Jeremy the Bear’s secret past: Before he was Jeremy, he was Barnaby. Before Barnaby, he was Colargol
For interview requests, click here
It’s not unusual for TV shows to appear in different countries with different names. M*A*S*H was called Field Hospital in Bulgaria. Star Trek was known as Conquest of Space in Spain. The Rockford Files was changed to Two Hundred Dollars Plus Expenses in France.
Then there’s Hogan’s Heroes, which was renamed Barbed Wire and Clean Heels in, of all places, Germany.
This has also been the case with children’s programming and cartoons.
Here are some examples: Sesame Street is called Plaza Sésamo in Spanish-speaking countries, Rua Sésamo in Brazil and Sesamstraße in Germany, among others. The Powerpuff Girls are called Atom Girls in Poland. Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, a highly successful Japanese anime series, was adapted in the U.S. as Battle of the Planets with significant plot and character changes. Franklin, a popular show about a young turtle and his friends, is known as Benjamin in certain French-Canadian releases.
This leads us to an unusual case of a children’s show that underwent three versions. The program had two different dubbed adaptations from the original, both in the same language.
 Getty Images |
| Recommended |
| When Mister Rogers met Mr. Dressup
|
| Canada needs more animated series like Britain’s Mr Benn
|
| The mystery of Doctor Who
|
Canadians of a certain age may remember The Adventures of Jeremy. It was a TVO stop-motion animated program that ran in the 1970s and 1980s, featuring a young bear who desperately wanted to dance, sing and entertain audiences. Jeremy wasn’t quite good enough, but he was determined to never stop trying to achieve his dreams. He travelled the world hoping to gain success and had adventures where he met new friends and encountered a few less-than-salutary characters.
A few lines from the theme song may bring back some fond memories:
I’m a bear called Jeremy,
I can do most anything,
I can play and I can sing,
Yes, my name is Jeremy!
What if I told you The Adventures of Jeremy wasn’t the original TV show? In fact, it wasn’t even the first English-dubbed version.
Let’s unpack this revelation a bit more.
French writer Olga Pouchine created a fictional bear called Colargol in the 1950s. Philips Records released a series of children’s recordings featuring this character in the 1960s, leading to a popularity surge. So much so that French television producer and cartoonist Albert Barillé decided to produce a stop-motion animated series, Les Aventures de Colargol, through his company Procidis.
The original series ran from 1967 to 1974. Polish animator Tadeusz Wilkosz and Se-ma-for in Łódź led the animation, creating 53 episodes of approximately 13 minutes each. French singer and actress Mireille Hartuch sang the theme song and musical numbers, aided by Jean-Michel Defaye (orchestration) and Victor Villien (lyrics). The series was broadcast in many countries, including Canada, where it ran in Quebec on Télévision de Radio-Canada’s old Bagatelle program block in the early 1970s.
Les Aventures de Colargol was later dubbed into English and renamed Barnaby. It first appeared on the BBC program Watch with Mother in April 1973 and was repeated until 1979. A total of 13 episodes were produced, typically combining two original Colargol episodes spliced together and re-dubbed. It was produced by Michael Grafton-Robinson at Q3 London. The voices included narrator Colin Jeavons, Charles Collingwood, Gwenllian Owen and Percy Edwards.
Barnaby’s theme song was remarkably different from the original version. Here are the opening and closing lines:
Barnaby the Bear’s my name,
Never call me Jack or James,
I will sing my way to fame,
Barnaby the Bear’s my name.
Takes some getting used to, I suppose.
Jeremy the Bear was, therefore, the second English-dubbed version of Colargol. It was much closer to the original series since all the episodes were maintained and kept in order. Aside from its lengthy run in Canada, it was broadcast in a few northern U.S. states, the Republic of Ireland and several ITV regions in the U.K.
This means, in effect, that Barnaby and The Adventures of Jeremy could have aired on British TV at the same time or close to it. And if anyone in that part of the world had access to early satellite TV, it’s conceivable that all three versions could have been watched.
The story of Colargol on television doesn’t quite end there. While most international versions retained the original TV series’ name (with slight variations), the show was called Mackó Misi in Hungary, Pikku-Nalle in Finland and Lollapot in South Africa. They seem to have been modelled after Colargol, although there may be some slight differences.
How many acts could there be beyond Colargol, Barnaby and Jeremy? We may have to sing for our supper to find out.
Michael Taube is a political commentator, Troy Media syndicated columnist and former speechwriter for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He holds a master’s degree in comparative politics from the London School of Economics, lending academic rigour to his political insights.
Explore more on Children’s programs, Television, Arts and Entertainment
Troy Media is dedicated to empowering Canadian community news outlets by providing independent, insightful analysis and commentary. Our mission is to support local media in fostering an informed and engaged public by delivering reliable content that strengthens community connections, enriches national conversations, and helps Canadians better understand one another.
