The past winners of Fat Bear Week are bulking cuteness with their winter prep

Friends, this Monday Cuteness post is not about Guardian Druids although it’s an event they should all notice. Yes, this week kicks off Fat Bear Week, the annual celebration of Alaskan brown bears as they prepare for their winter hibernation in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve. Hosted by the park in conjunction with Explore.org and the Katmai Conservancy, the event itself comprises a single elimination tournament where we, the terminally online, vote for the fattest, most prepared-for-winter Katmai bear while observing our favorites (via livestreams) fishing for salmon in the preserve’s Brooks River stretch.

Let’s meet previous winners of the contest so you know just who has embodied past brown bear preparedness from their Hall of Champions (all graphics and facts courtesy of the Explore.org press kit).

Bear 480 — Otis (Winner: 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021)

Otis (Bear 480) is the only four-time champion of Fat Bear Week. He kicked off by winning the inaugural event of 2014, then a one-day “Fat Bear Tuesday” competition held on the park’s Facebook page. After losing in 2015 (when the event became Fat Bear Week), Otis came back up to his title-winning proportions, winning his next championships in 2016 and 2017. His last crown was 2021, but don’t let the titles fool you — Otis has been a contender every year through 2023.

Sadly, the park-dubbed “Zen Master” of the Brooks Falls and ostensible face of Fat Bear Week wasn’t spotted for salmon season in 2024 for this first time since he was spotted in 2001 as a sub-adult. While Katmai’s bears are tracked primarily through observation so a relocation within the park is possible, former park ranger Mike Fitz cautioned that as an older bear Otis is likely has had his last sightings. The bear’s beloved presence lives on through the Katmai Conservancy online fundraiser during Fat Bear Week, dubbed The Otis Fund.

Fun fact: Some bears can eat more than 40 salmon a day, or > 100,000 calories. Otis is the record-holder for most eaten in one sitting, at 42 in roughly five and a half hours.

Bear 409 — Beadnose (Winner: 2015, 2018)

Bracketing Otis’ victories comes Bear 409, Beadnose. Beadnose was the first winner of the full Fat Bear Week in 2015, defeating Otis (who returned to victory the following year). She reclaimed the title in 2018 after defeating both Otis (in the second round) and Bear #747 (coming up).

Fun fact: Bears must eat an entire year’s worth of food in six months or less in order to survive winter hibernation and continued weight loss in the spring. During winter, bears can lose a quarter to a third of their body weight — more if they are nursing new cubs.

Bear 435 — Holly (Winner: 2019)

Holly (Bear 435) is the only one-time winner in the competition’s history, but not for lack of trying! She joined the competition line-up in 2015 and was the first bear to unseat Otis and Beadnose from passing the title back and forth with her win in 2019. However, one of her cubs was in the inaugural event’s lineup, losing to Otis in the second round of voting. Holly is another familiar presence that was missing from the 2024 sightings.

Fun fact: Bears become less responsive to the hormone leptin (which informs the body when it is full) in the fall. This likely causes the bears to feel hungry more often than usual and is what drives the bears into their autumn cycle of only eating or sleeping.

Bear 747 — “Bear Force One” (Winner: 2020, 2022)

Bear 747 is the first one in our line-up to not come with a standard name from Katmai’s rangers. However, that hasn’t stopped the behemoth from securing a win twice — first in 2020, then in 2022 — and earning himself the fan nickname of “Bear Force One.” 2022 was the event’s first year netting more than a million votes over the course of the brackets.

Fun fact: A bear’s physiology and metabolism shifts in incredible ways to help them survive several months without food or water. Scientists still don’t fully understand how bears are able to emerge relatively healthy without losing significant muscle or bone mass.

Bear 128 — Grazer (Winner: 2023, 2024)

Our most recent winner, Grazer (Bear 128), is the first since Otis to hold the championship title two years in a row. Grazer boasts both her wins in years that brought in over a million net votes over the course of the competition. Her 2024 win was absolutely under adversity though; the mama bear lost a cub to one of her competitors after the cub was washed over the Brooks Falls into the path of another bear.

This sadness reinforces a lesson we risk forgetting in the face of the event’s fun; ultimately, these brown bears are wild animals. The National Park Service includes the following in their FAQ for Fat Bear Week that serves as a critical reminder for everyone spectating:

It’s important to remember that bears are wild creatures, no matter how habituated to people they may seem. Brooks Camp has very specific rules, all designed with the safety of both bears and people in mind. Please be aware that bears are equipped with sharp teeth and claws that are designed to help them catch fish, feed, and dig dens. They can also be dangerous when used defensively. Remember to never run from bears as it can trigger their predator/prey response, and they can run at 35 mph.

The contestants for the 2025 Fat Bear Week will be announced Monday, September 22 at 7 pm Eastern / 4 pm Pacific via YouTube livestream 0r on Brooks Live Chat channel. You can also catch their Guide to Fat Bear Week livestream earlier in the day, at 12 pm Eastern / 9 am Pacific. And don’t forget to follow Katmai National Park and Preserve on social media: Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube.