The Berenstain Bears’ Easter Surprise

Hop, hop, hop with us back to 1981 for our first trip to Bear Country, which it turns out was built on top of the Easter Bunny’s industrial nightmare factory.  

Find full show notes and links at https://adventcalendar.house/episodes/berenstain-bears-easter-surprise  

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🎙 On This Episode:  

• Mike Westfall (@fallwestmike), a giant vat of chocolate shaped like an enormous baby chick.  

• Alan Johnson (@AlanJ), about to hook up his candy conveyor belt to an old car and knock us all off the Skype call, from Two Bad Neighbors – A Simpsons Podcast and Talespin Trivia.  

• Emily Rowley (@mlerowley), TV’s sassiest Easter Bunny.  

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💬 Topics & Tangents:  

• The Berenstain Bears’ Easter Surprise on the official YouTube channel.  

• Yes, we all collectively mispronounced “Berenstain.”  

• The VHS cover, for reference.  

• The Berenstain Bears: The Very First Easter, being the story of the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus, who is also a bear.  

• Inside the Berenstain Bears’ Tree House.  

• The widest tree in the world, for comparison.  

• Things this special has in common with Steel Magnolias: Knowl Johnson and dozens of broken Easter eggs.  

• An ode to the Bear Family’s tiny, antique, circular porthole TV set.  

• Today’s TV Trope: Packed Hero.  

• Mr. Mike’s Mondo Video, featuring young Zachary Danziger (Bill Bunny) and a host of way more familiar names.  

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📼 Retro Commercial Break:  

• Kellogg’s Raisin Bran: Morgan the Mockingbird Commercial (1981), preserved from the original airing of this special.  

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🎤 And Now, These Messages:  

• Mike on the Two Bad Neighbors podcast for Marge Be Not Proud and Monty Can’t Buy Me Love.  

• Jingle Jank.  

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“The Berenstain Bears’ Easter Surprise” © 1981 Joseph Cates Co., Inc.  

The Advent Calendar House can also be found daydreaming about jellybeans on Twitter (@adventcalhouse) and Instagram (@adventcalendarhouse).  

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