A new shirt celebrating the original Country Bear Jamboree has appeared on shopDisney, and includes a mention of Liver Lips McGrowl — who was recently revealed to be getting a name change alongside an update for the classic attraction.
Country Bear Jamboree Raglan T-Shirt for Adults – $36.99
The raglan T-shirt has a white torso with black three-quarter sleeves.
On the left breast, a screen-printed logo for the Country Bear Jamboree is present, with three small burnt orange stars below it.
On the back, a gig-poster style graphic for the Jamboree is visible, advertising the show “live from Grizzly Hall,” and lists the performers in the show along with a selection of their songs.
Second-billed under Henry is none other than Liver Lips McGrowl on guitar. This shirt release comes just two days after it was announced that the bear would get a name change.
When the Magic Kingdom attraction is reimagined into the Country Bear Musical Jamboree in 2024, the character will be renamed as Romeo McGrowl and get an all-new look.
“Liver lips” is a racial slur, and the bear has not been referred to as such internally for quite a while. Additionally, he would not sign his name for autographs as Liver Lips.
Country Bear Musical Jamboree
The “Country Bear Musical Jamboree” will be inspired by the musical revues of Nashville and will see the bears reimagine classic Disney songs in “different genres of country music,” according to the Disney Parks Blog. A video showcasing a country-inspired reinterpretation of “The Bare Necessities” from “The Jungle Book” was shown at Destination D23.
A show featuring Disney music was originally developed for Tokyo Disneyland but never implemented. At the same time, a “Toy Story” Woody’s Roundup marionette show was in development to replace Country Bear Jamboree at Magic Kingdom. This idea was scrapped and replaced with the Disney music show, which was in the planning stages when Walt Disney World closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, delaying the project.
Former Walt Disney Imagineer Ethan Reed shared a post about first pitching the “Country Bear Musical Jamboree” almost 20 years ago.
The Country Bear Jamboree
The Country Bear Jamboree was an opening day attraction at Frontierland in Magic Kingdom, with the doors to Grizzly Hall opening on October 1, 1971. The beloved attraction features a number of audio-animatronic bears singing sometimes heartfelt, sometimes humorous, but always entertaining songs such as “How Long Will My Baby Be Gone,” “Blood on the Saddle,” and “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” (these songs figure to be replaced with the upcoming “Country Bear Musical Jamboree” update).
The Country Bear Jamboree proved to be popular with guests, and a version of the attraction opened alongside Critter Country at Disneyland in 1972. The Disneyland edition of the show ran for 29 years, closing in September 2001. A version of the Country Bear Jamboree was also an opening day attraction at Tokyo Disneyland in 1983; it’s still active today.
An attraction synonymous with Disney Parks and general Walt Disney Imagineering, the Country Bear Jamboree was among the first attractions that Walt Disney Pictures looked to when it made a concerted effort to adapt Disney Parks rides and experiences into films in the early 21st century. “The Country Bears” movie released in 2002, the year before “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” and the Eddie Murphy-led “The Haunted Mansion.” “The Country Bears” starred Christopher Walken, Diedrich Bader, and Haley Joel Osment, and was a critical and commercial flop.
Will you be purchasing this raglan T-shirt that celebrates the attraction in its original form? Are you looking forward to the update coming to the Country Bear Jamboree? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
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