Whether you’re 5 or 55, this is your official excuse to drag your old stuffed bear out of the closet and into the sunshine. July 10 is Teddy Bears’ Picnic Day — a delightfully oddball day where nostalgia meets imagination, and you can let your inner child dine al fresco with a fictional forest friend. So in honour of bears big, small, wild, animated, and plush, here are 15 songs that celebrate them — with whimsy, wit, and sometimes a touch of melancholy.
1. “Teddy Bear’s Picnic” – Anne Murray
The quintessential bear tune. It’s charming and playful on the surface… but something about it always feels just a little off, right?
2. “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear” – Elvis Presley
Elvis turns cuddly in this rock ’n’ roll classic, offering himself up as a huggable heartthrob. Simpler times.
3. “Rupert The Bear” – Jackie Lee
Stripy trousers. Psychedelic side characters. This British children’s theme hits all the right nostalgic buttons.
4. “House at Pooh Corner” – Loggins & Messina
Kenny Loggins aches for a simpler time through the lens of Winnie the Pooh, in one of the most bittersweet children’s songs ever written.
5. “Birdmad Girl” – The Cure
Robert Smith wishes he were a polar bear. It’s whimsical, melancholic, and deeply Cure-core.
6. “The Grizzly Bear” – Shel Silverstein
Forget metaphors — Shel is the grizzly bear. Wild, loud, and probably chewing the mic.
7. “Gus: The Polar Bear From Central Park” – The Tragically Hip
A devastating tribute to a captive polar bear and a reflection on mental health — even among animals.
8. “Dakota The Dancing Bear Part 2” – David Allan Coe
A darkly funny tale about exploitation, showbiz, and dancing bears. Cynical, biting, brilliant.
9. “Les Ours” – Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
Atmospheric and haunting, this cinematic piece evokes the quiet power of bears in the wild.
10. “Grizzly Bear Blues” – Corb Lund
You won’t learn much survival advice here, but you’ll laugh the whole way through.
11. “Bear By The Bonfire” – Mudslide
70s-style rock chaos meets campfire horror — and possibly real gore. Approach with caution.
12. “Bear on the Beach” – A Camp (Nina Persson)
Moody, poetic, and open to interpretation. A bear? A memory? A metaphor? Yes.
13. “L’Ours” – Christophe Maé & Youssou N’Dour
A heartbreaking ode to the polar bear and the shrinking ice it calls home. Timely and poignant.
14. “The Right to Arm Bears” – Paul Westerberg
It’s exactly what it sounds like. Legal satire, Americana weirdness, and a visual you won’t shake.
15. “Bears” – Zebra
A hard rock plea to remember the bears, wrapped in 80s riffs and arena-sized sincerity.