Yoyo Bear's Grrreatest Games Card Variants

Bear's Grrreatest Games Card Variants

Bear's Greatest Games Logo The Yoyo Bear Grrreatest Games cards first appeared in the U.K. December 2019. They subsequently appeared in the U.S.A. in January 2020.

So, whilst we now have alignment in Bear's releases of cards, there are significant differences between the two sets. So far, the games covered in the U.S.A. seem to match those of the U.K. set, but they are visually different on the front. This is based on a fairly small sample of US cards - just six but so far, so good.

Common Variation between U.K. and U.S. cards - front

The two Ice Hockey cards are shown below. The card on the left is the UK version, and the US version is on the right. The most obvious difference is the choice of font. A slightly subtler change is the logo for the sport category, in this case "Winter Sport". On the US card, the logo is bigger, and the writing has been removed.

Yoyo Bear Greatest Games Ice Hockey card variant

This variation is true for all 50 cards in the set.

Common Variation between U.K. and U.S. cards - reverse

The reverse of the same two Ice Hockey cards are shown below. The card on the left is the UK version, and the US version is on the right.

Yoyo Bear Greatest Games Ice Hockey card variant reverse

Again, the UK version has used less formal fonts, with a snowflake within the word "hockey", and colours used in the yellow description box. The frog seems a lot happier to be on the U.K. card than the U.S.A. one. Perhaps he has just discovered you can be fined for crossing the road in the States?

Differently Named Sports

5. Mountaineering (UK); Mountain Climbing (US)

Greatest Games card 5 variant

Not quite sure why the term Mountaineering is not used in the USA. Can someone enlighten me?

13. Aerobic Gymnastics (UK); Gymnastics (US)

Greatest Games card 13 variant

Aerobic gymnastics is a competitive sport originating from traditional aerobics in which complex, high-intensity movement patterns and elements of varying difficulty are performed to music.

Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon or rope.

I think this difference perhaps first manifested itself when Rhythmic gymnastics first appeared at the Olympic Games in 1984. There was a need to then evolve the name of the original Gymnastics to something more definitive.

22. Absailing (UK); Rappelling (US)

Greatest Games card 22 variant

So what’s the difference between rappelling and abseiling? Rappelling and abseiling are the same thing; both activities involve lowering yourself in a controlled descent via a piece of rope. The main difference between the two terms involves their usage and history.

To abseil comes from the German term abseilen, which means “to rope down.” However, the origin of the verb to rappel comes from the French rappeler, which translates into something like “to pull through” or “to recall.”

Rappelling and abseiling both mean to use a piece of rope or cord, combined with some kind of control device, to lower yourself down. Rappelling is the term most often heard in North American, whereas abseiling is commonplace in the UK and other European countries.

25. Sand Kiting (UK); Kiteboarding(US)

Greatest Games card 25 Variant

The practice of kiteboarding on land is also called landboarding, with sand kiting being a subniche of kiteboarding practiced specifically on sandy terrains.

Non-Gold Gold Cards (USA only)

These cards appeared in April 2022 in the USA, and may indicate that the country has run out of gold! These new cards just look like the regular ones. Whether this is permanent or temporary, time will tell. The original gold card is on the left.

Bear Yoyo Greatest Games Gold card variants

International Cards

The International Greatest Games cards appeared briefly in the UK in January 2022. Presumably they have been available outside of the UK and US prior to this. If anyone has seen them elsewhere, then please drop me a line. The front of the International cards are the same as the US cards, but with the name removed.

Bear Yoyo Greatest Games card 39, US and international versions

Two versions of the card 39, with the US card on the left a shown above.

Greatest Games international card reverse The back of the cards are all new, and feature two half images of some of the competitors.

One of the the cards is shown on the right, showing the bottom half of a monkey doing judo, and the top half of an octopus bowling.

So far, we have collected 21 out of 50 of these cards, including 4 gold cards, and of these 21 cards, the backs are all different. That said, it is the same 5 competitors turning up each time - bear, monkey, parrot, elephant, octopus.

Once we get some more, we will try some matching, and possibly another gallery.

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