Barney Bear was a series of animated cartoon short subjects produced by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer. The titular character was an anthropomorphic cartoon character, a sluggish, sleepy bear who often is in persuit of nothing but peace and quiet.

He was created for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer by director Rudolf Ising, who based the bear's grumpy yet pleasant dispostion on his own. Barney Bear made his first appearance in The Bear Who Couldn't Sleep in 1939, and by 1941 was the star of his own series. Ising left the studio in 1943; in 1946, Barney was turned over to new directors Preston Blair and Michael Law , who created more Barney cartoons until 1949. The final Barney Bear director was Dick Lundy, who turned out shorts until 1952.

Ising's original Barney design contained a plethora of detail: shaggy fur, wrinkled clothing, and six eyebrows; as the series progressed, the design was gradually simplified and streamlined.

External link

• Barney Bear at Don Markstein's Toonopedia