ID a christmas cartoon about a bear flying a GeeBee racer?

Cafe Society
1

…pretty sure he wore a Santa hat (or some kind of hat, anyway), and it would have aired on TV around 1988. This is a GeeBee—I think it even had the same paint scheme.

I’ll admit, it’s been over twenty years (oog) so I may indeed be mistaken about the aircraft model, but I’m pretty certain that was the one.

I only remember seeing the commercials for the special, but I don’t recall if I saw the actual program—so no help on plot, etc, I’m afraid. I think it may have been some kind of product tie-in, though.

Can anyone help me out on this one? Or at least tell me it wasn’t just a childhood fever dream?

2

Are you sure it wasn’t a Coca Cola commercial?

3

Aha! I’m sure it wasn’t, now…because a little obsessive research has revealed that it was Santabear’s High Flying Adventure, from '87.

Turns out it was a Marshall Fields mascot, and the cartoon featured the voices of…John Malkovich and Dennis Hopper? What the Hell?

4

a 2 place GeeBee? Where are the production standards in today’s cartoons? Not even an accurate spinner.

5

Brother, you are preaching to the choir, believe me. If anything, I think it’s actually gotten worse with the increased use of CG for vehicle effects, these days.

Er…and Merry Christmas, ev’ry body!