Chicago Honey Bears The Chicago Honey Bears were a cheerleading squad for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League during the late 1970s and early ' 80s . The group performed at Bears games at Soldier Field until Super Bowl XX , which was their final appearance , as well as having done modelling , including an incident when a member of the squad appeared topless in a " Playboy " magazine . The squad eventually dissolved , and the Bears , to this day , are among the 6 NFL teams that do not have cheerleaders , along with the Detroit Lions , Pittsburgh Steelers , Cleveland Browns , New York Giants , and the Green Bay Packers . As of 2012 , the Bears , Steelers , and Packers are the 3 teams that formerly had cheerleaders ( the Packers use collegiate cheerleaders for a limited time ) . History . Beginnings . In 1976 , after a disastrous 1975 season for the Bears , owner / founder George Halas decided to bring " dancing girls " to the Bears , after the success of other cheerleading corps like the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders , Washington Redskins Cheerleaders and other squads prompted Halas to get the Bears a squad as well , and requested general manager Jim Finks to find a director . During the search , Finks was given a recommendation for former cheerleader and choreographer Cathy Core , who had recently moved to Chicago from New Jersey . However , when Finks asked Core about choreographing the squad , Core thought it was a prank and hung up . After some verification , Core accepted . During the meeting with Core , Halas stated that " As long as I ’ m alive , we will have dancing girls on the sidelines . " Halas was true to his word , as the Honey Bears were around for the rest of his life until his death in 1983 . After 28 girls were selected , they became an instant hit . However , the job did not pay much , as they were only paid $ 15 a game ( $ 5 for gas , $ 5 for parking and $ 5 for uniform cleaning ) . ( By 1985 , the wage was extended to $ 20 ) Despite this , over 5 , 000 ladies auditioned in 1985 . Unlike current squads , the Honey Bears performed more actual cheerleading stunts than dance moves that other squads perform . Final season . Even though the Honey Bears were a hit , after Halas ' death , his daughter Virginia Halas McCaskey attempted to sever all ties with the group . However , she was unable to legally fire the group , as the group had a contract extending into 1985 . The attempts to disband the group came in the early 1985 season in papers . Core was quoted saying The Chicago Honey Bears had their final performance in Super Bowl XX in the Superdome in New Orleans , performing at halftime to Prince ' s song " Baby I ' m a Star " . After the game , the Honey Bears were terminated , due to them being sexist and degrading to women and calling them " sex objects " , according to McCaskey , as well as costing up to $ 50 , 000 . General manager Jerry Vainisi stated that the team could possibly replace the squad with a high school band , despite having not done so . The other factor in the squad ' s termination , Michael McCaskey , stated that the squad is not an acceptable part of the gameday experience . Curse of the Honey Bears . Many Bears fans claim that their team lingers under a " Honey Bear Curse " , as the team still has yet to win a Super Bowl after the group ' s termination ( as of ) . The Bears came close in Super Bowl XLI , but lost to the Indianapolis Colts ( Ironically , Prince performed at the game ' s halftime show ) . Despite the Bears not having the Honey Bears , the Bears unveiled a mascot in Staley Da Bear in 2003 . As of the team ' s 2011 campaign , the Bears have gone 5 - 9 ( . 357 ) in the postseason , compared to the team ' s 4 - 3 record during the squad ' s tenure ( . 571 ) , as well as 216 - 199 ( . 520 ) in the regular season after the squad ' s termination , a . 30 winning percentage differental than during the squad ' s existence ( 82 - 67 ) . The team has also gone 35 - 76 - 1 ( . 1575 ) in the eight years before the squad ' s existence . Attempted revivals . Despite numerous attempts to bring back the Honey Bears and fan polls supporting the squad 3 to 1 , Virginia McCaskey has let it be known the Bears will not have cheerleaders as long as she owns the team . A small group of Bears fans created an unofficial Honey Bears who appeared at the team ' s training camp in 2010 as part of the unofficial web page to bring back the squad , which also has petitions that fans can sign to bring back the group . Another homage to the Honey Bears is with " Honey Bear " , a superfan for the Bears done by Lena Duda , who has been active in the Bears stands and tailgate scene since 2007 . Honey Bear ' s " uniform " consists of white hot pants , white go - go boot s , pom poms , and white vest ; all being recreations of the squad ' s trademark uniforms . A year after the squad ' s disbanding , a producer named Greg Schwartz trademarked the name , purchased a federal registration , and eventually turned the once - cheerleading squad into a song and dance group . The group has performed for various Fortune 500 companies and has done modelling . Uniforms . The squad ' s uniforms , like the Bears , have received very little changes . From the squad ' s inception in 1976 to 1980 , the uniform was a white bodysuit with navy blue sleeves . From 1980 to 1984 , the squad once again wore a white bodysuit , but with orange sleeves instead , with the navy blue being moved to the trim . In the group ' s final year , the uniform was completely revamped , with an orange sequin vest . In cold weather games , the Honey Bears wore an orange tracksuit . Former Indianapolis Colts and Indiana Firebirds cheerleader Carey modeled for prototype Honey Bears uniforms for the unofficial squad website , taking her ideas from current NFL cheerleading squads .