C-Bear and Jamal 

Jamal passes through his 10th birthday, and in the process of 'becoming a man', which is what this milestone means, he tries to give up childhood things, including C Bear, his teddy bear. C... See full summary »

Creators:

Franklyn Ajaye, Barry Douglas, Earl Richey Jones

Stars:

Tone Loc, Arthur Reggie III, Jeannie Elias

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Tone Loc	...	C Bear / ... 13 episodes, 1996-1997
Arthur Reggie III	...	Jamal Wingo 11 episodes, 1996-1997
Jeannie Elias		6 episodes, 1996
Kim Fields	...	Maya 6 episodes, 1996
Dawnn Lewis	...	Grandma 6 episodes, 1996
Darryl Sivad	...	Grandpa 6 episodes, 1996
Aries Spears	...	Big Chill / ... 6 episodes, 1996
George Wallace	...	Hawthorne Wingo 6 episodes, 1996
Danny Mann		5 episodes, 1996
Margaret Cho		4 episodes, 1996
Paul Rodriguez	...	Javier 4 episodes, 1996

Storyline

Jamal passes through his 10th birthday, and in the process of 'becoming a man', which is what this milestone means, he tries to give up childhood things, including C Bear, his teddy bear. C Bear and Jamal talk to each other, and C Bear can create imaginary scenarios for Jamal - he shows Jamal what adulthood can mean, and how passing 10 does not mean that all of childhood must be abandoned.

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Plot Keywords:

birthday | teddy bear | african american | black american | boy | 

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Genres:

Animation | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Did You Know?

Trivia

C-Bear's appearance was based on Tone-Loc's favorite childhood Teddy Bear. This is according to a Los Angles Times article dated January 30th, 1996.

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Connections

Featured in Masters of Horror: Pick Me Up (2006)

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Soundtracks

Jamal's Blues
Written by Tone Loc
Performed by Arthur Reggie III and Tone Loc

User Reviews

It's certainly Funky

This animated show I'd say was not the average one by the time. One could find parallels between this and other cartoons like Hey Arnold, but I see them as completely different animals.

C Bear and Jamal was an effort of a sort of educational (what kids cartoon is not, at certain level) yet 'edgy' TV show, in the sense it didn't take itself too seriously.

I don't know that much about American culture, but I think this was aimed towards an African American sort of 'ghetto' public. The kids from the show are not stupid, they're ambitious, smart and practical, the skills they need to survive in a harsh environment. C Bear is a kind of 'uncle' guide giving a few good advices.

The whole show plays more like aimed to show the public some example, instead of sticking with actual characters having a story. Kind of giving a 'warning' to kids already mature enough to understand it, with very few fantasy elements on it. It's just the way the characters were actors on a set for an E/I schoolplay. Or a funky educational sketch to prevent of drugs or something.

It's certainly a Funky approach to transmit lessons. But it also made the cartoon less engaging than one with clear narrative limits. Also, show would be dated for now, for sure, in the slang and stuff.

I give it a 7 for trying a different approach, but it's not a "Great" show.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 February 1996 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Roman Productions, Taurus Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

63 min

Color:

Color