The Care Bears have been around for decades and although the original bears still exist, a lot has happened to the Care Bears’ world along the way. There have been several re-launches of the popular toys as well as redesigns and the addition of new bears.
So, what makes the Care Bears keep coming back for more?
Care Bear History
The Care Bears were originally designed in 1981 with the sole purpose of being used for artwork for greetings cards. But in 1983 the artwork turned into soft Care Bear teddies and figurines to coincide with a variety of TV shows and films that aired from 1983-1985.
The shows followed the Care Bears through various adventures and stories in their world…. The Kingdom of Caring. Their ultimate aim was to promote caring around the world and to ensure that children were protected from anything that would put them in harm’s way.
They did this by using their individual strengths, using magic powers (including the “Care Bear Stare”) and also with the help of the “Care Meter” which showed how much caring was going on in the world. In addition to the Care Bears, there was also the cousins of the Care Bears which included different animals such as monkeys, elephants and rabbits.
The Care Bear Clan
The original Care Bears consist of 10 different coloured bears, each one having a specific trait or power. Let’s take a look at what made each one unique:
Bedtime Bear
Bedtime Bear (if you hadn’t had already guessed) is the sleepy one of the bunch. He is aqua blue in colour and has a half moon as his belly symbol. He often speaks with a tired voice and is often caught yawning, although this may be due to the fact that his job is to stay up all night ensuring that the rest of the Care Bears sleep -so we’ll let him off!
Birthday Bear
You guessed it, Birthday Bear loves Birthdays! Parties, games, events you name it, Birthday Bear will be there. His main goal is ensuring that all the Bears have a Happy Birthday, which isn’t a bad job to have. He is yellow in colour and has a cupcake as his belly symbol!
Cheer Bear
Everyone needs a Cheer Bear in their life. She always looks on the bright side of life and tries to make sure that everyone’s problems are solved. She is pink in colour with a colourful rainbow as her belly symbol.
Friend Bear
Friend Bear is orange in colour and has two sunflowers as her belly symbol. She’s very dependable and always there if you need someone to talk to, like any good friend would.
Funshine Bear
Funshine Bear is all about the fun! Anything that is fun and entertaining she’s there. She is bright yellow with a sunshine as her belly symbol, you can’t miss her. She always has a smile on her face ready to brighten up even the darkest of days.
Good Luck Bear
Good Luck Bear is green in colour with a lucky four-leaf clover as his belly symbol. He is the mascot of the group, always there to give the bears an extra good luck boost.
Grumpy Bear
There is always one who brings the happiness to a halt and this time it’s Grumpy Bear. Grumpy Bear is blue in colour and has a sad rain cloud as his belly symbol.
Love-a-lot Bear
Love-a-lot bear is always there when you need a bit of romance in your life. With her pink colour and heart belly symbol she won’t be far away when love is in the air. She has the power to make people fall in love with each other therefore she should not be messed with.
Tenderheart Bear
Tenderheart Bear usually acts as the leader of the pack. All the other Care Bears look up to him with admiration and his main aim is to make sure everyone expresses their feelings. Orange in colour, he has a lovely big red heart as his belly symbol, the sign of a true leader.
Wish Bear
Wish Bear is turquoise in colour with a shooting star as her belly symbol. She is on hand to help make peoples wishes come true. She is a bit of a dreamer but can be powerful in times of need.
The Re-Launches
There have been several re-launches of the Care Bears since they began back in 1982, which include the addition of new Care Bears as well as the discontinuing of old bears. The main re-vamps happened in 2002 and 2007. In 1999 the Care Bear franchise was bought by Jay Foreman for $1,000,000 and he went on to relaunch the Care Bears for their 20th anniversary which included a range of movies along with updated plush toys.
There were a few design updates and additions to the original Care Bear group as well as the release of new toys that steered away from just the plush teddies and figures. These included the bears in different professions, such as firemen, and a release of the original Care Bears but as baby cubs. Since this 2002 re-launch there has been over 70 million Care Bear plush toys sold.
The next major re-launch happened in 2007 which included a re-design of the bears including the logo, animation, belly symbols and artwork that was associated with the TV shows and films. It was also decided that they would reduce the number of bears and focus on five rather than 10, which included some of the originals and some newly invented bears.
Care Bears Today
The Care Bears are still around today, with a small relaunch back in 2012 which included a new TV series which used CGI for the first time. There are still a variety of Care Bear toys and merchandise that can be purchased here in the UK including the plush Care Bears, Care Bear DVDs and even calendars.
All of this goes to show that the Care Bare franchise is certainly not done yet.
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