A new name will join the cast of Disney characters this month after the firm opted to retire a long-standing figure.

For more than 50 years, visitors to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Florida have had the opportunity to enjoy The Country Bear Jamboree.

An old-fashioned theater hosted the concert, which featured 18 audio-animatronic “hilbilly bears” and promised 16 minutes of “foot-stompin'” cele-bear action.

It certainly seems like a fun time, and the event has become a favorite among many Disney fans over the years.

However, in January of this year, Disney opted to modify the long-running program, shutting it down and beginning renovations.

It was disappointing news for viewers who had become accustomed to watching the singing bears, with one turning to Twitter to express treasured recollections of the first series.

“After work, I’ll be heading to Magic Kingdom to visit some dear friends and say my goodbyes to the original 1971 version of The Country Bear Jamboree,” they said. “I saw it for the first time when I was 3, and it’s been a favorite of mine ever since!”

The Country Bear Jamboree officially reopened today (17 July), although certain alterations have occurred, the most notable of which is the removal of the moniker ‘Liver Lips McGrowl’.

This bear was originally part of the cast, but Disney altered his name because of worries that it might cause upset.

The word has been associated with excessive alcohol consumption and its potential effects on the liver. Derogatory racial stereotypes about big lips have also been associated with the term.

The Oxford English Dictionary states that African American English has been using the derogatory term ‘liver-lipped’ since the 1840s.

In an effort to eliminate potentially objectionable phrases from its program, Disney has renamed Liver Lips McGrowl ‘Romeo McGrowl’.
The bear’s look has remained virtually unchanged, and he now appears with his new moniker and flowing blond hair on a billboard for the glittering new edition of The Country Bear Jamboree.

The official Disney Parks Blog reports that the bears will now perform a ‘new act that pays homage to the Opry-style concerts of Nashville’.

“While the Country Bear Musical Jamboree will include Easter eggs from the beginning to the end, including a familiar tune fans may remember, the bears will sing new, reinterpreted Disney tunes in different genres of country music, like bluegrass, pop-country, Americana, rockabilly, and other styles,” according to the announcement.