The Bottom Line: This is an excellent potty training tool for toddlers. It is informative and reassuring. It's also great for after potty training, to support dealing with "accidents."

I love the Bear series, because he is always so friendly an positive! It's hard to teach potty training (and accidents, too!) while remaining so positive, but Henson has done it!

BEFORE I GET TOO INTO THIS, make sure that you also see the other review for the VHS tape version of the show (I actually own the tape not the DVD, just reviewed the wrong listing). They are both listed on epinions but the show is the same. Empower yourself with the extra wisdom! Thanks, read on.

PLOT SUMMARY: "Bear" is a big bear who lives in a big blue house and has friends who live with him: a mouse (Tutter), another bear (Ojo), two otters (Pip and Pop), a lemur (?, Trillo) and a friendly shadow (Shadow). They interact all day in small scenes that all revolve around a central theme, in this case, going to the potty. The scenes are as follows, although the order of a couple scenes may be switched.

SCENE 1: The first scene, Bear is playing a game of checkers with his mouse friend, Tutter. Tutter has to go to the potty, but doesn't want to stop playing checkers because he is winning. However, he can't concentrate on the game. So Bear convinces him that the game will still be there when he gets back and that he will still be winning. So Tutter goes to the potty, does his routine, comes back, and immediately wins the game (because he can relax and think!).

SCENE 2: The next scene is about Ojo, the small bear, who is playing with Trillo, the lemur, and has an "accident." She tries to get to the potty, but doesn't quite make it. Bear is very reassuring and supportive, and Ojo is very grateful. They talk about how to tell grownups when they have to go potty.

SCENE 3: Trillo and Bear talk about how nice it is to not have to wear a diaper -- how you can do so many more things without a diaper slowing you down.

SCENE 4: My second favorite part is when Bear talks to the shadow and she sings a song (screen switches to a "shadow puppet" format) about the potty -- I sing the chorus to my son often to help him associate the potty with a "cool" factor -- "Potty, hey hey hey, Potty, hey hey hey ..."

SCENE 5: Pip and Pop, the otters, sing a song about how after you learn to use the potty you can be part of a special club called the "Toileteers."

SCENE 6: Finally, my very favorite part of all the Bear shows is the very end, when Bear goes up to the attic and onto the balcony to talk to Luna, the moon. She has a warm, grandmother-y tone and is always so supportive and reassuring. They talk about how it's sometimes scary to learn new things, but that she is so proud of everyone. Then they sing a goodbye song.

I HIGHLY recommend this tape for any young toddler learning to use the potty. It's a LOT of fun and SO reassuring! It's also very entertaining, so your toddler is bound to enjoy it!