Bear Hugger
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character from the Nintendo
-produced Punch-Out!!
video game series. He is a Canadian boxer who hails from Salmon Arm, British Columbia
, Canada
, and is the boxing champion of Canada. He first appeared in Super Punch-Out!! for the arcade
s, and again in Super Punch-Out!!
for the Super NES. Most recently, he appeared in Punch-Out!!
for the Wii
. In the latter game, he was designed by Eddie Viser, and voiced by Richard Newman. He is depicted as a stereotype of Canadian people, depicted as having an obsession for maple syrup and a love for the wilderness. He is powerful, yet also fast. He is bald, and has a thick, brown beard and mustache. He also has a tuft of chest hair, and wears overalls.
Since his appearance in the arcade Super Punch-Out!!, he has received mostly positive reception. He was described as a favourite of the series by IGN
and Official Nintendo Magazine. In discussing stereotypes in Punch-Out!!, GamesRadar
editor Brett Elston listed ice hockey
, an affinity for nature, maple syrup, and his husky stature as stereotypes utilized in his character. Fellow GamesRadar editor Tyler Wilde jokingly stated that Canadians only drink maple syrup on special occasions. Editor Scott Jones stated that Bear Hugger drinks alcohol between matches, misinterpreting the maple syrup jar as a "jug of booze."
for the arcade
s, and then again in Super Punch-Out!!
for the Super NES. He most recently appeared in Punch-Out!!
for the Wii
, where he was designed by Eddie Viser and voiced by Richard Newman. He has several Canadian stereotypes, including a love for maple syrup, ice hockey
, and the wilderness. He is bald, and has a thick, brown beard and mustache, as well as a tuft of chest hair. He also wears overalls. As seen in one of the cutscenes, Bear Hugger does boxing training with bears. He also uses a squirrel in his boxing. Eurogamer
described Bear Hugger's attack style as using "sheer force to send opponents to the mat." In their walkthrough, IGN
noted that he was fast considering how large he was.
s, Bear Hugger has received mostly positive reception. He has been described as a favourite of the series by IGN
editor Levi Buchanan, a statement that Official Nintendo Magazine editor Tom East echoed. University Chronicle editor Joe Brown commented that fans of Super Punch-Out!!
for the Super NES would be familiar with Bear Hugger. Bucks Herald
editor Damien Lucas agreed, stating that anyone would recognize him. GameSpy
described him as "one of the wackiest opponents you'll ever see." Operation Sports editor Christian McLeod stated that Bear Hugger was "no pushover." The Escapist
editor Greg Tito commented that he giggled every time Bear Hugger called player-character Little Mac "hoser
." In discussing King Hippo's girth, GamesRadar
editor Chris Antista commented that King Hippo weighed as much as Bear Hugger and Mad Clown. In their list of the seven best second quests, GamePro
listed the Title Defense mode of Punch-Out!!
for the Wii
, stating that losing to the "squirrel-assisted" Bear Hugger would demonstrate the difficulty and creative talent of the developers. Allgame
editor Skyler Miller commented that while he was humorous in Super Punch-Out!! for the Super NES, he wasn't quite "out there" compared to boxers from Punch-Out!! for the NES.
, and drinking maple syrup. Canadian GamesRadar editor Tyler Wilde jokingly stated that the stereotypes were "absolute malarky," stating that they only consume maple syrup on special occasions, and even then, only from "goose-shaped goblets carved from pine wood." Editor Scott Jones commented that Bear Hugger's Canadian origins predisposed him to consume the "big jug of booze" with which he is portrayed; however, the jug actually (or at least ostensibly) contains maple syrup
(cf. the character shift in Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
from "Vodka Drunkenski" to "Soda Popinski
").
IGN editor Craig Harris called him "over-the-top," describing him as a "fish-loving lumberjack." Kotaku
editor Michael McWhertor praised the stereotyping of characters in the series, stating that it was improved in the Wii Punch-Out!!
. He further stated that Bear Hugger was "extremely Canadian." GameSpot
editor Tom Mc Shea described Bear Hugger as a "400-pound Canadian with a love for maple syrup and tiny woodland rodents." The Globe and Mail
editor Chad Sapieha commented that the roster of fighters in Punch-Out!! "would send chills down the spine of any potential pugilist," mentioning Bear Hugger as one of these boxers, calling him an "ostensibly Canadian Bear Hugger, a syrup-swilling lumberjack by trade." In discussing the increase in stereotyping in the Wii Punch-Out!!, Wired
editor Chris Kohler described Bear Hugger as a "rotund Canadian strongman" who "drinks from a jug of maple syrup."
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
-produced Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!!
is a 1983–1984 boxing arcade game by Nintendo. It was the first in a series of successful Punch-Out!! games that produced an arcade sequel known as Super Punch-Out!!, a spin-off of the series titled Arm Wrestling, a highly popular version for the NES originally known as Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!,...
video game series. He is a Canadian boxer who hails from Salmon Arm, British Columbia
Salmon Arm, British Columbia
-Climate:- Education :Public schools in Salmon Arm are part of School District 83 North Okanagan-Shuswap; within the city limits, there are currently five elementary schools , one middle school , and a secondary school with two campuses...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and is the boxing champion of Canada. He first appeared in Super Punch-Out!! for the arcade
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
s, and again in Super Punch-Out!!
Super Punch-Out!!
is a 1984 arcade game by Nintendo. It is a boxing game with the same gameplay and digitized speech of its arcade precursor, Punch-Out!!. This second game in the Punch-Out!! series introduced recurring video games characters such as Bear Hugger, Dragon Chan, Vodka Drunkenski, Great Tiger and Super...
for the Super NES. Most recently, he appeared in Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!!
is a 1983–1984 boxing arcade game by Nintendo. It was the first in a series of successful Punch-Out!! games that produced an arcade sequel known as Super Punch-Out!!, a spin-off of the series titled Arm Wrestling, a highly popular version for the NES originally known as Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!,...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. In the latter game, he was designed by Eddie Viser, and voiced by Richard Newman. He is depicted as a stereotype of Canadian people, depicted as having an obsession for maple syrup and a love for the wilderness. He is powerful, yet also fast. He is bald, and has a thick, brown beard and mustache. He also has a tuft of chest hair, and wears overalls.
Since his appearance in the arcade Super Punch-Out!!, he has received mostly positive reception. He was described as a favourite of the series by IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
and Official Nintendo Magazine. In discussing stereotypes in Punch-Out!!, GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
editor Brett Elston listed ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, an affinity for nature, maple syrup, and his husky stature as stereotypes utilized in his character. Fellow GamesRadar editor Tyler Wilde jokingly stated that Canadians only drink maple syrup on special occasions. Editor Scott Jones stated that Bear Hugger drinks alcohol between matches, misinterpreting the maple syrup jar as a "jug of booze."
Concept and appearances
Bear Hugger is a Canadian boxer. He first appeared in Super Punch-Out!!Super Punch-Out!!
is a 1984 arcade game by Nintendo. It is a boxing game with the same gameplay and digitized speech of its arcade precursor, Punch-Out!!. This second game in the Punch-Out!! series introduced recurring video games characters such as Bear Hugger, Dragon Chan, Vodka Drunkenski, Great Tiger and Super...
for the arcade
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
s, and then again in Super Punch-Out!!
Super Punch-Out!!
is a 1984 arcade game by Nintendo. It is a boxing game with the same gameplay and digitized speech of its arcade precursor, Punch-Out!!. This second game in the Punch-Out!! series introduced recurring video games characters such as Bear Hugger, Dragon Chan, Vodka Drunkenski, Great Tiger and Super...
for the Super NES. He most recently appeared in Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!! (Wii)
Punch-Out!! is a boxing video game for the Wii. It is the latest game in the Punch-Out!! series. It was developed by Canadian developer Next Level Games. Game designer Shigeru Miyamoto served as the game's producer. It was first revealed at Nintendo's conference on October 2, 2008...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, where he was designed by Eddie Viser and voiced by Richard Newman. He has several Canadian stereotypes, including a love for maple syrup, ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, and the wilderness. He is bald, and has a thick, brown beard and mustache, as well as a tuft of chest hair. He also wears overalls. As seen in one of the cutscenes, Bear Hugger does boxing training with bears. He also uses a squirrel in his boxing. Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
described Bear Hugger's attack style as using "sheer force to send opponents to the mat." In their walkthrough, IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
noted that he was fast considering how large he was.
Reception
Since appearing in Super Punch-Out!! for the arcadeVideo arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
s, Bear Hugger has received mostly positive reception. He has been described as a favourite of the series by IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
editor Levi Buchanan, a statement that Official Nintendo Magazine editor Tom East echoed. University Chronicle editor Joe Brown commented that fans of Super Punch-Out!!
Super Punch-Out!!
is a 1984 arcade game by Nintendo. It is a boxing game with the same gameplay and digitized speech of its arcade precursor, Punch-Out!!. This second game in the Punch-Out!! series introduced recurring video games characters such as Bear Hugger, Dragon Chan, Vodka Drunkenski, Great Tiger and Super...
for the Super NES would be familiar with Bear Hugger. Bucks Herald
Bucks Herald
The Bucks Herald is a weekly newspaper, published every Wednesday and covering Aylesbury and its surrounding villages in the Aylesbury Vale area of Buckinghamshire, England. It was first published on January 7, 1832....
editor Damien Lucas agreed, stating that anyone would recognize him. GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
described him as "one of the wackiest opponents you'll ever see." Operation Sports editor Christian McLeod stated that Bear Hugger was "no pushover." The Escapist
The Escapist (magazine)
The Escapist is an online magazine covering video games, gamers, the gaming industry, and gaming culture. Published by the Themis Group, it was edited by Julianne Greer up to June 30, 2009, then by Russ Pitts through September 2011, and is currently edited by Steve Butts. The Escapist was first...
editor Greg Tito commented that he giggled every time Bear Hugger called player-character Little Mac "hoser
Hoser
Hoser is both a slang term and a stereotype, originating from and used primarily in Canada. It is not often used by Canadians, but it is sometimes used as "typical" Canadian slang by those imitating Canadians, similar to the expression "eh?" The term "hoser" gained popularity from the comedic skits...
." In discussing King Hippo's girth, GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
editor Chris Antista commented that King Hippo weighed as much as Bear Hugger and Mad Clown. In their list of the seven best second quests, GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
listed the Title Defense mode of Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!! (Wii)
Punch-Out!! is a boxing video game for the Wii. It is the latest game in the Punch-Out!! series. It was developed by Canadian developer Next Level Games. Game designer Shigeru Miyamoto served as the game's producer. It was first revealed at Nintendo's conference on October 2, 2008...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, stating that losing to the "squirrel-assisted" Bear Hugger would demonstrate the difficulty and creative talent of the developers. Allgame
Allgame
Allgame is a commercial database of information about arcade games, video games and console manufacturers.Allgame is owned by All Media Guide, along with Allmusic and Allmovie....
editor Skyler Miller commented that while he was humorous in Super Punch-Out!! for the Super NES, he wasn't quite "out there" compared to boxers from Punch-Out!! for the NES.
Racial stereotyping
Bear Hugger has been described as a racial stereotype of Canadian people. In discussing racial stereotyping in Punch-Out!!, GamesRadar editor Brett Elston stated that Bear Hugger embodied several Canadian stereotypes, including being husky, loving the outdoors, ice hockeyIce hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, and drinking maple syrup. Canadian GamesRadar editor Tyler Wilde jokingly stated that the stereotypes were "absolute malarky," stating that they only consume maple syrup on special occasions, and even then, only from "goose-shaped goblets carved from pine wood." Editor Scott Jones commented that Bear Hugger's Canadian origins predisposed him to consume the "big jug of booze" with which he is portrayed; however, the jug actually (or at least ostensibly) contains maple syrup
Maple syrup
Maple syrup is a syrup usually made from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees, although it can also be made from other maple species such as the bigleaf maple. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then...
(cf. the character shift in Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!!, originally known as Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, is a boxing video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System developed and published by Nintendo in 1987. It is a port of both the Punch-Out!! and Super Punch-Out!! arcade games with some variations. It has consistently been ranked among...
from "Vodka Drunkenski" to "Soda Popinski
Soda Popinski
, originally known as , is a fictional boxer from Nintendo's Punch-Out!! series. Soda Popinski first appeared in the Arcade game game Super Punch-Out!!, featuring the above mentioned Vodka Drunkenski name...
").
IGN editor Craig Harris called him "over-the-top," describing him as a "fish-loving lumberjack." Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
editor Michael McWhertor praised the stereotyping of characters in the series, stating that it was improved in the Wii Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!! (Wii)
Punch-Out!! is a boxing video game for the Wii. It is the latest game in the Punch-Out!! series. It was developed by Canadian developer Next Level Games. Game designer Shigeru Miyamoto served as the game's producer. It was first revealed at Nintendo's conference on October 2, 2008...
. He further stated that Bear Hugger was "extremely Canadian." GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
editor Tom Mc Shea described Bear Hugger as a "400-pound Canadian with a love for maple syrup and tiny woodland rodents." The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
editor Chad Sapieha commented that the roster of fighters in Punch-Out!! "would send chills down the spine of any potential pugilist," mentioning Bear Hugger as one of these boxers, calling him an "ostensibly Canadian Bear Hugger, a syrup-swilling lumberjack by trade." In discussing the increase in stereotyping in the Wii Punch-Out!!, Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
editor Chris Kohler described Bear Hugger as a "rotund Canadian strongman" who "drinks from a jug of maple syrup."