Yes, he’s the Gummy Bear, and he’s here as our second topic on Polish Internet culture! Look out for the article on our site this December 13th, with the biggest Polish upload on YouTube (621M views) at its core, and extras.
Gummibär is an international project encompassing music, a TV show, video games, a made-for-video special, toys, beverage syrups, and more. Starting with 2006’s “I Am Your Gummy Bear (The Gummy Bear Song)”, its mascot has entertained at least three generations of kids and, over the years, has been a spokesperson for many projects (including a brand of Greek sausage) and had his own music player sold with McDonald’s Happy Meals. There is also a large community of passionate fans of the green candy character, working on all sorts of amazing projects. Two of its most active members also played a part in creating this site and when asked about personal feelings towards the lovable jelly creature, Bekzii, also an administrator of the “Gummibär’s Official Server” Discord, responds:
“If I had to describe what Gummibär means to me, I’d say he’s just goofy fun. Sometimes it’s nice to forget about all the worries and cynicism in the world for a bit and watch this silly bear jump around and dance. I’ve always held on to the mentality that I shouldn’t lose the kid in me. Just because you’re not one anymore doesn’t mean you can’t still hold on to and enjoy what made that fun, and [the brand] is a part of that joy to me.”
Even considering Gummibär’s continued worldwide appeal for almost two decades, the fact that the music video we are focusing on, featuring the Polish version of his 2012 single “Bubble Up”, has garnered over 16 times the number of views as the population of Poland is quite a feat. With a gap of over 165 million views between it and the second-place upload, it’s clear that no other content creator is likely to surpass it anytime soon. The popularity of the production, which appears to be the second most-watched clip from the project, right after the English upload of the debut recording’s full accompanying animation, surprises even the core GBI team. It’s worth noting the first single was typically the biggest hit in most markets. (Not to say the song in question was not also popular here; its cultural significance in our region is highlighted by an English-language cover being at one point very frequently setlisted during local orchestral comedy project’s known as Filharmonia Dowcipu (The Philharmonic of Smile)’s nationally televised various live performances.)
The track had been worked on by the father-and-son duo Christian Phillip and Christian André Schneider. (The former is the creator of the character’s main concept, music producer, creative entrepreneur of many fields, restaurateur, chef, and one of the people behind Felix the Cat: The Movie, an animation partly done by the most famous Polish studio in Bielsko-Biała. The latter, also known as Maci, is the voice of the bear in many languages and also produces music under the alias Tonekind). Instrumental in its proper creation was also Jurgen Korduletsch, the President of Gummybear International (a creator of many labels and highly successful manager, responsible for helping many European acts cross over into the U.S. market, while also dealing with various songwriting and production since the disco era). The music video featuring the main centerpiece designed by visual artist and director Pete Dodd in 2006, was produced by Game-Ever, a Hungarian game and animation team.
While many translations of Gummibär songs were handled by uncredited close associates of Gummybear International, our sources indicate that most of the Polish lyrics (with the inclusion of “Bubble Up” being uncertain) were likely written by Marek Dutkiewicz – a highly respected figure behind some of the biggest local hits from the 1970s to the present (including the first Polish acts to be played on MTV, whom we plan to cover in the future). Dutkiewicz’s many contributions to Polish music led to his star being unveiled on the Walk of Fame in Opole’s city center in 2017. However, it is worth noting that his name is misspelled as “Dudkiewicz” in the first ten localizations’ streaming credits, and he is not credited via print on the two local full albums’ CD booklets – only on compilations released by the Polish Universal-owned label. Since all of our adaptations of Gummibär songs were arranged by Magic Records and also done as ‘works made for hire’ or buyouts, this peculiar authorship situation might have been also the case for the tracks published after 2009 (though without the voluntary physical or virtual reference, which seemed to only affect the earliest batch). With all of the contracts and agreements in place over the years, it might be impossible to officially acquire and share the knowledge.
The relevance, intriguing trivia, and mysteries surrounding this late-2000s Internet phenomenon are unmatched by many others that have emerged since. If you’re looking for more funny gummy goodness, check out Gummibär’s Discord server, popular Roblox experience, or head to the brand’s main YouTube channel, where you can find a wide array of social media links.
(photos: Gummybear International)
