Care Bears

Care Bears are multi-colored bears, originally painted in 1981 by artist Elena Kucharik to be used on greeting cards from American Greetings. In 1983, the characters were turned into plush teddy bears.

The characters headlined their own television series called ''Care Bears'' from 1985 to 1988. They also made three feature films: ''The Care Bears Movie'' (1985), '' Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation'' (1986), and ''The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland'' (1987).

Each Care Bear is a different colour or shade and has a unique "picture on the stomach" that represents its personality. Adding to the Care Bear family are the "Care Bear Cousins", which feature Brave Heart Lion, Cozy Heart Penguin, Bright Heart Raccoon, Lotsa Heart Elephant, Gentle Heart Lamb, Loyal Heart Dog, Playful Heart Monkey, Proud Heart Cat, Swift Heart Rabbit, Treat Heart Pig and Noble Heart Horse created in the same style as the Care Bears.

In 2002, new versions of the bears were manufactured by Play Along Toys. These new Care Bears appeared in three computer animated films: '' Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot'' (2004), '' The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie'' (2005), and '' Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!'' (2007).

A revival TV series, '' Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot,'' premiered on The Hub on June 2, 2012 for one season. A continuation with the same characters, ''Care Bears and Cousins'', was commissioned by Netflix and premiered in 2015. That year, toy company Just Play debuted a range of Care Bears toys (plush, figurines, and blind bag collectibles) based on the series.

The current TV series, '' Care Bears: Unlock the Magic'', debuted on Boomerang SVOD on February 1, 2019, and has since tied in with a new toy line from Basic Fun!.

History

Development

The Care Bears were initially created in 1981 by Those Characters From Cleveland (TCFC), the licensing division of the greeting card company American Greetings. Jack Chojnacki, the co-president of TCFC, introduced the first Care Bear to businessmen from American Greeting Cards and from the toy company Kenner in February 1981. On the employees' reaction to the toy, Chojnacki recalled in early 1985: "It had a high aaaaaah factor."

Artist Muriel Fahrion, who helped create Strawberry Shortcake's look, was among the franchise's first concept artists. Working with TCFC Creative VP Ralph Shaffer, Fahrion designed the first six bears, creating greeting card themes for their belly graphics. Susan Trentel, Muriel's sister and doll designer of Strawberry Shortcake, designed the Care Bears plush. Once out of the concept stage, children's book illustrator, Elena Kucharik, became the primary artist for the Care Bears, creating hundreds of full-color illustrations for cards, books and various licensed products. TCFC's team of artists and writers created many characters in the line in a joint development by Those Characters From Cleveland and MAD (Marketing and Design Service of the toy group of General Mills).

American Greeting Cards kept the character program a secret until advertising was ready. At the start of the franchise, “Care Bears” was established as the project's working title.

1982 launch

On September 24, 1982, the Care Bears franchise was launched in New York City before members of the area's Society of Security Analysts. President Morry Weiss represented American Greetings; Jack Chojnacki and senior vice-president Henry Lowenthal from Cleveland represented Those Characters.

The characters were produced as a line of toys by Parker Brothers and Kenner the following spring on a $5–6 million advertising budget and a wholesale commitment worth $122.5 million (USD). American Greetings introduced the characters to the general public in February 1983, with an appearance at New York City's Toy Fair; 26 licensees were involved upon launch. Among them was General Mills, a food company which owned the board game manufacturer Parker Brothers. In early 1983, Parker Brothers released six books featuring the Care Bears as part of its publishing division's first offerings. On television, the original 10 Bears were featured in a syndicated special, Atkinson Film-Arts' ''The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings,'' produced and sponsored by Kenner.

In December 1983, American Greetings and CPG Products lost a lawsuit against Easter Unlimited, importers of a line known as "Message Bears". According to New York City judge Leonard B. Sand, those toys lacked the "heart-shaped 'touché tags'" used to identify the Care Bears.

In 1984, AGC introduced a spin-off line, the Care Bear Cousins. Another syndicated special, ''The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine'', came out that same year. A miniseries based on the toys was distributed by Lexington Broadcast Services Company. A year later, the Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins appeared in the first animated feature film ''The Care Bears Movie'', produced by the Canadian Nelvana Limited and released by The Samuel Goldwyn Company. It became the highest-grossing animated film made outside the Disney market at the time of its release. Later that autumn, DIC Audiovisuel released an 11-episode television series in syndication, which incorporated elements from the Atkinson Film-Arts specials (with the specials' villains Professor Coldheart and his sidekick Frostbite appearing regularly, and some of the music from the specials being featured in the series) and the Nelvana film (with the Forest of Feelings, the home of the Care Bear Cousins, being a regular setting in the series).

In 1986, Nelvana returned to the franchise with a second film, '' Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation.'' Released by Columbia Pictures, the film featured a new villain, Dark Heart, and introduced more of the Care Bears and Care Bears Cousins: Harmony Bear, True Heart Bear, and Noble Heart Horse.

Later that year, the television series ''The Care Bears Family'' (also from Nelvana) premiered in mid-1986 on the U.S. ABC network and Canadian Global. Lasting three seasons and consisting of over 70 episodes, this introduced the evil wizard No Heart and his sidekick Beastly. In the second season, No Heart's niece Shreeky was introduced. It also added more development to the Care Bear characters, with issues such as conflict and depression being addressed through the characters themselves in some episodes.

The Care Bears' third film, ''The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland'', premiered in 1987. A holiday-themed television special, ''Care Bears Nutcracker Suite'', which also served as the series finale for ''The Care Bears Family'' premiered on the Disney Channel in 1988.

Over 40 million Care Bears were sold between 1983 and 1987, and American Greetings printed over 70 million of their cards during the decade. In whole, the sales of their merchandise reached over $2 million during the 1980s.

1991 relaunch (''Caring About the Environment'')

In 1991, Those Characters from Cleveland and Kenner embarked on a relaunch of the franchise, involving seven bears. One of the Care Bear Cousins, Proud Heart Cat, was released as a bear with white fur that sported the tummy symbol of a heart-shaped American flag. The publishing company Random House released two tie-in books: ''The Care Bears and the Big Cleanup'' (1991) by Bobbi Katz, and ''The Care Bears and the Whale Tale'' (1992) by Peggy Kahn.

2002 relaunch

In 1999, the rights to the Care Bears franchise were bought by Jay Foreman, the president of Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based Play Along Toys, for less than $1 million; he also planned to acquire fellow American Greeting Cards property Strawberry Shortcake. Three years later, Kenton Avery Frederick American Greetings relaunched the Care Bear brand as part of the Bears' 20th-anniversary celebration with a series of plush toys and films. The relaunch started out with nine out of the ten original bears, but replacing Birthday Bear with Share Bear. The artwork and design of the bears were changed for the relaunch. Also, Champ Bear's colors were changed from tan to true blue, with his belly symbol changed to a winner's cup with a star, and Share Bear's belly symbol was changed from a milkshake with two straws to two lollipops crossed. The change to Share Bear's symbol stems from Play Along Toys' suggestion of the change because sharing a milkshake may spread germs. Apart from that, many other minor changes were made to the designs, mostly involving lightening the colors of the bears and minor redesigns to the belly symbols.

During this revival, Play Along released brand new toys based on the newly redesigned Bears, sold at stores such as Walmart, Kmart, Toys "R" Us, Target, KB Toys, and Mervyns. The new merchandise included the Bears doing aerobics; Tenderheart Bear as a patient (casting the child who is playing with the toy as the doctor); Champ Bear as a fireman; and the Care Bears themselves as Cubs. Over 70 million plush Bears have been sold since the re-launch.

New versions of the Care Bear Cousins were produced (with Proud Heart being changed back into a cat, in a different color and the same symbol she had in the 1980's franchise). Two of the Cousins, Treat Heart Pig and Noble Heart Horse, were never produced as 13-inch plush toys in the 2000's, and the Care Bear Cousins were not relaunched in the 2007 relaunch of the franchise.

In April 2003, it was announced that a new CGI-animated movie from Nelvana, ''The Care Bears in King Funshine the Great'', had been acquired by Artisan Entertainment for US distribution. The movie was eventually renamed '' Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot'' and was released on October 5, 2004 by Lions Gate Home Entertainment, as they had acquired Artisan by this point, with International distribution done through Universal Studios Home Video. Another CGI-animated movie, '' The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie,'' would be released a year later. Another CGI-animated movie from Nelvana also was planned, but later scrapped.

2007 relaunch

In 2006, AG Properties announced that to coincide with the franchise's 25th-anniversary celebrations, the Care Bears would be given a new, refreshed look with a new TV series and a feature-length movie titled, '' Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!'' to be released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment during 2007. It also was announced that AG had acquired all of Nelvana's Care Bears projects along the way.

The new look was done by the American Greetings Properties illustration team, alongside a new logo. Fifteen of the 39 bears were represented in this new look, while five of them were chosen to be the focus of the franchise: Cheer Bear, Funshine Bear, Grumpy Bear, Share Bear, and new-addition, Oopsy Bear. In August 2007, ''Oopsy Does It!'' was given a limited theatrical release by Kidtoon Films. Essentially a pilot to the traditionally-animated television series, '' Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-Lot'', the movie was made to introduce the new look to the public audience. The TV series itself would premiere on CBS on September 15, 2007, as part of the block KEWLopolis, a joint-run block by AG and DIC Entertainment, with both the movie and series being produced by SD Entertainment. A new theme song was created, known as ''We Are the Care Bears,'' and was performed by former Letters to Cleo member, Kay Hanley. The associated music video premiered on Fox, Nickelodeon and MuchMusic.

As the 2007 era was a reboot, prior plot devices, like the Cloudmobiles, the Caring Meter, the Cloud Keeper and Care-a-Lot Castle, were neither referred to nor mentioned in the new series. In its place is the Gathering Tree, which is where the Care Bears now gather to meet or hold festivities. Also, the Care Bears had never had humans visit Care-a-Lot Castle, and so a new villain named Grizzle (who seeks to conquer Care-a-Lot and nothing else) was introduced. A February, 2007 article in ''The Wall Street Journal'' states that in the new version, "they live in a village, centered on a big tree, with no castle in sight".

In mid-2008, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released two DVDs, ''Grizzle-y Adventures'' and ''Ups and Downs''. These DVDs each contained two special DVD-exclusive episodes, which brought back Humans and the Care-O-Meter. The latter also included a passing remark regarding the Forest of Feelings. Care-a-Lot Castle also reappeared in the educational video game ''Care Bears: Play Day'', for the V-Smile Baby.

On July 23, 2008, American Greetings announced that the Care Bears (along with ''Strawberry Shortcake'' and ''Sushi Pack'') would be sold to Cookie Jar Entertainment in an acquisition due to take place on September 30, 2008. By April 2009, it was announced that Cookie Jar Entertainment had problems in financing the acquisition and that a French company called MoonScoop has also expressed interest in the franchise. The deadline for Cookie Jar's acquisition was April 30, and MoonScoop's attempt June 7. In mid-August 2009, MoonScoop sued American Greetings, claiming the latter backed out of the planned $95 million-dollar deal; AGC and Cookie Jar sued each other in the process as well. By late April 2010, the Cleveland company "won summary judgement on MoonScoop SAS' contract", as well as "promissory estoppel claims" in the case; MoonScoop filed for an appeal the following month. At the end of November, 2012, the U.S. District Court in Cleveland ruled in favor of American Greetings over MoonScoop.

In late 2009, American Greetings announced that the Care Bears would be re-imagined with the launch of a new series, ''Care Power Team''. This series would have the bears sport "enhanced belly badges", and see them taking on emergencies. Although such a series never occurred, the Care Power Team format was used for three new CGI-animated movies - '' Care Bears: To the Rescue''. '' Care Bears: The Giving Festival'', and '' Care Bears: Share Bear Shines'', which were released in 2010 and 2011.

In that same year, it was announced that the master rights to the toys for the Care Bears had changed hands from Play Along Toys to Hasbro.

2012 relaunch

In July 2011, American Greetings announced that another brand refresh and a new television series was in development to coincide with the franchise's 30th anniversary, and would be the first to be animated in CGI animation. The central cast of Bears changed again, this time focusing on Tenderheart Bear, Cheer Bear, Share Bear, Grumpy Bear, Funshine Bear, Harmony Bear, and new addition, Wonderheart Bear.

The series was entitled '' Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot'', which was produced by MoonScoop's US studio and premiered on The Hub on June 2, 2012.

In December 2013, AG Properties and Mindworks Entertainment announced that they would collaborate with Sanrio for a co-branding with the character franchise ''Little Twin Stars''. An expanded roll-out was expected in March 2014.

In July 2014, it was announced that Hasbro lost the rights to making the toys to another toy company, Just Play.

In October, 2014, when The Hub changed over to Discovery Family, ''Welcome to Care-A-Lot'' was cancelled.

After The Hub cancelled ''Welcome to Care-a-Lot,'' on January 15, 2015, Netflix commissioned a new TV series called ''Care Bears & Cousins''. This series was basically a continuation of ''Welcome to Care-a-Lot'', but with the reintroduction of four of the Care Bear Cousins - Brave Heart Lion, Lotsa Heart Elephant, Cosy Heart Penguin and Bright Heart Raccoon. The series was originally expected to premiere in 2016, but the release was pushed forward to November 2015 when it premiered with six episodes. It was followed by another six episodes. As with ''Welcome to Care-a-Lot'', then-renamed Splash Entertainment did the animation for this series.

In 2017, the franchise celebrated its 35th Anniversary.

2019 relaunch

In May 2018, an advertisement showcased at the Licensing Expo (a licensing trade show) showcased new redesigns of the Care Bears. Eventually, this was confirmed by the then-rebranded Cloudco Entertainment in September 2018, when they announced they would be making a new television series, titled '' Care Bears: Unlock the Magic''. For the first time in a Care Bears series, the setting is set outside of Care-a-Lot in a mysterious world known as the Silver Lining, populated by creatures known as the Whiffles. The main 5 Bears for this incarnation were Grumpy, Cheer, Share, Funshine and Good Luck, with the series also featuring the main Whiffle character known as Dibble, serving as "the team's newest pet and companion".

The series premiered on the Boomerang premium streaming service on February 1, 2019; however, the first episode was released on January 28, 2019. The series order included 48 11-minute regular episodes, two 22-minute specials and 20 shorts.

For the 2019 International Day of the Girl, humanitarian organization CARE had celebrities design one-of-a-kind Care Bears and place them up for auction to benefit the charity. Sophia Bush based Justice Bear on Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

In 2020, Basic Fun! released a new Care Bears line of toys in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.

Characters

The franchise consists mainly of the Care Bears themselves, as well as the later additions the Care Bear Cousins. Both of these groups live in the Kingdom of Caring, which is made up of Care-a-Lot (the home of the Care Bears proper) and the Forest of Feelings (the home of the Care Bear Cousins). In 1989, Carole Ashkinaze of ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' referred to them as "the whimsical, late 20th-century descendents of what we used to know as guardian angels: furry, friendly, adorable creatures whose mission is to guide small children and protect them from bogeymen".

Accompanying them are the Star and Heart Buddies, who look out for the Bears and Cousins whenever they are on missions of caring; and the Birds, who are usually seen in the Forest of Feelings with the Care Bear Cousins and who watch over them. A less recurring character is The Cloud Keeper, the portly gentleman who maintains Care-a-Lot.

The 10 original Care Bears consist of Bedtime Bear, Birthday Bear (replaced by Share Bear in 2002), Cheer Bear, Friend Bear, Funshine Bear, Good Luck Bear, Grumpy Bear, Love-a-Lot Bear, Tenderheart Bear, and Wish Bear. Later on, additional bears joined them, as well as the Cousins.

For the 2007 TV series, '' Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-Lot'', five of the Care Bears were chosen to be the main characters of the TV series. As seen on the Care Bears website, they are Share Bear, Cheer Bear, Funshine Bear, Grumpy Bear, and the new bear introduced in the film, Oopsy Bear, a Care Bear who would frequently make a mess of things. However, the other Care Bears still make appearances in the series. The unofficial role of leader of the bears, as of the new series, was transferred from Tenderheart Bear to Cheer Bear. The Cousins were not relaunched in the 2007 series.

Some elements of the Care Bears franchise pay homage to the legend of King Arthur. For example, the name of the main characters' residence, Care-a-Lot, is a play on King Arthur's legendary Camelot castle. The Care Bear Family sits around a heart-shaped table, similar to the Round Table used by Arthur and his knights. In addition, Sir Lancelot's name inspired that of Love-a-Lot Bear.

Throughout the films and various TV series, various villains have tried to stop the Bears and Cousins in the background on their missions. On the first two specials and DiC TV series, they battled against Professor Coldheart, his assistant Frostbite, and occasionally Auntie Freeze; in Nelvana's version, they faced the wizard No Heart, his bumbling assistant Beastly, and his ill-tempered niece Shreeky, and minor villains such as Dr. Fright and Sour Sam. In the films, they went up against Nicholas and the Evil Spirit in ''The Care Bears Movie'', Dark Heart in '' Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation'', The Wizard of Wonderland and his assistants Dim and Dum in ''The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland'', and the Rat King and the Evil Vizier in ''Care Bears Nutcracker Suite''. Following the 2002 revival, Sir Funnybone the rat was introduced as a villain in the film ''Care Bears Journey to Joke-a-lot'', while ''The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie'' broke from tradition in that it did not have a villain. For the 2007 revival, the new film ''Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!'' introduced new villains, Grizzle and WingNut, who persist into the TV series, '' Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-lot''. Additional Care Bears introduced in ''Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot'' are Wonderheart Bear and Great Giving Bear.

Magic spells

The Care Bears' ultimate weapon is the "Care Bear Stare", in which the collected Bears stand together and radiate light from their respective tummy symbols. These combine to form a ray of love and good cheer which can bring care and joy into the target's heart, break dark spells, or revive something that has been broken, wilted, or messed up. The Care Bear Stare has several different looks. One has a beam coming from the tummy being made up of several replicated images of the symbol. Another variation forms a rainbow when multiple Care Bears and/or Care Bear Cousins are involved. A yellow beam with red hearts is sometimes seen as well. The films ''Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot'' and ''The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie'' do not feature the Care Bear Stare, but it does return in '' Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!''. In the new TV series, ''Care Bears Adventures in Care-a-lot'', the Care Bear Stare appears as a beam of light in the color of the bear from which it originates.

In the original animated specials and the DiC TV series, the Care Bear Stare is initiated by the phrase "Care Bears...prepare to stare!" while in the Nelvana series and later versions it is initiated by the phrase "Care Bears Countdown!"

The Care Bear Cousins have their own variant of the Stare called the Care Cousin Call. In the DiC series, the Call looks identical to the Stare in appearance. In ''The Care Bears Movie'', the Cousins made whatever animal noise according to their species due to not possessing tummy symbols; those were given to them by Tenderheart at the end of the movie. In ''Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation'', the Call has the effect of a multicolored musical score. By the Nelvana series, the Call was no longer referred to and the cousins simply performed the Care Bear Stare.

Although commonly used on villains, the stare and call also have been used on humans and the Care Bears themselves. It was occasionally used in the DiC TV series to cure Care Bears and humans who were under the effects of Professor Coldheart's uncaring magic. It also occurred once in ''Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-Lot'', when it was used to temporarily cheer up Grumpy Bear in the episode "Tell-Tale Tummy".

In addition to the Care Bear Stare, the Care Bears also can use their tummy symbols to summon other assistance, such as heart-shaped balloons, cloud cars, rainbow bridges, and sending out a distress signal.

Usually, a tummy symbol's power is initiated by will, but in '' Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-Lot'', a Care Bear has to rub its tummy to activate it. By ''Welcome to Care-a-lot'', the belly badges activate by will once again, though the bears may rub their belly to activate it on occasion.

Merchandise

Apart from toys, books, greeting cards, and animated media, the Care Bears have been prominently featured in merchandising as well, some of which includes gummy bears, party goods, cell phone covers, interior decoration sets, stationery, school supplies, stickers, clothing, accessories and many other goods. During the early 2000s relaunch, the classic Care Bear toys were available at stores such as Carlton Cards, Claire's, and Spencer Gifts.

When the franchise was introduced in the 1980s, a mistake was made while manufacturing the stuffed animals causing Bedtime Bear (blue) and Wish Bear (aqua) to swap colors. As soon as the mistake was discovered, the two Care Bears returned into their appropriate colors. Later, a children's story was written explaining why the bears had switched colors.

In his 1986 essay, ''The Shortcake Strategy'', Tom Englehardt referred to the Care Bears dolls as "highly specialized" toys. "So specialized re theythat instead of being complex individual personalities, they are no more than carefully labeled fragments of a personality", he stated. "Together, they must engage in a series of specialized interventions as complex as those of any real-life medical unit."

Books

Many children's books have been based on, and featured, the Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins. Some early publications include ''Meet the Care Bear Cousins'', ''Sweet Dreams for Sally'', ''The Witch Down the Street'', ''The Trouble with Timothy'', and ''A Sister for Sam''. All of these titles were published by toy-maker Parker Brothers, who was a licensee of the characters. Over 45 million Care Bears books were sold during the 1980's. As of 2006, Scholastic Press had published books based on the Bears' first two CGI films, as well as the new toys, while Modern Publishing publishes a small number of activity and baby books featuring the Bears for the toddler market. Publications International and Penny Candy Press also are known to have published a few sound books featuring the Bears in the past.

In ''Playing by Different Rules'', a 1988 book chronicling the Parker Brothers/General Mills merger, Ellen Wojahn wrote that Parker's Care Bears books (along with those based on sister property Strawberry Shortcake) "were, in fact, little more than illustrated brochures for Kenner's projects—and who knew y 1984how long the likes of these characters would remain popular?"

Comics

Between November 1985 and January 1989, the Care Bears appeared in a 20-issue comic book series published by Marvel's Star Comics; the books were drawn by DC Comics artist, Howard Post. Issue #13 (from November 13, 1986) featured a crossover with another American Greetings property, the Madballs.

During the same period, in Great Britain, the Care Bears also appeared in a comic book series published by Marvel UK with artwork by Mario Capaldi. The periodic comics were later bundled into hardcover ''Care Bear Annual'' books. Some of these U.K. comic book issues also had stories and art from the U.S. comic series.

Music

During the 1980's, Kid Stuff Records released several LP's based on the franchise. In 1983, five LP's were introduced: ''Introducing the Care Bears'', ''The Care Bears Care for You'', ''Adventures in Care-a-Lot'', ''The Care Bears' Birthday Party'', and ''The Care Bears' Christmas''. In 1986, ''Friends Make Everything Better'' was released as a promotion with Triaminic cough medicine. They also released the soundtrack albums for the first films. The albums based on the toys were best sellers in children's music during this time.

All of the albums from 1983 (except for ''Birthday Party'') featured writing, production, and performance credits from Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan. The soundtrack album from ''The Care Bears Movie'' featured songs by Carole King and John Sebastian

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases