To this day, we can read on their website:
"EA34 Swiss horns and bear.
Includes Uri horn blower, two other horn blowers plus a bear and handler. There are contemporary accounts of bears acting almost as mascots in front of troops from Berne. Whether they actually were used in battle is open to debate, but there is one original manuscript showing this."
Obviously, this is not meant to be a joke…
I am really baffled by the comments accompanying this set and I am terribly sorry to say that by taking at face value an illustration and various references to "bears" in the sources and alleging that they were actually used by the Bernese as mascots during campaigns and possibly even participated in battles, the Perrys really drop the ball. As a matter of fact, these references are of a purely allegorical and emblematic nature. And there is absolutely no room for interpretation and, consequently, even less for speculation on this matter.
I assume the illustration they are referring to is the one in Diebold Schilling the Elder's Official Chronicle of Berne depicting the battle of Nancy where, in the foreground, some troops marked by the Lorrainese (not Swiss!) cross accompanied by a bear – unchained and in no way controlled by a handler – attack a Burgundian artillery position behind a barricade and ditch:
e-codices.unifr.ch/de/bbb/Mss-hh-I0003/846
Now, in view of the fact that the troops shown are marked by the Lorrainese cross, logically, the first thing one would think is that the troops fighting with a bear animal against the Burgundians should be identified as Lorrainese, rather than Swiss. But, of course, things are different. The troops (at least part of them) are Swiss but are marked by the Lorrainese cross because they fight as mercenaries in the service of the duke of Lorraine (more Swiss troops marked by the Lorrainese cross but fighting under their cantonal banners can be seen at the top of the picture). Equally, the bear is not meant to be a real animal but symbolically represents the Bernese contingent among the Swiss mercenaries.
It's a well known trait of Schilling's work that occasionally he represents the men under the banner of Berne, the warriors of Berne, as armed bears carrying the banner of Berne and some even are playing fifes and drums (see GurKhan's contribution above). The meaning of such illustrations is purely allegorical. It is no different with the bear shown in the Nancy picture. Schilling's texts never mention any bears used as mascots or even "war bears" and readers should never try to interpret single words (e.g. "bear") at will and out of the context set by the narrative. The same is true of the pictures.
Regarding the incident at the fortified Burgundian artillery position before Nancy, Schilling clearly states that it was "the Bernese and other Confederates" who had demanded and insisted on attacking the Burgundian position first. This they did under considerable losses. Not a word about a bear accompanying the troops. See here, p.112, lines 7-19:
biblio.unibe.ch/digibern/chronik_schilling_bd_02.pdf
So, actually, the bear in the illustration is standing in for the Bernese troops, to distinguish them from "the other Confederates" and to emphasize their heroism. In this specific case, his decision to portray them as a bear (and not as humans fighting under their banner) probably was inspired by an epic song on the battle of Nancy composed by the Bernese councilman Matthias Zollner in which the Bernese contingent storming the Burgundian artillery position is referred to as a bear, and their losses are described as the bear being wounded (this is why, in the illustration, the bear is bleeding). Actually, Schilling is quoting Zollner's complete lyrics in addition to his narration of the battle, p.119-123, Chapter 333. The stanza referring to the bear ["ber"] is on page 121, the first stanza. See again:
biblio.unibe.ch/digibern/chronik_schilling_bd_02.pdf
Another reason for representing the Bernese as a bear may have been that as the Swiss taking part in the Nancy campaign were mercenaries they did not carry their main banners – in the case of Berne showing a bear – with them. So, to represent the Bernese contingent as a bear instead would have been an adequate means to make instantly clear to everybody which troops were to be recognized.
Typically, in Diebold Schilling the Younger's Lucerne Chronicle, not only no bear accompanying the Berne contingent is mentioned but also he does not illustrate any such animal being present at battle. As he was the chronicler of Lucerne and not of Berne, Schilling the Younger (who was a participant in the Nancy campaign) probably felt not urged to specially highlight and praise the behaviour of the Bernese troops during the battle. Actually, he even sings a specific Lucerne citizen called Küri Köit's praise who according to his tale was the first to charge against the Burgundian fortifications. In his illustration, the Bernese troops at Nancy are simply marching alongside the other confederates under their own "Venli", a small, almost square banner used when campaigning as mercenaries abroad showing, in the case of Berne, a red upper half with a small white cross placed on it over a black lower half. No bear far and wide:
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Deutsche_Geschichte5-290.jpg
If the Bernese, on this occasion or others, actually had been escorted by real bears -and had even used them in battle – , no chronicler – Schilling the Elder in the first place, of course, but the same is true of all the others as well – would have missed to mention such an extravagancy. That's for sure.
Regarding "contemporary accounts of bears acting almost as mascots in front", etc.: I really don't know of any. I'd like the Perrys to tell me which ones they have in mind. I'm quite convinced that any of those accounts would turn out to be of purely allegorical and emblematic nature. E.g., the Lucerne citizen Rudolf Montigel who was a participant in the battle of Grandson in an epic song about the battle is mentioning the "Bär" [bear] – meaning the banner and warriors of Berne whom he considered the most fearsome and courageous fighters of all and to whom his song was dedicated in the first instance – time and again. He also refers to the Uri contingent and their banner as the "Stier" [bull]. The lyrics of the song can be found here, for example (rewritten in a more modern 19th century version of German, with annotations), pp.146-157:
books.google.ch/books/about/Eidgen%C3%B6ssische_Lieder_Chronik.html?id=deU6AAAAcAAJ
Do I really have to go on? Do the Perrys really intend to present us bulls as mascots of Uri, shortly? I don't think so.
Again: "bear", "bull", etc. – these terms were mere allegories, not denoting real animals. Consider how we moderns use to call our hockey or football teams "eagles" or "bears", etc., and you get the full meaning of those references. No serious historian has ever claimed that the Bernese used real bears as mascots or "war bears". To be honest, I cannot remember to have seen such a claim ever. The Perrys' statement is the first of this kind and, with all due respect, I do not think that they are competent enough to put forward such a hypothesis.
Another point I'd like the Perrys to consider: Did it never cross their mind how uncontrollable and dangerous such a beast – even if tamed – would have been for everyone, including its masters, when actually unleashed in the heat of battle (as shown on the Schilling illustration)? Bears are no dogs. They won't be impressed by any "familiar" voice and even less by the cross painted on your coat or armour and they won't obey your orders. They will just be confused and angry and attack everyone.
Now, unfortunately, the models have been sculpted and are available for selling. What a waste of time and energy. I've always assumed that the Perrys were not interested in losing their credibility and would at least change their comments on the "EA34 Swiss horns and bear" set, letting people know that the bear was not actually used in the field, but that the whole thing rather was intended to be a treat for people who like allegories – or just a set for fun. It seems I was mistaken.
As far as the sculpting is concerned, I must say that I'm rather disappointed. The proportions look not convincing to me, especially the bear's anatomy (oversized, in my opinion) and head, and the men's faces are quite ugly. It is my impression that the figures were made in a hurry, just to present something to those who've had to wait too long for any new Burgundian War Swiss figures. Everything has turned out half-baked and not to my requirements. A real letdown. Sorry to say so.
