The Story of Radar's Teddy Bear
I've had several people ask me about the identity of Radar's teddy bear. That's the kind of thing that happens when you write a TV trivia book.
The best way to answer it is with a transparent plug for my book. So, here's the story of Radar's Teddy Bear, lifted right from the intro (published in 2005, so some references may be a little dated)...
Do you have any idea what the name of Radar's teddy bear was?
The odds are pretty good you don't know. I didn't. To be honest, I never gave it much thought. Then, the question came up on my morning radio show in Cincinnati. Before we took the first call, we admitted we didn't know the answer. We also emphatically stated that this was not a contest and there was no prize.
The phones exploded.
Each caller was certain they knew that bear's name. They were one hundred percent positive that they were right, because they watched M*A*S*H and they remembered the characters referring to the teddy bear by name.
Fuzzy. Pookie. Roosevelt.
We logged 87 different names before we stopped writing them down. The calls kept coming around the clock. First, it was people certain they knew the bear's name. Then, they were calling to find out what the bear's name really was.
This went on for days. Any contest or phone topic we tried to do was pre-empted by calls about that bear. A week later, we went to host a movie premiere, and people kept coming up to ask about Radar's bear.
Then, we started getting calls from local TV stations and newspaper columnists. Everyone wanted to know the name of Radar's teddy bear.
Finally, I contacted Larry Gelbart. He developed M*A*S*H for television, along with writing and directing many episodes. He confirmed what we had begun to suspect. Radar's teddy bear did not have a name. We sighed with relief, figuring that it was finally over.
Two weeks later, a gentleman stopped by the station during the show. He told us that he had a friend who had a friend who had a friend, and he handed us a postcard. On the front was a scene from M*A*S*H, showing Radar hugging his teddy bear. On the back was the following message:
WARM 98 Gang,
My bear's name was Tiger.
Sincerely,
Gary Burghoff
I've worked at a bunch of radio stations, many of which have huge budgets for promotional events. I've given away trips, cars and cash. I've sent people to see Celine Dion, Shania Twain and the Rolling Stones. Not one of those events ever garnered the word of mouth that this one trivia question did.
A similar thing has been happening on TV recently. When the Reality trend hit TV a few years ago, celebrities were found hosting prime time game shows that, for all their glamor and glitz, were little more than trivia contests.
The questions that seemed to generate the most interest were the ones about TV shows. Regis asked about Full House (what city was the setting?). On The Weakest Link, Anne Robinson asked about Green Acres (what was the name of the Ziffel's pig?). I've even heard people argue over Phyllis and Rhoda (who left The Mary Tyler Moore Show first?).
Nielsen ratings consistently showed both Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and The Weakest Link as successes. Regis often placed two episodes in the top five, while both programs routinely held four slots in the top 20. This was true even when they were reruns, by the way, proving there is a large interest in what these shows offer.
Later, Regis returned during every sweeps period for special editions of his show, which were always a ratings' bonanza for ABC.
More recent ratings' winners are the current crop of reality programs. While Survivor's appeal seems to be waning, American Idol, Moment of Truth and Deal Or No Deal all seem to be generating the same kind of enthusiasm that grabbed audiences over twenty years ago, when everyone wanted to know who shot J.R.
Another new trend is the ever-increasing amount of television shows that are now appearing on DVD. There are the expected classics like The Andy Griffith Show, M*A*S*H and Cheers, and fan-favorites like The X-Files, Friends and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There are also programs available from every age of television, including I Love Lucy, The Monkees and Charlie's Angels. Current programs are even making their way onto DVD, like Friday Night Lights, Lost and Two And A Half Men.
It's not just that these shows are available; they're selling! Every week, more and more series become available. And more and more people welcome those shows they love back into their homes, where they can spend time with them again and again, whenever they want.
We all have strong feelings about TV shows. We may not remember who shot Mr. Burns or J.R. We may not know the name of Gilligan's boat or Frasier's son. We might not even remember what soap Joey Tribiani appeared on. But we think we do. Why? We watch too much TV. We don't just watch it; we become part of it. We care about these people and places that don't really exist. The programs take us away from our hectic, crazy lives. And we are so grateful.
Sometimes, it's only for thirty minutes, but a little break is better than none at all.
So there's more than you probably needed to know, but that's how I found out the name of Radar's Teddy Bear (which wouldn't be a bad name for a band, by the way).
Oh, and what kind of plug would it be if I didn't make it easy for you to get copies of my book for you and all your friends?
Don't answer that. If you'd like to get a copy, though, you can find it right here...Ken's book
Thanks so much for reading this far!
The best way to answer it is with a transparent plug for my book. So, here's the story of Radar's Teddy Bear, lifted right from the intro (published in 2005, so some references may be a little dated)...
Do you have any idea what the name of Radar's teddy bear was?
The odds are pretty good you don't know. I didn't. To be honest, I never gave it much thought. Then, the question came up on my morning radio show in Cincinnati. Before we took the first call, we admitted we didn't know the answer. We also emphatically stated that this was not a contest and there was no prize.
The phones exploded.
Each caller was certain they knew that bear's name. They were one hundred percent positive that they were right, because they watched M*A*S*H and they remembered the characters referring to the teddy bear by name.
Fuzzy. Pookie. Roosevelt.
We logged 87 different names before we stopped writing them down. The calls kept coming around the clock. First, it was people certain they knew the bear's name. Then, they were calling to find out what the bear's name really was.
This went on for days. Any contest or phone topic we tried to do was pre-empted by calls about that bear. A week later, we went to host a movie premiere, and people kept coming up to ask about Radar's bear.
Then, we started getting calls from local TV stations and newspaper columnists. Everyone wanted to know the name of Radar's teddy bear.
Finally, I contacted Larry Gelbart. He developed M*A*S*H for television, along with writing and directing many episodes. He confirmed what we had begun to suspect. Radar's teddy bear did not have a name. We sighed with relief, figuring that it was finally over.
Two weeks later, a gentleman stopped by the station during the show. He told us that he had a friend who had a friend who had a friend, and he handed us a postcard. On the front was a scene from M*A*S*H, showing Radar hugging his teddy bear. On the back was the following message:
WARM 98 Gang,
My bear's name was Tiger.
Sincerely,
Gary Burghoff
I've worked at a bunch of radio stations, many of which have huge budgets for promotional events. I've given away trips, cars and cash. I've sent people to see Celine Dion, Shania Twain and the Rolling Stones. Not one of those events ever garnered the word of mouth that this one trivia question did.
A similar thing has been happening on TV recently. When the Reality trend hit TV a few years ago, celebrities were found hosting prime time game shows that, for all their glamor and glitz, were little more than trivia contests.
The questions that seemed to generate the most interest were the ones about TV shows. Regis asked about Full House (what city was the setting?). On The Weakest Link, Anne Robinson asked about Green Acres (what was the name of the Ziffel's pig?). I've even heard people argue over Phyllis and Rhoda (who left The Mary Tyler Moore Show first?).
Nielsen ratings consistently showed both Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and The Weakest Link as successes. Regis often placed two episodes in the top five, while both programs routinely held four slots in the top 20. This was true even when they were reruns, by the way, proving there is a large interest in what these shows offer.
Later, Regis returned during every sweeps period for special editions of his show, which were always a ratings' bonanza for ABC.
More recent ratings' winners are the current crop of reality programs. While Survivor's appeal seems to be waning, American Idol, Moment of Truth and Deal Or No Deal all seem to be generating the same kind of enthusiasm that grabbed audiences over twenty years ago, when everyone wanted to know who shot J.R.
Another new trend is the ever-increasing amount of television shows that are now appearing on DVD. There are the expected classics like The Andy Griffith Show, M*A*S*H and Cheers, and fan-favorites like The X-Files, Friends and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There are also programs available from every age of television, including I Love Lucy, The Monkees and Charlie's Angels. Current programs are even making their way onto DVD, like Friday Night Lights, Lost and Two And A Half Men.
It's not just that these shows are available; they're selling! Every week, more and more series become available. And more and more people welcome those shows they love back into their homes, where they can spend time with them again and again, whenever they want.
We all have strong feelings about TV shows. We may not remember who shot Mr. Burns or J.R. We may not know the name of Gilligan's boat or Frasier's son. We might not even remember what soap Joey Tribiani appeared on. But we think we do. Why? We watch too much TV. We don't just watch it; we become part of it. We care about these people and places that don't really exist. The programs take us away from our hectic, crazy lives. And we are so grateful.
Sometimes, it's only for thirty minutes, but a little break is better than none at all.
So there's more than you probably needed to know, but that's how I found out the name of Radar's Teddy Bear (which wouldn't be a bad name for a band, by the way).
Oh, and what kind of plug would it be if I didn't make it easy for you to get copies of my book for you and all your friends?
Don't answer that. If you'd like to get a copy, though, you can find it right here...Ken's book
Thanks so much for reading this far!