NEW IN PACKAGING AS PICTURED

SEALED AND UNPLAYED WITH

RARE COLLECTIBLE

Classic

GRATEFUL DEAD DANCING BEAR

Ashbury Orange Action Figure in Glow Box

4" Boxed Action Figure as pictured.

Whether or not you consider yourself a Deadhead, you’ve certainly seen the iconic Grateful Dead “dancing bears” a time or two.

Initially designed by artist Bob Thomas to appear on the back cover of the band’s 1973 release, The History of the Grateful Dead, Volume 1 (Bear’s Choice), the bears have become deeply ingrained in the culture surrounding the Grateful Dead, and have taken on layers of symbolic meaning over the years.

Before you understand the full meaning behind the Grateful Dead bears, you have to look at the man who they were designed for: Owsley “Bear” Stanley.

The first appearance of the Grateful Dead bears in the public sphere was on the back cover of the Bear’s Choice album.

As the name implies, the live recordings that appear on the album were hand-picked from Stanley’s personal archives by Owsley himself, with minimal input from the band.

The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for their eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, folk, country, bluegrass, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, and world music with psychedelia; for their differentiated live performances centered around improvisation and for a devoted fan base, known as "Deadheads". According to the musician and writer Lenny Kaye, "Their music touches on ground that most other groups don't even know exists." For the range of their influences and the structure of their live performances, the Grateful Dead are considered to be "the pioneering godfathers of the jam band world".