Rider Switch since this show is appropriate for all ages. Plus, Rider Switch isn’t normally offered for shows and reserved for rides.
You can learn more about Rider Switch via our handy guide.
What to Expect When You Watch
Queue
The Country Bear Jamboree takes place inside Grizzly Hall. Guests stand in an outdoor queue before entering the building’s front room where they wait for the doors to the theater to open.
There are some seats around the perimeter of the room as well as caricatures of the bears or “stars” of the show on the walls.
Once the doors open, make your way into the theater, pick a row, and take a seat on one of the long benches.
Accessibility Information
Since you are seated in a theater for this experience, those in wheelchairs and ECVs may remain in them. Guests using wheelchairs and ECVs will be seated in a special area in the theater.
Handheld captioning and assistive listening is available for guests.
In the Show
If you prefer to experience Country Bear Jamboree without any spoilers, you may want to do-si-do right over this part.
The Country Bear Jamboree is a “hoedown” style musical review on five stages: a large stage in the center with two smaller stages on each side.
Three mounted animal heads to the right of the stages, Buff (a buffalo), Melvin (a moose), and Max (a deer) open the show by making jokes about how they aren’t in a rush to get things started since they’re “hung up.”
The curtain to the stage to the immediate right of the center stage opens to reveal Henry the Bear, the Master of Ceremonies for the show. He welcomes everyone to the Country Bear Jamboree before introducing Gomer the bear (he rises from the floor of the center stage) who plays piano while Henry sings “Pianojo”.
“Pianjo” leads directly into the “Bear Band Serenade”. Henry introduces the Five Bear Rugs band who then perform on the center stage.
The far left curtain then opens to reveal Ernest, a brown bear who plays the fiddle. He performs “If You Can’t Bite, Don’t Growl”.
Henry then introduces Liver Lips McGrowl who is on the far right stage followed by Wendell, a brown bear who plays the mandolin and joins Henry to sing the song “Mamma, Don’t Whip Little Buford.”
Next to perform is Trixie, a very large brown bear who wears a bow in her hair and a blue tutu on her waist, while holding a glass of wine in her hands. Gomer is raised back on the center stage to accompany Trixie.
Following the end of the song the curtain once again closes. Shaker then appears on the left-center stage to play the guitar.
After Shaker sings his song, Henry reappears on the right-center stage to introduce a sister act: Bunny, Bubbles, and Beulah. The three sisters, known as the Sun Bonnet Trio, sing, “All the Guys Who Turn Me On Turn Me Down”.
Following the Sun Bonnet Trio, Henry reappears on the left-center stage to introduce Teddi Barra who descends from a hole in the ceiling on a swing decorated with roses. While she begins her song, “Heart We Did All That We Could,” both Buck and Henry comment on how pretty she is.
Following Teddi’s song, a large spotlight shines on the far left stage where a curtain lifts to reveal Big Al. He plays an out-of-tune guitar to perform his signature song, “Blood On The Saddle”.
As Big Al finishes, Henry appears on the far right stage. On his head is Sammy, a raccoon. Together the duo sings “The Ballad of Davy Crockett”.
Right in the middle of Sammy and Henry’s song, Big Al reappears singing “Blood on the Saddle”. Henry tells Big Al to stop but Sammy tells Henry that they’re going to need help.
Henry cues all the other bears (except Ernest and Trixie) who appear on stage. Together they sing the show’s finale, “Ole Slew-Foot”. As the cast performs, Big Al continues to sing “Blood on the Saddle”.
At the conclusion of the song, the stage goes dark and a crashing noise comes from where Big Al was performing.
Henry tells guests to be sure to come again and he sings, along with Sammy, Buck, Melvin, and Buff, “Come Again” to close out the show as guests are ushered from the theater.
Is Country Bear Jamboree Kid-Friendly?
Little ones, older kids, and teens most likely won’t appreciate this as much as adults. Some of the songs also aren’t exactly kid-appropriate, like “All the Guys that Turn Me On Turn Me Down.”
Younger guests will probably like listening to the music and seeing animatronic bears on stage. Overall, this is pretty much a kid-friendly show that makes for a nice break for guests of all ages to rest their feet and to escape the heat or any bad weather.
Strollers
Strollers are not allowed in most queues at Walt Disney World, including for Country Bear Jamboree. They can be left at the designated stroller parking area near the entrance to the show.
History
Country Bear Jamboree was one of the last attractions that Walt Disney worked on prior to his death in 1966. While the attraction was originally supposed to be a part of a ski resort that never came to be, the show eventually landed at Magic Kingdom and debuted on the park’s opening day on October 1, 1971.
Imagineer X Atencio and musical director George Bruns wrote the music and lyrics of the original music featured in the show.
It was so popular that Imagineers opened a replica in Disneyland on March 4, 1972. A third version of the attraction opened in Tokyo Disneyland on April 15, 1983.
During the 1984 holiday season, the Country Bear Christmas Special debuted at the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Resort. This was the first time an attraction at any Disney theme park became interchangeable during the year.
In 1986, the Country Bear Vacation Hoedown debuted at both Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom. However, it wasn’t very popular in Florida and so they stopped showing it in 1992.
The Tokyo Disneyland version of the attraction still features all three versions of the show.
On August 24, 2001, it was announced that the Disneyland Country Bear Jamboree would close on September 9, 2001, to make way for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction.
On August 21, 2012, Country Bear Jamboree in Disney World closed for two months for refurbishment. All the characters in the show received new skin, fur, and costumes.
When the show reopened on October 17, 2012, it ran 4 to 5 minutes shorter than the original show. Songs like “Pretty Little Devilish Mary” and “Fractured Folk Song” were removed along with some of the dialogue, and other songs were shortened.
On September 9 during the 2023 Destination D23 parks panel, Disney announced Country Bear Jamboree would be reimagined. In 2024, the show will feature favorite Disney songs that have been reinterpreted in different genres of country music paying homage to the classic musical revues in Nashville and they’re working with Nashville musicians to get the authentic country sound.
Other Fun Details
- The 2002 Disney film The Country Bears is loosely based on the attraction.
- For the first 10 years, Country Bear Jamboree was sponsored by Pepsi and Frito Lay. As part of the sponsorship, Henry the Bear who opened the show would say, “Just refrain from hibernating, and we’ll all enjoy the show. Because we got a lot to give.” “Pepsi’s got a lot to give” was the company’s old slogan. Even though the sponsorship ended in the ’90s, the line wasn’t removed from the attraction until 2012 when the attraction was refurbished.
- Country Bear Jamboree was the first Walt Disney World attraction replicated at Disneyland. At that time many Disneyland attractions had been replicated at Walt Disney World, but not the other way around.
- There was also a summer vacation-themed version of the show where the bears wore bathing suits and other vacation outfits and the songs were summer inspired. While you can’t see it at Walt Disney World anymore, you can still catch it at Tokyo Disneyland.
- In May 1990, The Muppets at Walt Disney World special broadcast featured characters from Country Bear Jamboree during a scene with Fozzie Bear and his mom.
- In A Goofy Movie there is a parody of the show known as “Lester’s Possum Park.”
- In The Big Bang Theory episode entitled “The Robotic Manipulation”, Sheldon criticizes Wolowitz’s mechanical robot arm saying, “At best, it’s a modest leap forward from the basic technology that gave us Country Bear Jamboree.”
- A Hidden Mickey can be found atop a bear portrait above the stage.