APRIL FOOLS!
Written by Jarrod Fairclough
THE COCA COLA POLAR BEAR PUPPET
Performed by:
Various performers, including Matt Vogel
First Appearance:
1993
Current Location:
World of Coca Coca – Atlanta, Georgia.
Coca Cola Store – Las Vegas, Nevada
Best Known Role:
The lovable mascot of The Coca Cola Company.
WHO IS THE COCA COLA POLAR BEAR?
In 1993 Coca Cola and The Jim Henson Company teamed up to bring their long running mascot to life through puppetry. Several designers and builders got together and made a character with mechanics similar to Big Bird from Sesame Street and the future Bear from Bear In The Big Blue House. The character has been used in live appearances since, and has been performed by a barrage of talented puppeteers, including John Henson and Matt Vogel, the current performer of The Count, Floyd Pepper and many more. The Polar Bear can be seen in the World of Coca Cola in Atlanta and the Coca Cola Store in Las Vegas, where he is available for photos. A compilation video of these photo shoots can be found below.
WHY DOES COCA COLA NEED THE POLAR BEAR PUPPET?
Mascots are always a lot of fun, whether it be at a sports event or a fun fair. Everyone wants to cuddle up to these cute and fuzzy creatures for hilarious selfies and funny photos to put on Facebook. This character has the benefit of being so expressive, and a lot of the credit has to go to the numerous talented performers who play the Polar Bear!
The Muppet Mindset 
When I was an intern at Henson back in 1999, I got to photograph the polar bear puppet as part of my daily assignments. it’s absolutely beautiful in person! And thank you for the memory of the Sesame St. bit with the #7 towel. As a kid watching Sesame in the late 70s/early 80s this was aired quite often during my childhood: “Thanks Big Murray!!!”
Do you have photos of how the puppeteer moved in the costume? I”m sooo intrigued.
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