Grateful Dead Marching Bear Pins

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The Grateful Dead Dancing Bears are one of the most iconic and beloved symbols associated with the band Grateful Dead. However, but interestingly, they’re often misunderstood.

The bears first appeared on the back cover of the album “History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One (Bear’s Choice)”.  Which was released in 1973. The artwork was created by Bob Thomas, a graphic artist and musician. The “Bear” in “Bear’s Choice” actually refers to Owsley “Bear” Stanley, the band’s famous sound engineer and LSD chemist. Who also helped produce the album.

Now, here’s the interesting part:

• The bears aren’t technically dancing — according to Bob Thomas, they are marching.

• Despite this, everyone calls them “Dancing Bears” because their posture and the light, joyful vibe of the image makes them look like they’re mid-groove.

• Each bear has a distinct color and a little “collar” or “ruff” around its neck, adding to their playful, happy feel.

Over the years, the Dancing Bears became a symbol not just for the band, but for the entire Deadhead culture — representing a sense of fun, freedom, and colorful counterculture spirit.

They show up on tons of merch like T-shirts, bumper stickers, posters, and tattoos. They’re often depicted in long, colorful parades, sometimes with other Grateful Dead icons like the Steal Your Face skull or the Terrapin Turtles.

The colors of the Grateful Dead Dancing Bears don’t have an officially documented symbolic meaning, but they’ve come to carry personal and cultural significance for fans over the years.

Here’s what we know and how the colors are commonly interpreted:

Origin of the Colors

• The original Dancing Bears, drawn by Bob Thomas for the 1973 album “Bear’s Choice”. Also were designed in multiple bright colors — red, green, yellow, blue, and orange — and arranged in a line.

• There were five of them on the original album artwork.

• The colorful variety reflected the Grateful Dead’s psychedelic aesthetic, their celebration of individuality, and the joyful chaos of the Deadhead scene.