Within the late Nineteen Thirties, Portland youngsters would flock to Toyland at Lipman’s downtown division retailer at Southwest Fifth Avenue and Washington Road, the place they may watch a “sound cartoon” for 25 cents within the Thimble Theater, see Santa Claus and – most particular of all – meet his sidekick, Cinnamon Bear.
Cinnamon Bear was amongst Portland households’ favourite vacation purchasing traditions till the Nineteen Nineties, when the division retailer appearances had been no extra. Nowadays, nonetheless, youngsters are lining as much as meet Cinnamon Bear on a cruise ship.
A part of a 1938 Lipman Wolfe’s advert in The Oregonian features a promotion for the Cinnamon Bear radio collection, airing on the time on KALEOregonian
Cinnamon Bear, whose official title is Paddy O’Cinnamon, was the creation of Glanville Heisch, who labored at KFI AM radio in Los Angeles within the Nineteen Thirties. Heisch advised The Oregonian in 1979 {that a} pal within the promoting enterprise had requested him to write down a 26-episode youngsters’s serial to run between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The primary of Heisch’s 5 daughters had simply been born, and he’d written a poem, “The Cinnamon Bear with the Shoe Button Eyes.” That poem impressed the radio story.
Lipman’s mainstay Cinnamon Bear dances with 4-year-old Jeanmarie Kitson in a 1979 file picture.Oregonian
The collection adopted Jimmy and Judy, two youngsters who head to their attic to retrieve the silver star to high their Christmas tree. After they uncover the star is lacking, a magical speaking teddy bear tells them a dragon took it to Maybeland. Over a collection of 12-minute episodes, the youngsters go on a “Wizard of Oz” fashion journey, assembly a forged of fanciful characters searching for their tree topper.
The Cinnamon Bear story, as advised in that 1937 radio manufacturing, was broadcast on radio stations throughout the nation, nevertheless it grew to become a selected native custom when Portland-based Lipman’s division retailer adopted Cinnamon Bear as its Christmas mascot.
Together with Santa Claus, youngsters may meet the bear at Lipman’s flagship retailer (which is as we speak house to the Royal Sonesta resort). The custom continued after Lipman’s was bought and have become Frederick & Nelson in 1979.
In 1985, gross sales affiliate Debbie Williams laughs as Rachel Kafoury, 82 and Marie Haskell, 93, get a hug from Cinnamon bear throughout a purchasing day at Frederick & Nelson’s downtown retailer.Oregonian
However Frederick & Nelson closed its downtown retailer in 1986, and the corporate’s final Oregon location, at Washington Sq. mall, closed in 1991. Although variations of Cinnamon Bear made a number of neighborhood appearances within the early Nineteen Nineties, he started to fade from Portlanders’ collective Christmas recollections.
Till Dennis Corwin, common supervisor with Portland Spirit cruises, advised a revival.
“I bear in mind going to Washington Sq. and seeing the Cinnamon Bear at Frederick & Nelson and sitting on his lap and telling him what you needed for Christmas,” mentioned Corwin, 54. “I bear in mind listening to the radio serial rising up. It was one thing my grandmother launched me to, and my dad and mom listened to it, and so it was a convention.”
Kids on the Heidi-Ho day care heart collect round Frederick & Nelson’s Cinnamon Bear throughout one among his pre-Christmas visits in 1987.Oregonian
In 2004, Corwin was in a administration assembly to debate Christmas cruises. Portland Spirit had lengthy supplied journeys that coincided with the Christmas Ship parades alongside the Willamette River. These night cruises had been (and are) vastly widespread, however the December daytime schedule was gentle. Somebody advised a morning Santa cruise.
“On the time, Meier & Frank had the massive Santaland downtown,” Corwin mentioned. “I used to be like, we don’t need to compete with that. Everybody does Santa. Why don’t we do the Cinnamon Bear?”
It seems, the Cinnamon Bear was ripe for a rebranding. In contrast to that different beloved division retailer Christmas mascot — Rudolph the Pink-Nosed reindeer — Cinnamon Bear was by no means copyrighted.
The Portland Spirit employed a mascot firm to revamp the Cinnamon Bear costume. The previous Lipman’s bear had black button eyes surrounded by white circles and outsized protruding lips — a design that would greatest be described as “creepy.” Even the Nineteen Nineties model of the bear was a bit dated.
The Cinnamon Bear is flanked by Jimmy, performed by J.D. Knight, and Judy, performed by Kaitlin Olson (sure, the actress) put together for vacation appearances based mostly on the characters within the previous radio play in a 1991 file picture from The Oregonian.Oregonian
The brand new Cinnamon Bear was given a rounder face, oval eyes, a inexperienced bowtie and somewhat sailor’s cap printed with the phrases “Portland Spirit.” The primary Cinnamon Bear cruise launched in 2005.
“The telephones rang off the hook the primary yr, out of the gate,” Corwin mentioned. “It was superb. And the children didn’t know the character, even a number of the dad and mom didn’t fairly know, however grandma and grandpa did, so grandma would deliver all of her grandkids.”
The primary cruise featured solely Cinnamon Bear, however through the years, extra characters from the unique radio serial had been added to the forged.
Within the 1937 story, the youngsters sail throughout the Root Beer Ocean in a ship piloted by Captain Taffy. This was a pure factor to spotlight within the Portland Spirit model.
The Cinnamon Bear greets youngsters aboard the Portland Spirit cruise.Samantha Swindler/ The Oregonian
“It was agreed upon fairly early that Captain Taffy was going to be the ‘Santa’ of the cruise,” Corwin mentioned. “Santa does exist within the Cinnamon Bear story, however he’s one of many characters we determined would by no means be part of the cruise as a result of it actually was all concerning the Cinnamon Bear. Santa’s a kind of issues that may trump Cinnamon Bear.”
Aspect characters embody the Loopy Quilt Dragon and Queen Melissa. Early cruises featured a personality referred to as Presto the Magician, however when the actor performing the position retired — and since so many youngsters are repeat prospects — Corwin knew he couldn’t simply exchange him.
“I’ve households which were with me yearly for 20 years, and they also know all of the gamers,” he mentioned.
Thus, Jack Frost, who additionally appeared within the authentic story, was launched as the brand new magician.
Whereas impressed by the unique radio serial, many components on the Portland Spirit cruise are authentic creations. Native composer Rick Lewis wrote 5 new musical numbers for the cruise, and Portland Spirit labored with a writer to design and produce their very own Cinnamon Bear youngsters’s ebook model of the story. (These songs and the ebook, by the way in which, are copyrighted.)
Cinnamon Bear merchandise on the market aboard the Portland Spirit.Samantha Swindler/ The Oregonian
Aboard the Cinnamon Bear cruise, dad and mom can purchase dragon or fairy wings, books, ornaments, stuffed bears, and an assortment of Cinnamon Bear merch.
They’ll additionally, fortunately, hit up a cocktail bar whereas the children take pleasure in story time or the magic present.
The cruise had a two-year pause in the course of the COVID pandemic. When it returned, Corwin up to date this system to characteristic sit-down breakfast service slightly than a buffet. It required the price of the cruise to extend. Corwin wasn’t certain it will work — however dad and mom cherished the modifications. Right this moment, the Cinnamon Bear cruises — which might maintain as much as 220 company — are close to sell-outs, particularly nearer to Christmas.
Jess Lawlor is a Portland transplant, so she hadn’t grown up with Cinnamon Bear. However final yr, she took her youngsters, then ages 3 and 5, on the cruise for the primary time.
“It’s form of like a Disney cruise or character cruise, nevertheless it’s so charmingly low price range, and my children cherished it,” she mentioned.
The household goes once more this yr, and Lawlor anticipates it will likely be an annual tour for at the least a number of extra Christmases, till the children grow to be somewhat too previous for Cinnamon Bear.
“It’s enjoyable as an grownup to expertise this bizarre, campy factor,” she mentioned. “There are footage, a magic present, story time, there’s so many issues to interact the children.”
That is the twentieth yr of the Cinnamon Bear cruise, and Corwin attributes Cinnamon Bear’s longevity to nostalgia. It’s grow to be a convention, handed down from every era, and Cinnamon Bear himself has grow to be an unofficial mascot for the corporate.
“I solely do 12 Cinnamon Bear cruises, and we do about 2,000 cruises a yr, so to place this a lot vitality into 12 cruises, most of our trade thinks we’re insane,” Corwin mentioned. “Why would you make investments that form of cash and that form of time into 12 cruises? I don’t know. It’s now grow to be virtually a part of our id, and that’s why we do it.”
In a 1969 file picture, Cinnamon Bear intrigues 9-year-old Leonard Larson.Oregonian
Need to take heed to The Cinnamon Bear?
KBPS-AM radio, run by Portland Public Faculties, nonetheless broadcasts the unique radio collection. It begins airing at midday this Friday and can run day by day the remainder of the month. Listeners can even discover it for obtain on Apple podcasts or Spotify. On-line radio station ICAN, based mostly in Portland, broadcasts episodes at midday and 6 p.m. day by day all through the month. You’ll be able to even discover an up to date model of The Cinnamon Bear serial, produced by Audible in 2019, with actor Alan Cummings enjoying Paddy O’Cinnamon.
Need to take The Cinnamon Bear cruise?
Cinnamon Bear cruises happen Saturday and Sundays earlier than Christmas, and the week of Christmas Dec. 23, 24, 26 and 27. Every two-hour cruise begins boarding at 9 a.m. and leaves at 9:30 a.m., and it consists of breakfast, gratuity and a memento picture. Tickets are $80 for adults and $60 for kids. Reserve tickets at portlandspirit.com.
— Samantha Swindler covers options for The Oregonian/OregonLive and Right here is Oregon. Attain her at sswindler@oregonian.com.
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