Honey Bear
In an alcove at the northern entrance to the Zoo is the Honey Bear, a bronze sculpture of a dancing bear with five tiny frogs at its feet spraying water into a shallow pool.
Frederick Roth, the head sculptor for New York’s Parks Department from 1934 to 1936, created Honey Bear and the nearby Dancing Goat. They were installed in 1937 as part of the construction of the new Zoo. Roth’s work also included friezes made in limestone and depicting animals that adorn the Zoo buildings.
Roth is the most represented artist in Central Park. In addition to the sculptures at the Zoo, he created the popular memorial Balto, the Sophie Loeb Fountain at Michael James Levin Playground, and Mother Goose at Rumsey Playfield.