Yogi Bear, Boo Boo, and Cindy Bear are still sleeping as you read this, but not for long.
In just a few weeks, families will be gathering at Jellystone Park locations across the country armed with homemade noisemakers and their loudest, happiest voices as they join their fellow campers in noisy parades that are sure to wake up even the sleepiest bears.
“If you hear a lot of laughing and shouting, combined with the sound of people banging pots and pans and other noisemakers on a Saturday morning, it’s probably a parade of Jellystone Park guests on their way to wake up Yogi Bear, Boo Boo and Cindy Bear,” said Trent Hershenson, vice president of marketing for Camp Jellystone, the Southfield, Mich.-based company that franchises Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts across North America.
While Jellystone Park guests are welcome to bring their own pots and pans to the annual bear-waking events, most locations offer craft activities in which kids can make their own noisemakers to help wake up the beloved Hanna-Barbera characters.
The dates of the bear-waking events vary by location but typically take place in the late winter in the Sunbelt and by springtime in northern states. Photo opportunities and other activities with the characters often follow the bear-waking events.
“Once they are awake, Yogi Bear, Boo Boo, and Cindy Bear can then take part in organized activities which are scheduled throughout the camping season,” Hershenson said.
With more than 75 franchised locations across the United States and Canada, Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts operates in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences. Jellystone Park locations are known for offering fun, family-friendly attractions, activities, and themed weekends, including pools and water slides, mini golf, foam parties, wagon rides, and dance parties.
Below are a few examples of the bear-waking events scheduled at Jellystone Park locations across the U.S.:
Indiana
- Bloomington: A “Wake the Bears” event is scheduled for April 10-12 at this Jellystone Park location. Guests are encouraged to wake up the bears with handmade noisemakers.
- Fremont: A noisemaker parade to wake up the bears will take place on the weekend of April 24-26 at this location. Once the bears are awake, there will be a “Bear Boogie Dance Party” and tons of fun with Yogi Bear, Boo Boo, and Cindy Bear.
Iowa
- Monticello: April 10-12 is a “Bear-y Big Wake Up Weekend” at this location. In addition to waking up the bears with noisemakers, kids can explore displays from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which describe the state’s animals that hibernate in winter and wake up in springtime. Other activities include slow-motion relay races and a bear costume competition.
Massachusetts
- Carver: A noisemaker parade to wake up the bears is set for the weekend of April 17-19. Other activities include a “Bear Boogie Dance Party” with Yogi Bear, Cindy Bear, and Boo Boo.
Michigan
- Carsonville: The weekend of May 1-3 is when guests get a chance to join a parade to wake up Yogi Bear, Boo Boo, and Cindy Bear. Kids can also make their own bear ears and join a “Bear Stomp Dance Party.”
- South Haven: A “Bear-y Big Welcome Back Weekend” is set for May 1-3, when there will be a wake-up parade targeting Yogi Bear, Boo Boo, and Cindy Bear. Other activities include crafts and scavenger hunts, including a flashlight candy hunt, and karaoke.
New Hampshire
- Milton: A noisemaking parade to wake up the bears will take place the weekend of May 15-17. It will be followed by a “Bear Boogie Dance Party” and fun activities with Yogi Bear, Cindy Bear, and Boo Boo.
North Carolina
- Asheboro: Families are encouraged to visit this location the weekend of March 27-29 to “cause a racket and merry mischief” to get Yogi Bear to come out of hibernation. There will also be a pajama party with Ranger Smith and a glow, Hey, Hey, Hey wagon ride in the evening.
- Tabor City: A waking of the bears weekend will take place March 27-29 at this location. Kids can help wake up the bears after making their own noisemaker craft. Other activities include candy bar bingo, Hey, Hey, Hey wagon rides, and other games.
Ohio
- Uniontown: Opening weekend is May 1-3 at this Jellystone Park location. Activities include waking the bears, themed crafts, and games with complimentary fresh donuts.
Tennessee
- Loudon (Watts Bar Lake): A Bearly Awake themed week is set for March 6-12, with the highlight being a waking of the bears parade. Guests will have an opportunity to make their own noisemakers and join the pajama party silent disco.
Virginia
- Williamsburg: Guests will be able to wake up Yogi Bear and friends with a noisemaker parade, which will take place during the week of February 23 to March 1. Other activities include a “Bear Boogie Dance Party” and other fun with Yogi Bear, Boo Boo, and Cindy Bear.
