Buddy Bears are painted, life-size fiberglass bear sculptures developed by German businesspeople Klaus and Eva Herlitz, in cooperation with sculptor Roman Strobl. They have become a landmark of Berlin and are considered unofficial ambassadors of Germany. The outstretched arms of the standing Buddy Bear symbolise friendliness and optimism. [1] The first bears were displayed at an artistic event in Berlin in 2001. [2]
The first activities were presented as the Buddy Bear Berlin Show. In 2001, artists painted approximately 350 bears to appear as decorative elements in the streets of Berlin. [3] Four different bear designs (one standing on all four paws, one standing on two legs, one standing on its head, and one in a sitting position) were placed in the historic center of Berlin. [4] Afterwards, many of the bears were sold at auctions in aid of local child relief nonprofits.
Nowadays, these Berlin Buddy Bears are exclusively presented on private premises, in front of hotels and embassies, as well as in the foyers of various office buildings. There have been exhibitions of the original Buddy Bears — designed by local artists — in the cities of Shanghai (2004), Buenos Aires (2005), and St. Gallen / Switzerland (2006).
United Buddy Bears is an international art exhibition with more than 145 2-meter (6 ft 7 in)-tall fiberglass bears. Under the motto: "We have to get to know each other better, it makes us understand one another better, trust each other more, and live together more peacefully", more than 140 countries acknowledged by the United Nations are represented, promoting "tolerance, international understanding and the great concept of different nations and cultures living in peace and harmony". The bears stand "hand in hand" in a "peaceful circle" (The Art of Tolerance [5] ). The bears were on display between June and November 2002, in a circle around the Brandenburg Gate. Around 1.5 million people visited this first exhibition. On 6 November 2002, the bears were moved to new locations, including their respective countries' embassies in Berlin, or back to the country that they were based on. Some of the bears were auctioned off to raise money for UNICEF.
After the success of the first exhibition, a new circle was created in 2003. The idea was to send the circle on a global tour. [6] The circle changes when it reaches a new city, as the bears are always set up in alphabetic order, following the local language of the host country.[ citation needed ] Entry to the exhibitions is always free. In every metropolis, the United Buddy Bears exhibitions are supported by the government, the foreign ministries, the mayors, local nonprofits, and UNICEF. [7] The bears have been displayed at the following locations since the beginning of the tour:
| Year | Country / city site of exhibition | Patron of the exhibition / opening by |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 June – November |  Germany Berlin, next to the Brandenburg Gate – Pariser Platz | Joschka Fischer, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Klaus Wowereit, Berlin's Governing Mayor |
| 2003 July – November | Germany Berlin, next to the Brandenburg Gate – Pariser Platz | Sir Peter Ustinov, actor and UNICEF World Ambassador Dan Coats, U.S. Ambassador to Germany |
| 2004 January – February |  Austria Kitzbühel | Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Horst Wendling, Mayor of Kitzbühel |
| 2004 May – June |  Hong Kong, China Hong Kong, Victoria Park | Jackie Chan, actor and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Patrick Ho, Hong Kong's Secretary for Home Affairs |
| 2004 / 2005 December – January |  Turkey Istanbul, Tepebaşı Pera Square, Beyoğlu | Ahmet Misbah Demircan, Mayor of Beyoğlu Rainer Möckelmann, German General Consul in Istanbul |
| 2005 April – May |  Japan Tokyo, [8] Roppongi Hills | Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan Horst Köhler, President of the Federal Republic of Germany |
| 2005 October – November |  South Korea Seoul, Olympic Park | Messages of greeting from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Korea, Ban Ki-moon |
| 2006 March – April |  Australia Sydney, Sydney Opera House – Circular Quay | John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia Ken Done, artist and UNICEF Ambassador |
| 2006 June – July | Germany Berlin, [9] Bebelplatz | Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Karin Schubert, Mayor of Berlin Mia Farrow, American actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador |
| 2006 September – October | Austria Vienna, Karlsplatz | Grete Laska, Deputy Mayor of Vienna Karin Schubert, Mayor of Berlin Christiane Hörbiger, film actress and UNICEF Ambassador |
| 2007 April – May |  Egypt Cairo, [10] Gezira Promenade Zamalek | Suzanne Mubarak, First Lady of Egypt Hans-Dietrich Genscher, former German Foreign Minister Abdel Azim Wazir, Governor of Cairo |
| 2007 August – September |  Israel Jerusalem, Safra Square | Tzipi Livni, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel Yigal Amedi, Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Iris Berben, German actress and winner of the Women's World Award 2004 |
| 2008 May – June |  Poland Warsaw, Castle Square | Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, Mayor of the City of Warsaw Klaus Wowereit, Governing Mayor of Berlin Anne Hidalgo, First Deputy Mayor of Paris |
| 2008 July -August | Germany Stuttgart, Schlossplatz | Wolfgang Schuster, Lord Mayor of Stuttgart |
| 2008 October |  North Korea Pyongyang, [11] Moran Hill Youth Park, close to the Kim-Il-Sung statue | Mun Jae Chol, Foreign Affairs of North-Korea Thomas Schäfer, German Ambassador in North Korea |
| 2009 March – April |  Argentina Buenos Aires, [12] Plaza San Martin | Mauricio Macri, Mayor of Buenos Aires Hernán Lombardi, Minister for Cultural Affairs |
| 2009 May – June |  Uruguay Montevideo, [13] Plaza Independencia | Tabaré Vázquez, President of Uruguay Ricardo Ehrlich, Mayor of Montevideo Bernhard Graf von Waldersee, German Ambassador in Uruguay |
| 2009 / 2010 November – April | Germany Berlin, [14] Hauptbahnhof, [15] Indoor | Ursula von der Leyen, Federal Ministry of Family Affairs Dennenesch Zoudé, German actress and United Buddy Bears Special Ambassador |
| 2010 May – July |  Kazakhstan Astana, next to the Bayterek Tower | Imangali Tasmagambetov, Akim of Astana Rainer Schlageter, German Ambassador in Kazakhstan |
| 2010 September – October |  Finland Helsinki, [16] Senate Square | Jussi Pajunen, Mayor of Helsinki Peter Scholz, German Ambassador in Finland |
| 2011 April – May |  Bulgaria Sofia, [17] Square St Nedelya | Yordanka Fandakova, Mayor of Sofia Klaus Wowereit, Berlin's Governing Mayor Matthias Martin Höpfner, German Ambassador in Bulgaria |
| 2011 June – October | Germany Berlin, [18] Kurfürstendamm | Klaus Wowereit, Berlin's Governing Mayor Monika Thiemen, Mayor of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf |
| 2011 / 2012 December – February |  Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, [19] [20] next to Pavilion Kuala Lumpur [21] | Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, Sultan of Selangor Ahmad Fuad Ismail, Mayor of Kuala Lumpur |
| 2012 March – May |  India New Delhi, [22] [23] Connaught Place | Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister of Delhi Klaus Wowereit, Berlin's Governing Mayor |
| 2012 June – August |  Russia Saint Petersburg, [24] [25] Alexander Garden, next to the Palace Square | Vladimir Putin, President of Russia Joachim Gauck, President of Germany [26] |
| 2012 October–November |  France Paris [27] [28] [29] / Eiffel Tower – Champ de Mars | Guido Westerwelle, German Minister of Foreign Affairs Bertrand Delanoë, Mayor of Paris Pierre Schapira, Member of the European Parliament |
| 2014 May – July |  Brazil Rio de Janeiro, [7] Copacabana | Eduardo Paes, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro Jürgen Trittin, German Federal Ministry for the Environment from 1998 to 2005 Harald Klein, German General Consul in Rio de Janeiro |
| 2015 January – March |  Cuba Havana, [30] [31] [32] Plaza San Francisco de Asis [33] | Eusebio Leal, Ambassador of Goodwill of the United Nations Peter Scholz, German Ambassador in Cuba Eva and Klaus Herlitz, the initiators of the United Buddy Bears activities |
| 2015 April – June |  Chile Santiago de Chile, Vitacura, Parque Bicentenario | Heraldo Muñoz Valenzuela, Foreign Affairs Minister of Chile Hans Henning Blomeyer-Bartenstein, German Ambassador in Chile |
| 2016 August – October | Malaysia George Town, Esplanade [34] [35] | Lim Guan Eng, Chief Minister of Penang |
| 2017 / 2018 December – January | Germany Berlin, Walter-Benjamin-Platz [36] | Marianne von Weizsäcker, Patron of the exhibition Sawsan Chebli, Berlin (Senat) |
| 2018 July – August |  Latvia Riga, Dome Square [37] | Dace Melbārde, Latvian Culture Minister Nils Ušakovs, Riga City Mayor |
| 2019 April – May |  Guatemala Antigua, [38] Plaza Mayor [39] | Sandra Jovel, Foreign Affairs Minister of Guatemala Susana Asencio Lueg, Mayor of Antigua Harald Klein, German Ambassador in Guatemala |
| 2019 May – June | Guatemala Guatemala City, Plaza de la Constitución | Sandra Jovel, Foreign Affairs Minister of Guatemala Ricardo Quiñónez Lemus, Mayor of Guatemala City Eva Herlitz und Harald Klein |
| 2020/ 2023 July – September | Germany Berlin, Tierpark Berlin | Franziska Giffey, German Minister for Family Affairs Michael Müller, Governing Mayor of Berlin Klaus and Eva Herlitz |
| 2024 Mai–Juli |  Slovenia Ljubljana [40] / Trg republike | Urška Klakočar Zupančič, Speaker of the National Assembly Zoran Janković, Mayor of Ljubljana Natalie Kauther, German ambassador Klaus Herlitz |
In the autumn of 2003, the circle of United Buddy Bears-The Minis was presented in Berlin for the first time. [50] Since then, this circle has been shown in Frankfurt/Main, in Potsdam and at the Sony Center in Berlin, as well as destinations outside of Germany, including Bratislava in Slovakia, Calais in France, and Yekaterinburg and Kazan in Russia. [51] [52]
As of June 2024 [update] , donations and proceeds from the sale of Buddy Bears at auction had generated a total of Euro 2,500,000 in support of UNICEF and local nonprofits that help children in need. [53]
In the early years, the Bears were designed by regional artists and Berlin celebrities for the exhibition Art in the City. [54] From 2002 onwards, thanks to support from Lufthansa, Air Berlin and the Berlin Hotel Association, artists from all five continents took part in the international project United Buddy Bears. More than 240 artists from over 150 countries have taken part in this project to date, [55] such as Arik Brauer, René Cadena Ayala, Hernando León, Ibrahim Hazimeh, Carlos Páez Vilaró, Seo Soo-Kyoung, Helge Leiberg, Leda Luss Luyken, Ludmila Seefried-Matějková. This is also echoed by the artist and UNICEF Australian National Ambassador, Ken Done.
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Media related to Buddy Bears at Wikimedia Commons
