The History of The Hard Luck Bears in Mundo Mágico

 The Hard Luck Bears (Jamboree Show) - Mundo Mágico (1983-2000)

In 1983, the now-defunct amusement park Mundo Mágico opened its gates in Lo Prado, Santiago, Chile, introducing an ambitious Disney-style experience to the country. Among its many attractions, the park became home to a unique installation of The Hard Luck Bears, a pre-Rock-afire Explosion animatronic show created by Creative Engineering, Inc. (CEI). This installation, dubbed Jamboree Show in the park, marked one of the most sophisticated uses of animatronics in Chilean entertainment during the 1980s and 1990s.

(Referencial Concept Art)

The show was shipped to chile by CEI under the name "Country Bear Jamboree", likely as a confusion with the Disney show of the same name, though unrelated. It premiered alongside the park in 1983 and operated consistently until the park’s closure in 2000. Notably, the show performed inside the Teatro Mágico, a dedicated indoor theater with no dining association, a rare trait for CEI shows, which were commonly installed in food-service venues.

Localization and Dubbing

(Jamboree Show at Teatro Mágico, mid 1980s)

The original showtape presented at the 1979 IAAPA was dubbed into Spanish specifically for the Chilean audience. This dub was produced locally at a Chilean voiceover studio, and while the voice actors remain unknown, the script and delivery closely followed the English original. All characters were renamed to suit the local market, while their personalities and dialogue remained faithful to the source material:

- Mama Granbags became Mama Osa

- Billy Bill became Oso Bill

- Billy Wilbur (RAE Billy Bob Predecessor) became Oso Willy

- Billy Boy became Oso Boy

- Billy Bob became Oso Bob

- Pete Thornsberry became Pedro Goloso

- Repete Thornsberry became Repite Goloso

(Mundo Magico´s character, Oso Willy)   (Pete Thornsberry at CEI, "Pedro Goloso")

Interestingly, although Pete was named Pedro in the dub, the park later repurposed the name Oso Willy for the character inspired by Pete. This has led to lasting confusion in online discussions and archival documentation.

Stage and Performance

The animatronics were housed on a custom and very large stage inside "Teatro Mágico", where the full show ran automatically. Unlike other known installations where animatronic shows served as background entertainment for diners, the Jamboree Show was treated as a standalone performance. Guests could attend scheduled showings and even see occasional interactions between the animatronics and costumed walk-around versions of characters like Pete (Pedro Goloso), Repeat, and Mama Osa.

(Mama Granbags "Mamá Osa" Walkaround, Mundo Mágico)

These walk-around suits were fabricated locally, with Pete (Pedro Goloso) continuing to make surprise appearances years later (2010s) in Fantasilandia.

(Jamboree Show, Late 80s - Early 90s)

Throughout the 1990s, the animatronics operated with decreasing maintenance. In later years, their condition visibly declined, many characters showed signs of deterioration, particularly in their latex masks and fur. Videos from this era show faces in poor condition, some partially melted, a typical fate for CEI characters after decades of exposure and minimal care.

Closure and Legacy

(The Hard Luck Bears at Fantasilandia, Early 2010s)

When Mundo Mágico closed its doors in 2000, the animatronic show was relocated to Fantasilandia, a larger amusement park in Santiago under the same management. There, the show was modified with new cosmetics and staging, but this new version (to be discussed in an upcoming article) differs significantly from its Mundo Mágico incarnation.

Although the Jamboree Show no longer performs publicly, its legacy endures among animatronic fans and Chilean theme park enthusiasts. This installation represents one of the earliest and most complete examples of CEI’s work in Latin America, preserving a unique chapter of entertainment history.

Stay tuned for the next article, which will cover the show’s transformation at Fantasilandia and what became of the characters after Mundo Mágico’s closure.