MAGGIE Robin says Hercules the Bear will always be her honey – as she still smells his fur every day.
The animal-lover and her late husband Andy made the news when they bought their beloved grizzly for just £50 in 1976.
Hercules the bear and his owners became local celebritiesCredit: Alamy
Maggie Robin speaks about raising the cub in a new BBC documentaryCredit: BBC
It was love at first sight for the couple as they became local celebrities – taking ‘Herc’ to the pub in his special trailer and for runs near their home in Dunblane.
Andy, a wrestler and larger than-life-personality, even taught his 9ft ursine son how to grapple.
The couple considered the 30st gentle giant part of the family – and he still is, 25 years after his death.
Maggie, 74, said: “I keep a wee box of Herc’s fur and I was just smelling that today. The smell has kind of disappeared now but I’ll always keep it.
“I will always think about him on a daily basis. He was so special and so magical that you couldn’t not.
“It’s the same with Andy. I still kiss his picture every day as well. I could never have anything like Andy and Hercules in my life again.
“The three of us were a family . . . we were complete. I was Herc’s mum. It was just meant to be.”
Hercules was born at the Highland Wildlife Park in Kingussie in 1975 and Andy decided to purchase the cub after he wrestled a bear abroad for a cash prize.
Although they initially feared they would never get their grizzly under control, Andy, Maggie and the little bear quickly became inseparable.
He lived inside their home and enjoyed cooked meals rather than raw meat – with Marks & Spencer food a particular favourite.
The bear became a showbiz sensation, landing a starring role in the 1983 James Bond flick Octopussy with Roger Moore, and later relocating to California for a brief period to star in a range of telly shows.
Hercules also had a role in a Disney production and became the mascot for the Hofmeister beer’s 1980s “Follow the Bear” campaign.
Meanwhile, he was invited to the Gleneagles golf course by comedian Bob Hope, where he worked as Bob’s caddie for the day.
Hercules became so famous that Time magazine put him on their front cover on March 26, 2001.
Hercules the bear starred on the front cover of Time Magazine in 2001
And he’s now the star of another show – with a BBC documentary about his life being aired tonight.
For many of Hercules’ fans, the most memorable and iconic moments came when he popped in to the Sheriffmuir Inn for a drink.
Before he came along, Maggie and Andy used to run the 17th Century pub, near Stirling. Maggie, who now has Jack Russell called Robbie, admits people found Hercules fascinating.
She said: “We were so privileged and so lucky to have a big fellow like him in our life.
“Unique things like that don’t just happen every five minutes.
“I think people liked the fact that we weren’t bear trainers. We just winged it and we all learned from each other and had a ball.
“We never thought Hercules would ever grow into this kind of folk hero. That all took on a life of its own and it won’t happen again.
“It was our fairy tale and our magic that was sprinkled on everyone else.”
Maggie, who lost Andy aged 84 in 2019, doesn’t think there will be another bear like her Hercules. He famously went missing while filming a TV advert for Kleenex in North Uist in August 1980 – and was lost in the wild for 24 days.
Maggie and Andy were devastated by his disappearance and joined hundreds of volunteers in a large-scale search for the bear.
They had almost given up hope of finding him when he was eventually discovered, half-starved and 14st lighter after refusing to eat sheep, cattle or other wildlife.
Andy and Maggie nursed their furry baby back to health and he thrived until he started having back issues that brought his showbiz career to an end in 1997.
Hercules sadly died in 2000 and a life-size statue of the bear was unveiled on North Uist in 2013 – where both he and dad Andy were laid to rest.
Maggie, who now runs a boutique clothing store in Auchterarder called Bear Necessities, reckons she was the first and last person to ever have a pet bear in Scotland.
But it would never have been that way if she had listened to Andy.
She said: “About a year after Herc died, Andy said he wanted to get another cub. I said there was no way we could ever have another Hercules as he was so unique.
“But I didn’t want to be in my 70s, having to rush home because I’ve got to go and feed my grizzly bear. And what if we took ill health?
“There was only one Herc and I don’t think anyone else will ever have a bear like him again.”
Hercules the Bear – A Love Story is on tonight at 9pm on BBC Scotland and at 6pm on January 2 on BBC Two.