The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas is an animated Christmas TV special. It premiered on NBC on December 17, 1973 in the United States. This animated special was produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and starred the voices of Tommy Smothers, Arte Johnson (later of Misterjaw fame) and Barbara Feldon. The story focuses on Theodore Edward Bear (Ted E. Bear for short) who is curious about Christmas, and who decides to go searching for it while the other bears hibernate for winter. In the early 1980's a plush Ted E. Bear was sold in stores.