The series premiered in 1947.

The title character is an anthropomorphic circus bear trained to perform on a unicycle, but he escapes into the deep woods, where he decides to stay and entertain the wild animals using his equilibristic skills. Bongo's only opponent is Lockjaw, a huge bear, who never succeeds with his dastardly behaviour towards him.

The character originates from the 1947 animated Disney feature film titled Fun and Fancy Free.