I remember listening to the Cinnamon Bear on the radio as a child. In Portland, Oregon they replayed the vintage radio series every night at 6:45 PM during the holiday season. One of the best presents my mother ever gave me was the recording of the series. I eagerly listened every night with Trevor starting when he was 3. At three he didn’t always make it through the whole 10 minutes but I just loved laying in bed with him snuggling and listening to the story as he fell asleep.
The Cinnamon Bear is a charming children’s radio series from 1937. In 25 episodes lasting 10-12 minutes each Jimmy and Judy travel to The Land of Maybe to retrieve their precious silver star for the top of their Christmas tree. It’s a race to see if they can retrieve their star from the tricky Crazy Quilt Dragon who stole it out of their attic and whisked it away to Maybe Land. With the help of Paddy O’Cinnamon Judy and Jimmy overcome obstacles and get help from some magical friends to save their Christmas.
In 2000 the Smithsonian recognized the historical value of the Cinnamon Bear and created an upgraded CD recording.
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For me the best part of the Cinnamon Bear is the snuggling and the memories. My children listen from about age 3 to age 9 or 10. After that the older ones would make appearances upon request of a younger sibling or for particularly important episodes like Christmas Eve. There are a few mildly scarier episodes and you have to remember it was recorded in the 30′s so the gender roles of Judy and Jimmy are a little stereotypical, but Judy does save the day several times!
The search for the silver star has been a wonderful memory for our family. I would also recommend this as a fun gift!
Enjoy the adventure,
xo
Barbara