Bark the Polar Bear

Bark the Polar Bear is Bean the Dynamite's partner. And while his partner is a crazy chatterbox, Bark is calm and completely silent. Thanks to his strength, he is a formidable foe for Sonic the Hedgehog and the other Freedom Fighters.

Past
Bark's past is almost completely unknown. The only thing known is that he was once a member of Nic the Weasel's gang, which also included Bean the Dynamite and Fiona Fox. Bark may no longer be part of the group, but he's still partners with Bean. (StH: #165)

First Battle With Freedom Fighters
Bark and Bean's first encounter with Sonic the Hedgehog was when Dr. Eggman hired them to attack Sonic on his birthday. The two criminals had apparently met up with Evil Sonic sometime earlier and the meeting was apparently...not so good for Bark and Bean. So the two, thinking Sonic was the one who insulted them, accepted the job and attacked the recently rebuilt Freedom HQ. But Bark was defeated when the Freedom Fighters completely surrounded him and Fiona advised him to surrender, which he did. But when Croctobot attacked Freedom HQ, Bark and Bean used this as their chance to escape, although Fiona tried to stop them. (StH: #160, #161)

Later Encounters
Bark and Bean were later hired by Dr. Eggman once more to find out if the rumours of Rouge having the Master Emerald were true. (and in the end, they weren't) Nack the Weasel was also hired to investigate the rumours, although he didn't actually work with the duo. Bark and Bean, now sporting Extreme Gear thanks to Bean being a former member of the Battlebird Armada, ran into Sonic and Antoine. Bark was defeated when Ant sliced his Extreme Gear in half and caused him to crash. Bark was sent to Knothole Prison along with Bean, Nack, Mammoth Mogul, and Ixis Naugus. (StH: #173)

Not long after, Eggman's Egg Fleet attacked Knothole Village and even captured Bark and his fellow prisoners. But Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Amy Rose rescued all of Eggman's prisoners, including Bark and the other criminals. But when everyone was sent to New Mobotropolis, Bark, Bean, and Nack took advantage of the opprotunity and joined Mammoth Mogul. Fortunately, NICOLE teleported all of the criminals to the new city's prison. While a prisoner there, Bark watched Sonic's fight with Tails. (StH: #178, #179)

Awhile later, Bark watched as Mammoth Mogul forced Sonic and Ash Mongoose to steal the Gray Chaos Emerald from Castle Acorn, or else he would have had Mina Mongoose, Mighty the Armadillo, and Tails (who were all under his control) kill themselves. When the two gave Mogul the emerald, he regained his Chaos-based powers and unexpectedly told Sonic that he would stop trying to take over Mobius...at least until Sonic had died of old age. But Mogul also warned Sonic that he would not live in peace before teleporting himself and the other prisoners (including Bark and Bean) out of the prison. (StH: #185, #186)

Bark and Bean would find themselves going back into conflict with Sonic and the Freedom Fighters not long after, however, as Mogul hired them along with Nack and the Destructix to steal Sonic's shoes, with or without Sonic's feet still in them. Outside of Freedom HQ, Bark and Bean ambushed Sonic and Sally Acorn. When Sonic commented on Sally hurting Bean by getting him to grab his own bomb, Bark took advantage of the distraction and punched Sonic into an area where the Destructix were waiting. The six then started fighting him while Bark and Bean watched, Bean cheering on the Destructix. But Sally told the two she would pay them double whatever Mogul was (as well as give them cupcakes, on the suggestion from Bean) to help Sonic. The duo accepted and started helping Sonic fight against their former allies. But Nack, who had been hiding in some nearby bushes, suddenly blasted Sonic with an energy rifle, knocking him out. The Destructix then chained him up and put him into a truck. Bark and Bean, having failed to protect Sonic, decided to go back to Mogul's side and went back to the Casino Night Zone with the Destructix while Nack stayed behind to finish off Sally. Bark, Bean, and the Destructix then waited to be paid by Mogul at the casino's new kitchen, the Bottom of the Barrel Bar 'n' Grill. However, Sally, Amy, and Geoffrey St. John all showed up and freed Sonic, who then took down Bark and Bean. Although the duo were not seen again afterwards, it is assumed they came to, were paid by Mogul, and left the casino. (StH: #187, #188)

Background Information
Some people have compared Bark to Silent Bob from Jay and Silent Bob, as neither of them speak, and both are larger than their skinny partners.

Bark has had quite a few cameos on numerous covers, mostly non-canon, though someone resembling him appeared in a flashback shown in StH issue #50, as a soldier during the Great War, along with Bean (or someone looking like him), and unidentified panda, and a few lesser Sega characters, including Astal, and Ristar. The canonicity is still debatable, given recent developments, and the fact that that scene was in Dr. Ivo Robotnik's dream.

Bark appeared on the cover of Sonic X #15 as a stuffed toy.