Ma Bear

PERFORMER	Jerry Nelson
DEBUT	1978

M@WDW2 — Promotional photo for *The Muppets at Walt Disney World*.

Mabear216 — Sitting in the Muppet Theater Auditorium balcony during episode 216.

Ma Bear is Fozzie's mother. She debuted in The Muppet Show episode 216, in which she's present in The Muppet Theatre audience. Fozzie insinuated himself into all the acts that evening, but when he looked out into the audience, he found that his mother fell asleep.

She later joined her son in episode 410, where she danced as Mother Brown in the UK Skit "Knees Up Mother Brown." She's also mentioned in episode 503, standing off-stage (unseen) during Fozzie's comedy act.

Ma Bear played a key role in A Muppet Family Christmas, set largely at her farmhouse, and was also prominent in The Muppets at Walt Disney World. She made a minor appearance portraying Ma Fozziwig in The Muppet Christmas Carol. A picture of mother and son can be seen in Muppets from Space, and Fozzie tells her to go home at the end of the credits for Muppets Most Wanted. Ma Bear returned, now performed by Matt Vogel, in two 2019 advertisements for Facebook Portal, and a 2020 web video celebrating Mother's Day.

A younger version, known as Mrs. Bear, was featured in seven of the Muppet Kids books, including Mom Gets a Job and Mom's Having a Baby.

Her extended family includes her younger son, Freddie; her brother (or brother-in-law) who left Fozzie his car when he hibernated; her father (or father-in-law), who played baseball with Fozzie; her nephew, who watched Fozzie's comedy act; and her husband Mr. Bear. She is also good friends with Statler and Waldorf and invites them to her house for Christmas and invites them along when she goes to Walt Disney World with Fozzie and his friends.

Ma Bear's influence is present in Fozzie's life even when she's unseen. She taught her son to always wash his hands after using the bathroom, even when using invisibility spray. In "The Muppets Stocking Stuffer Smorgasbord," Fozzie reveals that the Christmas sweater he is wearing was knitted by his mom. She made sweaters for everyone in Letters to Santa as a wrap gift. Two of them are seen in the special itself as Christmas gifts for Claire and her mom.

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Fozzie invites his friends to his mom's house for Christmas in a letter from the Winter 1988 issue of Muppet Magazine. "It's a great big holiday get-together at the home of Agatha T. Bear — she's my mom!" In the actual special, however, Kermit the Frog answers her phone, "Emily Bear residence." She also refers to herself as "Emily" when she appears in the final issue of The Muppet Show Comic Book: Family Reunion, and the name is also used in the narration for Muppets Meet the Classics: Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm. Fozzie generally addresses her as either Ma or Mom, while others call her Mrs. Bear or Ms. Bear.

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Ma Bear

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