Bear takes its inspiration from the fairy tale “Snow White and Rose Red.” This is a German tale made famous by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, and it appears in their 1837 collection. The tale features two sisters who live together with their widowed mother. The sisters are best friends but opposites. Rose Red is outgoing and friendly, preferring to engage with other people outside their home, while her sister is quiet and reserved, confining herself to domestic life and the small world of their home. The sisters’ complexions and physical features reflect these differences. The conflict involves a bear who unexpectedly knocks on their door one winter night, wanting to come inside to warm himself. The three women sense that the bear intends no harm and allow him to enter. He returns, night after night, where he lies beside their fire. When spring arrives, he tells the women that he must leave to protect his treasure, which an evil dwarf seeks. The sisters sadly bid the bear goodbye.

Not long after this, they meet a dwarf whose beard is caught in a tree. They free him by cutting off his beard, which angers the dwarf. The sisters repeatedly encounter the dwarf; each time, he has gotten himself into a predicament and requires rescue.