| Humphrey B. Bear | |
|---|---|
| Here's Humphrey character | |
 Humphrey B. Bear | |
| First appearance | 24 May 1965 on Children’s TV show The Channel Niners, with hosts Ian Fairweather and Ann North |
| Portrayed by | Edwin Duryea (original) |
| In-universe information | |
| Nickname | Humphrey |
| Species | Brown bear |
| Gender | Male |
Humphrey B. Bear is a fictional character first created in an Australian children's television series called Here's Humphrey, which first went to air in 1965. Its fictional character namesake is an icon of Australian children's television.[1] Humphrey B. Bear first aired on Adelaide's NWS-9 on Monday, 24 May 1965. The show became one of the most successful programs for pre-schoolers in Australia. Edwin "Ted" Duryea (c.1930-2009), an actor, singer and dancer, first played the part of Humphrey.
The character of Humphrey is a tall, shaggy honey-loving brown bear with a large, round, shining, glossy black nose, straw boater hat, tartan waist-coat and oversized yellow bow-tie. His television show always features a companion who assists and narrates Humphrey's various adventures in the "magic forest" including his brightly coloured treehouse. In the early days, the character was known as Bear Bear, and was named Humphrey B. Bear as the result of an on-air competition.
- ^ Knox, David (16 February 2007). "Humphrey barely survives the bone". TV Tonight. Retrieved 4 October 2018.