5 Facts You Never Knew About the Osito Bimbo Bear

By Heather Taylor

If you’ve ever spotted a delivery truck from Bimbo Bakeries, you’ve probably seen the image of an adorable, fuzzy bear wearing an apron painted on the truck’s side. This is Osito, the Bimbo Bear mascot for Grupo Bimbo and Bimbo Bakeries USA. If you weren’t able to head to this year’s Rise & Shine Tour where Osito had his own hot air balloon, we’ve arranged the ultimate meet and greet in this post with fun facts you may not know about this sweet icon!

1. He’s 65 years old. Osito Bimbo was born from Grupo Bimbo’s and Bimbo’s brand representatives in 1945. Jaime Jorba, one of Bimbo’s founding partners, had brought a Christmas card with an illustration of a bear to one of the initial founder gatherings. After seeing it, the founders unanimously agreed on a bear as their brand mascot, seeing the animal as a symbol of goodness and sweetness that would also represent their baked products with pride. Anita Mata Sendra, the wife of founder Jaime Sendra, drew the earliest Osito sketches as seen above.

2. There are several origin stories behind Osito’s name. In Spanish, Osito means “bear.” However, there are a few explanations behind the word “Bimbo.” In one story, the name derives from Bambino, which means “little boy” in Italian. It may also hail from the Catalan words Bé Bo which mean “very good.” In fact, it has been said that this is what one of Bimbo’s founders said in Catalan after tasting one of the first loaves of bread that came out of the oven!

3. He’s passionate about baking. If his hat and apron didn’t already tip you off, Osito takes his job seriously. He’s a professional baker who represents authenticity and good quality. Osito also understands the importance of indulging yourself too! He’s a playful bear cub with a tender and loving attitude, representing the sweet and soft side to his baked goods.

4. There’s more than one character associated with Grupo Bimbo. Meet Gansito the duck!

5. Osito loves sports. He’s a big fan of all things outdoors including bike riding and playing baseball and soccer. Oh, and he fuels up by eating sandwiches made by mom on — what else? — Bimbo Bread!