United Buddy Bears

One World Buddy Bear

United Buddy Bears — Exhibition Paris 2012

Buddy Bears is the name given to painted, life-size fibreglass bear sculptures developed by Buddy Bär Berlin GmbH, a Berlin based company owned by Klaus and Eva Herlitz, in cooperation with sculptor Roman Strobl, established in 2001. Buddy Bär Berlin GmbH runs an associated charity called United Buddy Bears promoting "urban events" under the theme of "peace, international understanding and tolerance among the nations, cultures and religions of this world".^[1]

Buddy Bear Berlin Show

Two Buddy Bears at Kurfürstendamm 21, Berlin

United Buddy Bears, Exhibition
Rio de Janeiro,^[2] Copacabana 2014

The first activities were presented as the Buddy Bear Berlin Show. In 2001, artists painted approximately 350 bears to appear in the public domain, as decorative elements in the streets of Berlin. 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) took part in this activity in the city centre of Berlin.^[3] Afterwards, many of the bears were sold at auctions in aid of child relief organisations. 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 already 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

United Buddy Bears, Exhibition, Berlin 2006

United Buddy Bears, Exhibition Vienna 2006

United Buddy Bears, Exhibition Cairo 2007

United Buddy Bears, Exhibition Jerusalem 2007

United Buddy Bears, Exhibition Buenos Aires 2009

United Buddy Bears, Exhibition Astana (Kazakhstan) 2010

United Buddy Bears, Exhibition Helsinki 2010, Senate Square

United Buddy Bears, Exhibition Sofia 2011, Square St Nedelya

United Buddy Bears is an international art exhibition with more than 140 two metre tall fibreglass 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^[4]).

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 country that they were based on. Some of the bears were auctioned off to raise money for UNICEF.

After the circle of "United Buddy Bears" had been such an overwhelming success in 2002, a new circle was created in 2003. The idea was to send the circle on a global tour.^[5]

On their global tour, the "United Buddy Bears" promote peace, love, tolerance and international understanding. The circle changes every time it reaches a new city. This is not only due to the local conditions, but also to their constantly changing order, as the bears are always set up in alphabetic order, following the local language of the host country. This always leads to new and sometimes politically very interesting proximities.

Entry to the exhibitions is always free. This makes it possible for many school classes to visit the exhibitions in the morning — as part of their lessons — to explore and learn a lot about the culture, history, landscape, economy and music of all five continents in a playful manner. During past exhibitions more than 35 million visitors have already admired the colourful United Buddy Bears.

In every metropolis, the United Buddy Bears exhibitions are supported by the government, the foreign ministries, the mayors and the UNICEF organisations. Heads of state - for example the Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, the German Federal President, Horst Köhler and First Lady of Egypt, Suzanne Mubarak as well as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors such as Sir Peter Ustinov,^[6] Jackie Chan,^[7] Christiane Hörbiger, Mia Farrow,^[8] Iris Berben and Ken Done have opened these exhibitions all over the world. United Buddy Bears Special Ambassador is the actress Dennenesch Zoudé.^[9]

The bears have been displayed at the following Stations since the beginning of the tour:

Year	Country / City Site of exhibition	Patron of the exhibition / Opening by
2002 June - November	Germany Berlin, Right 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, Right next to the Brandenburg Gate - Pariser Platz	Sir Peter Ustinov, Actor and UNICEF World Ambassador
2004 January - February	Austria Kitzbühel	Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Horst Wendling, Mayor of Kitzbühel
2004 May - June	Hong Kong 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,[10] 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,[11] 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,[12] 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 winners 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,[13] 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,[14] Plaza San Martin	Mauricio Macri, Mayor of Buenos Aires Hernán Lombardi, Minister for Cultural Affairs
2009 May - June	Uruguay Montevideo,[15] 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,[16] Hauptbahnhof, 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, Right next to the Bayterek Tower	Imangali Tasmagambetov, Akim of Astana Rainer Schlageter, German Ambassador in Kazakhstan
2010 September - October	Finland Helsinki,[17] Senate Square	Jussi Pajunen, Mayor of Helsinki Peter Scholz, German Ambassador in Finland
2011 April - May	Bulgaria Sofia,[18] 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,[19] Kurfürstendamm	Klaus Wowereit, Berlin’s Governing Mayor Monika Thiemen, Mayor of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
2011 / 2012 December - February	Malaysia Kuala Lumpur,[20][21] Right next to the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur[22]	Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, Sultan of Selangor Ahmad Fuad Ismail, Mayor of Kuala Lumpur
2012 March - May	India New Delhi,[23][24] Connaught Place	Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister of Delhi Klaus Wowereit, Berlin’s Governing Mayor
2012 June - August	Russia Saint Petersburg,[25][26] Alexander Garden, right next to the Palace Square	Vladimir Putin, President of Russia Joachim Gauck, President of Germany[27]
2012 October–November	France Paris[28][29][30] / 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,[31] Copacabana	Eduardo Paes, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro Jürgen Trittin, German Federal Ministry for the Environment from 1998-2005 Harald Klein, German General Consul in Rio de Janeiro
2015 January - March	Cuba Havana,[32][33][34] Plaza San Francisco de Asis[35]	Eusebio Leal, Ambassador of Good Will 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

• 

  United Buddy Bears, Exhibition
  Kuala Lumpur 2011/2012

• 

  United Buddy Bears
  St Petersburg 2012

• 

  Rio de Janeiro
  Copacabana 2014

• 

  Havana (Cuba)
  Plaza San Francisco de Asís 2015

• 

  Santiago de Chile, Vitacura
  Parque Bicentenario 2015

Highlight

• 2003 Berlin: Having visited the exhibition in Berlin in 2002, Sir Peter Ustinov insisted that Iraq should be represented in the circle of United Buddy Bears in the future. In 2003, Iraq took part in the circle for the first time and Ustinov gave the opening address of the exhibition in the presence of more than 70 ambassadors.
• 2004 Hong Kong: Jackie Chan saw the exhibition in Berlin in 2003. On his initiative, the international bears travelled to Hong Kong one year later. Chan became the patron for this event. More than 3,000 VIPs from the world of politics, business and culture took part in the opening ceremony.^[36]
• 2005 Seoul: In the run-up to the exhibition in South Korea, two artists got the permission to travel from North Korea to Germany via Beijing in order to design a United Buddy Bear in Berlin on behalf of their country. Hence it was possible that both North- and South Korea stood together hand in hand for the first time during an art exhibition.
• 2007 Jerusalem: All countries of the Arab World were represented in the circle of 132 nations, with a Palestinian bear on an equal footing with all the other bears for the first time^[37] in Jerusalem.^[38]
• 2008 Pyongyang: It was the first exhibition in North Korea that was accessible for everyone and open to everybody. According to official information, around 100,000 visitors were counted every week in Pyongyang.
• 2012 Paris: United Buddy Bears are on show near the Eiffel Tower to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the twinning of Paris and Berlin and the 50th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty which marked the official reconciliation between France and Germany after world war two.
• 2014 Rio de Janeiro: From May till July the famous United Buddy Bears exhibit has found its way to the shores of Rio de Janeiro just in time for the 2014 soccer World Cup. The exhibition was held on the Copacabana promenade, which attracted more than 1,000,000 people. The presentation consisted of more than 140 bear sculptures, each two metres high and designed by a different artist.^[39]
• 2015 Havana: "Germany sends peace message through sculptures in Cuba".^[40] 124 bears are standing "hand in hand" on the square "Plaza San Francisco de Asis". They were designed by 124 artists and represent 124 countries. All these countries – large or small, poor or rich - are placed together at the same level, including the USA and Cuba! All these countries are reaching out – for tolerance, peace and democracy.^[41]

The Minis

In the autumn of 2003, the circle of United Buddy Bears-The Minis — was presented in Berlin for the first time.^[42] Since then, this circle has been shown in Frankfurt/Main, in Potsdam and at the Sony Center in Berlin — to name just a few locations. Since 2012, they have also been travelling to destinations outside of Germany, e.g. Bratislava in  Slovakia, Borås^[43] in  Sweden, Calais in  France and in  Russia in Yekaterinburg^[44] and Kazan.^[45]

Aid for children in need

Buddy Bear activities and help for children in need have formed an inseparable unit. New United Buddy Bears are often designed to replace the previous unique sculpture of a particular country. Many countries are already represented with the third or fourth bear. The previous bears designed on behalf of the respective countries are generally sold at auctions.

As of December 2015 donations and selling Buddy Bears at auction had generated a total of Euro 2,100,000 in aid of UNICEF and of local organisations helping children in need.

Involved artists

In the early years, the Bears were designed by regional artists and Berlin celebrities for the exhibition Art in the City.^[46] 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,^[47] such as, for example Arik Brauer, 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.

References

2. "CNTV United Buddy Bears, Rio de Janeiro, Copacabana 2014". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
3. Buddy Bears on the streets of Berlin, 2001.
4. "The Art of Tolerance". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
5. "Global Tour". Buddy-baer.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
7. "Jackie Chan and the Buddy Bears". Jackiechankids.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
8. "Mia Farrow and United Buddy Bears". Photos1.blogger.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
9. "Dennenesch Zoudé and United Buddy Bears". Buddy-baer.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
10. "Tokyo 2005". Afactor.net. 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
11. "Berlin 2006". Pbase.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
12. "Cairo 2007". Jackiechankids.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
13. "Pyongyang 2008". Theseoultimes.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
14. "Buenos Aires 2009". Gabrielrobledo.com.ar. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
15. "Montevideo 2009". Elpais.com.uy. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
16. "Berlin - Hauptbahnhof 2010". Retrieved 2012-02-10.
17. "Photo blog: United Buddy Bears in Helsinki 2010". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
18. "Video:United Buddy Bears in Sofia, Bulgaria". Downpourbg.com. 2011-04-11. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
19. "Berlin 2011". Grotte47.blog.de. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
20. "New Straits Times, 15 December 2011: "Buddy Bears promote global understanding"". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
21. "Video: United Buddy Bears in Kuala Lumpur". Youtube.com. 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2012-04-07.
22. Khairir, Ihsan (2012-01-19). "United Buddy Bears in Kuala Lumpur". Ihsankhairir.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
23. "New Delhi 2012". The Hindu. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
24. "Bears of the world unite". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
25. "The St. Petersburg Times, July 4, 2012". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
26. "United Buddy Bears in Saint Petersburg 2012". - - Projekte - Официальный сайт Года Германии в России / Offizielle Webseite des Deutschlandjahres in Russland. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
27. Goethe Institute Russia
28. "Paris, Champ de Mars 2012 - Video". Dailymotion. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
29. "French Embassy in Berlin: "Berliner Buddy Bären unter dem Eiffelturm"". Frankreich in Deutschland. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
30. "United Buddy Bears in Paris 2012". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
31. "Colorful bear statues representing UN member states on display in Rio de Janeiro". YouTube. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
32. Cuba Absolutely: "United Buddy Bears in Havana"
33. Latin American Herald Tribune: "Germany to Pack Havana with More Than 100 Bear Sculptures"
34. "Germany's United Buddy Bears debuts in Havana"
35. "Bears in Havana: Another Step for Tolerance"
36. Madeline Chan. "Hong Kong 2004". Worldisround.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
37. The Jerusalem Post, Tuesday, July 31, 2007, P. 7 (NEWS): "Jerusalem bears down for international exhibition" by Yaffi Spodek
38. "United Buddy Bears in Jerusalem". Ubb.jerusalem.muni.il. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
39. "Buddy Bears welcome Rio World Cup, May 2nd, 2014". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
40. IANSlive: "Germany sends peace message through sculptures in Cuba"
41. 128 "United Buddy Bears" Arrive in Havana
42. DW (Deutsche Welle), April 22, 2016: "Berlin: Bears as Ambassadors for Tolerance"
43. "Video Borås". Frequency. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
44. "United Buddy Bears (The Minis) in Yekaterinburg, 2013.". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
45. TV report in Kazan (Russia)
46. Eva und Klaus Herlitz: Buddy Bär Berlin Show, page 20, 21 ff, Neptun Verlag AG, CH-8280 Kreuzlingen, ISBN 3-85820-152-9.
47. Eva und Klaus Herlitz: United Buddy Bears — The Art of Tolerance, Page 52 - 357, Berlin, 2009/10, ISBN 978-3-00-029417-4.

• Herlitz, Eva & Klaus, Buddy Bear Berlin Show. NeptunArt Publisher, 2001. ISBN 3-85820-152-9.
• Herlitz, Eva & Klaus, United Buddy Bears — Die Kunst der Toleranz. Bostelmann & Siebenhaar Publishers, 2003. ISBN 3-936962-00-6.
• Herlitz, Eva & Klaus, United Buddy Bears — World Tour. NeptunArt Publisher, 2006. ISBN 3-85820-189-8.
• Herlitz, Eva & Klaus, United Buddy Bears — The Art of Tolerance. 384 pages, English/German, December 2009, ISBN 978-3-00-029417-4.
• Herlitz, Eva & Klaus, Buddy Bear Berlin. 4th edition, December 2015, ISBN 978-3-00-038736-4.
• Jian-Min Huang: Public Art as Festival. Hong Kong 2005, ISBN 986-7487-48-6 (Pages 63–111: Buddy Bears; Chinese/English).

External links

• United Buddy Bears website (English)
• Classic Buddy Bears home page
• The Golden Buddy Bears
• Jackie Chan and the United Buddy Bears
• United Buddy Bears: in Hong Kong, in Sydney, in Cairo, in Jerusalem, in Seoul
• Buddy Bears in: Bern, Switzerland, Shanghai, St.Gallen, Switzerland