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Care Bears are multi-colored bears, originally painted in 1981 by artist
Elena Kucharik Elena Kucharik is a children's illustrator known for her artwork across the entire line of Care Bears items from the 1980s. She was co-creator of that franchise along with Linda Denham. Kucharik is also an illustrator of the Christian children' ...
to be used on
greeting card A greeting card is a piece of card stock, usually with an illustration or photo, made of high quality paper featuring an expression of friendship or other sentiment. Although greeting cards are usually given on special occasions such as birthday ...
s from
American Greetings American Greetings Corporation is a privately owned American company and is the world's second largest greeting card producer behind Hallmark Cards. Based in Westlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland, the company sells paper greeting ...
. In 1983, the characters were turned into plush
teddy bear A teddy bear is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy bear, ...
s. The characters headlined their own television series called ''
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 televis ...
'' from 1985 to 1988. They also made three feature films: ''
The Care Bears Movie ''The Care Bears Movie'' is a 1985 animated musical fantasy film directed by Arna Selznick from a screenplay by Peter Sauder. This was the second feature film from the Canadian animation studio Nelvana (after the 1983 film '' Rock & Rule''), ...
'' (1985), '' Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation'' (1986), and ''
The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland ''The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland'' is a 1987 animated musical fantasy film and the third theatrically released film in the Care Bears franchise. It was released in the United States and Canada on August 7, 1987, by Cineplex Odeon Films, a ...
'' (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 Play Along Toys was a Florida-based toy company, and a wholly owned division of Jakks Pacific. In 1999, the founders of Play Along (among them Charlie Emby, Jay Foreman, and Larry Geller) chose the Britney Spears Doll line as the first licensing ...
. These new Care Bears appeared in three
computer animated Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes ( still images) and dynamic images ( moving images), while computer animation re ...
films: '' Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot'' (2004), ''
The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie ''The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie'' is a 2005 computer-animated musical fantasy film, produced by Nelvana Limited and released by Lions Gate Home Entertainment. Directed by Larry Jacobs and Ron Pitts, and written by Jeffrey Alan Schechter, the fi ...
'' (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 Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
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
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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 A greeting card is a piece of card stock, usually with an illustration or photo, made of high quality paper featuring an expression of friendship or other sentiment. Although greeting cards are usually given on special occasions such as birthday ...
company
American Greetings American Greetings Corporation is a privately owned American company and is the world's second largest greeting card producer behind Hallmark Cards. Based in Westlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland, the company sells paper greeting ...
.
Jack Chojnacki Jack Chojnacki (born c. 1941) served as the co-president of Those Characters from Cleveland Inc., a division of U.S. greeting card company American Greetings (AGC), in the 1980s. He assisted in the creation of several AGC franchises, including S ...
, the co-president of TCFC, introduced the first Care Bear to businessmen from American Greeting Cards and from the toy company
Kenner Kenner Products, known simply as Kenner, was an American toy company founded in 1946. Throughout its history, the Kenner brand produced several highly recognizable toys and merchandise lines including action figures like the original series of ' ...
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 Strawberry shortcake may refer to: * Strawberry shortcake (dessert), a shortcake served with strawberries * "Strawberry Shortcake, Huckleberry Pie," a song published in 1956; a version by The Brother Sisters was released by Mercury Records in 196 ...
'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 Elena Kucharik is a children's illustrator known for her artwork across the entire line of Care Bears items from the 1980s. She was co-creator of that franchise along with Linda Denham. Kucharik is also an illustrator of the Christian children' ...
, 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 General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company orig ...
). 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 Parker Brothers (known by Parker outside of North America) was an American toy and game manufacturer which in 1991 became a brand of Hasbro. More than 1,800 games were published under the Parker Brothers name since 1883. Among its products wer ...
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 General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company orig ...
, 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 Atkinson Film-Arts was an animation studio based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The company is best known for producing the first two Care Bears television specials – ''The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings'' and ''The Care Bears Battle th ...
' ''
The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings ''The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings'' is the first animated television special to feature the Care Bears characters. Made by Ottawa's Atkinson Film-Arts studio, it was premiered in syndication on April 22, 1983. The special features the ...
,'' 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 ''The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine'' is the second animated television special to feature the Care Bears characters. Made by Ottawa's Atkinson Film-Arts studios, it premiered in syndication in April 1984. The special introduces three ne ...
'', came out that same year. A
miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
based on the toys was distributed by
Lexington Broadcast Services Company The Lexington Broadcast Services Company (first known as Lexington Broadcast Services and later known as LBS Communications) was a television production and syndication company formed on November 15, 1976, by advertising pioneer Henry Siegel, w ...
. A year later, the Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins appeared in the first animated feature film ''
The Care Bears Movie ''The Care Bears Movie'' is a 1985 animated musical fantasy film directed by Arna Selznick from a screenplay by Peter Sauder. This was the second feature film from the Canadian animation studio Nelvana (after the 1983 film '' Rock & Rule''), ...
'', produced by the Canadian
Nelvana Nelvana Enterprises, Inc. (; previously known as Nelvana Limited, sometimes known as Nelvana Animation and simply Nelvana or Nelvana Communications) is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded ...
Limited and released by
The Samuel Goldwyn Company The Samuel Goldwyn Company was an American independent film company founded by Samuel Goldwyn Jr., the son of the famous Hollywood mogul, Samuel Goldwyn, in 1978. Background The company originally distributed and acquired art-house films fro ...
. It became the highest-grossing animated film made outside the
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
market at the time of its release. Later that autumn,
DIC Audiovisuel DIC Entertainment Corporation (; also known as DIC Audiovisuel, DIC Enterprises, DIC Animation City, DIC Entertainment, L.P., and DIC Productions), branded as The Incredible World of DIC, was an international film and television production comp ...
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 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
, 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 ''The Care Bears Family'' is a Canadian animated series produced by Nelvana based on the franchise of the same name, and is the successor series to the series produced by DIC Entertainment. It was originally broadcast from September 13, 1986 to ...
'' (also from Nelvana) premiered in mid-1986 on the U.S. ABC network and Canadian
Global Global means of or referring to a globe and may also refer to: Entertainment * ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003 * ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007 * ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 1989 * ''Global'' (Todd Rundgren album), 2015 * Bruno ...
. 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 ''The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland'' is a 1987 animated musical fantasy film and the third theatrically released film in the Care Bears franchise. It was released in the United States and Canada on August 7, 1987, by Cineplex Odeon Films, a ...
'', premiered in 1987. A holiday-themed television special, ''
Care Bears Nutcracker Suite ''Care Bears Nutcracker Suite'' is an animated television film featuring the Care Bears characters. Produced by the Canadian animation studio Nelvana in 1988, it is loosely based on the 1892 ''Nutcracker'' ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (ad ...
'', 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 Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
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 Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...
-based Play Along Toys, for less than $1 million; he also planned to acquire fellow American Greeting Cards property
Strawberry Shortcake Strawberry shortcake may refer to: * Strawberry shortcake (dessert), a shortcake served with strawberries * "Strawberry Shortcake, Huckleberry Pie," a song published in 1956; a version by The Brother Sisters was released by Mercury Records in 196 ...
. 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 Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
,
Kmart Kmart Corporation ( , doing business as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American retail company that owns a chain of big box department stores. The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States. The company was inc ...
,
Toys "R" Us Toys "R" Us is an American toy, clothing, and baby product retailer owned by Tru Kids (doing business as Tru Kids Brands) and various others. The company was founded in 1957; its first store was built in April 1948, with its headquarters loc ...
,
Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
,
KB Toys K·B Toys (also known as Kay Bee Toys) was an American chain of mall-based retail toy stores. The company was founded in 1922 as Kaufman Brothers, a wholesale candy store. The company opened a wholesale toy store in 1946, and ended its candy who ...
, and
Mervyns Mervyn's was an American middle-scale department store chain based in Hayward, California, and founded by Mervin G. Morris (1920–2021). It carried national brands of clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics, ...
. The new merchandise included the Bears doing
aerobics Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness (flexibility, muscular strength, and cardio-vascular fitness). It ...
; 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 Artisan Entertainment (formerly known as U.S.A. Home Video, International Video Entertainment (IVE) and LIVE Entertainment) was an American film studio and home video company. It was considered one of the largest mini-major film studios until ...
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 Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (formerly Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Video, MCA/Universal Home Video, MCA Home Video, MCA Videodisc and MCA Videocassette, Inc.) is the home video distribution division of Am ...
. Another CGI-animated movie, ''
The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie ''The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie'' is a 2005 computer-animated musical fantasy film, produced by Nelvana Limited and released by Lions Gate Home Entertainment. Directed by Larry Jacobs and Ron Pitts, and written by Jeffrey Alan Schechter, the fi ...
,'' 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 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment (commonly referred to as 20th Home Video, or 20th Home Entertainment, formerly known as 20th Century-Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video, Fox Video, and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) is a home video label of Wa ...
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 Kidtoon Films is a distributor of children's animated films in the United States. The company is a subsidiary of The Bigger Picture, a Cinedigm company. It was previously owned by SD Entertainment which produced many of its earlier releases. The ...
. 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 CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
on September 15, 2007, as part of the block KEWLopolis, a joint-run block by AG and
DIC Entertainment DIC Entertainment Corporation (; also known as DIC Audiovisuel, DIC Enterprises, DIC Animation City, DIC Entertainment, L.P., and DIC Productions), branded as The Incredible World of DIC, was an international film and television production comp ...
, with both the movie and series being produced by
SD Entertainment SD Entertainment is an American animation studio specialising in direct-to-DVD and theatrical movies for children. The "SD" in the initials of the company name stand for Sabella Dern, the respective last names of its founders: former MGM Animatio ...
. A new theme song was created, known as ''We Are the Care Bears,'' and was performed by former
Letters to Cleo Letters to Cleo is an American alternative rock band originating from Boston, Massachusetts, best known for the 1994 single, "Here & Now", from their full-length debut album, '' Aurora Gory Alice''. The band's members are Kay Hanley, Greg McKe ...
member,
Kay Hanley Kay Hanley is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known as the vocalist for the alternative rock band Letters to Cleo. Life and career Hanley grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts across the street from the Wahlberg family. She atte ...
. The associated music video premiered on
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,
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
and
MuchMusic Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. MuchMusic launched on August 31 ...
. 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 ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' 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 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment (commonly referred to as 20th Home Video, or 20th Home Entertainment, formerly known as 20th Century-Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video, Fox Video, and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) is a home video label of Wa ...
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 ''Sushi Pack'' is an animated action-adventure television series created by Studio Espinosa and developed by Tom Ruegger and Nicholas Hollander. Produced by DIC Entertainment Corporation and CloudCo, Inc. that aired for two seasons and 52 episod ...
'') 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 Estoppel is a judicial device in common law legal systems whereby a court may prevent or "estop" a person from making assertions or from going back on his or her word; the person being sanctioned is "estopped". Estoppel may prevent someone from ...
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 The MoonScoop Group was a French animation and production company that created and published animated television series. Its corporate headquarters were located in Paris, France, along with offices in the United Kingdom and the United States. I ...
'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 is a Japanese entertainment company. It designs, licenses, and produces products focusing on the ''kawaii'' ("cute") segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts, and accessories which are sold ...
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 Discovery Family is an American cable television channel co-owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Hasbro Entertainment. The channel was originally launched by Discovery Communications on October 7, 1996 as Discovery Kids, a spin-off of Discover ...
, ''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 ''Care Bears & Cousins'' is an American CGI adventure animated television series released on November 6, 2015, on Netflix. The series, a continuation of the previous series '' Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot'', re-introduces four of the Care Bea ...
''. 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 Splash Entertainment, LLC., formerly known as Mike Young Productions, Inc., MoonScoop Entertainment, LLC. and Taffy Entertainment, is an American animation studio that produces children's TV series. Splash also controls the streaming service Kab ...
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 Those Characters from Cleveland, LLC, officially trading as Cloudco Entertainment and formerly AG Properties and American Greetings Entertainment, is an American company which formerly traded as American Greetings' former character brand division. ...
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 A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...
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 Sophia Anna Bush Hughes (born July 8, 1982) is an American actress. She starred as Brooke Davis in The WB/ CW drama series ''One Tree Hill'' (2003–2012), and as Erin Lindsay in the NBC police procedural drama series ''Chicago P.D.'' (2014– ...
based Justice Bear on
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg ( ; ; March 15, 1933September 18, 2020) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020. She was nominated by President ...
. 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 ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...
'' referred to them as "the whimsical, late 20th-century descendents of what we used to know as
guardian angel A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played a major role in A ...
s: 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 King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
. For example, the name of the main characters' residence, Care-a-Lot, is a play on King Arthur's legendary
Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as the ...
castle. The Care Bear Family sits around a heart-shaped table, similar to the
Round Table The Round Table ( cy, y Ford Gron; kw, an Moos Krenn; br, an Daol Grenn; la, Mensa Rotunda) is King Arthur's famed table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that e ...
used by Arthur and his knights. In addition,
Sir Lancelot Lancelot du Lac (French for Lancelot of the Lake), also written as Launcelot and other variants (such as early German ''Lanzelet'', early French ''Lanselos'', early Welsh ''Lanslod Lak'', Italian ''Lancillotto'', Spanish ''Lanzarote del Lago' ...
'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 Frostbite is a skin injury that occurs when exposed to extreme low temperatures, causing the freezing of the skin or other tissues, commonly affecting the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin areas. Most often, frostbite occurs in the han ...
, 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 ''The Care Bears Movie'' is a 1985 animated musical fantasy film directed by Arna Selznick from a screenplay by Peter Sauder. This was the second feature film from the Canadian animation studio Nelvana (after the 1983 film '' Rock & Rule''), ...
'', 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 ''The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland'' is a 1987 animated musical fantasy film and the third theatrically released film in the Care Bears franchise. It was released in the United States and Canada on August 7, 1987, by Cineplex Odeon Films, a ...
'', 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 Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative way that entices customers to purchase more i ...
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 Spencer Gifts LLC, doing business as Spencer's, is a North American mall retailer with over 600 stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores specialize in novelty and gag gifts, and also sell clothing, band merchandise, sex toys, room dec ...
. 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 they Re or RE may refer to: Geography * Re, Norway, a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway * Re, Vestland, a village in Gloppen municipality, Vestland county, Norway * Re, Piedmont, an Italian municipality * Île de Ré, an island off the w ...
that 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 Parker Brothers (known by Parker outside of North America) was an American toy and game manufacturer which in 1991 became a brand of Hasbro. More than 1,800 games were published under the Parker Brothers name since 1883. Among its products wer ...
/
General Mills General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company orig ...
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 1984 Y, or y, is the twenty-fifth and penultimate letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some authorities, it is the sixth (or seventh ...
how 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 Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and featured titles that were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys. The last comic published under the imprint ...
; the books were drawn by
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
artist, Howard Post. Issue #13 (from November 13, 1986) featured a crossover with another American Greetings property, the
Madballs ''Madballs'' is a series of toy foam balls originally created by AmToy, a subsidiary company of American Greetings (Now Cloudco Entertainment) in the mid-1980s, later being revived by Art Asylum (2007–2008) and Just Play, Inc. (2017–2019). ...
. During the same period, in Great Britain, the Care Bears also appeared in a comic book series published by
Marvel UK Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US-produced stories for the British weekly comic market. Marvel UK later produced original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dill ...
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 Kid Stuff Records, also known originally as The Kid Stuff Repertory Company, was a record label founded in 1975, by Bob McAllister, Artie Kaplin, and Dick Mullen, as a children's music label. It was headquartered and located in Hollywood, Flori ...
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 Mark Randall Volman (born April 19, 1947) is an American vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the 1960s rock band The Turtles, and, along with his bandmate and friend Howard Kaylan, a member of the 1970s rock duo ...
and
Howard Kaylan Howard Kaylan (born Howard Lawrence Kaplan, June 22, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as a founding member and lead singer of the 1960s rock band The Turtles, and, along with bandmate and friend Mark Volman, a member of th ...
. The soundtrack album from ''
The Care Bears Movie ''The Care Bears Movie'' is a 1985 animated musical fantasy film directed by Arna Selznick from a screenplay by Peter Sauder. This was the second feature film from the Canadian animation studio Nelvana (after the 1983 film '' Rock & Rule''), ...
'' featured songs by
Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...
and
John Sebastian John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist who founded the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969Madacy Kids released new Care Bear CD's. In 2004, ''Meet the Care Bears'', ''Care Bears Holiday Hugs'', ''Care Bears Christmas Eve'', and the ''Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-Lot'' soundtrack album was released. In 2005, ''Care Bears Nighty-Night'' was released. Music students at Roger Williams University were invited to submit to the soundtrack, but such submissions ultimately were not included.


Video games

A Care Bears video game was planned for the
Atari 2600 The Atari 2600, initially branded as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) from its release until November 1982, is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977, it popularized microprocessor- ...
in 1983. Preliminary production was completed and ready for beta testing, but the project was cancelled before testing could begin - largely due to uninteresting gameplay and the diminishing video game market, which resulted in the
video game crash of 1983 The video game crash of 1983 (known as the Atari shock in Japan) was a large-scale recession in the video game industry that occurred from 1983 to 1985, primarily in the United States. The crash was attributed to several factors, including ma ...
. The
beta Beta (, ; uppercase , lowercase , or cursive ; grc, βῆτα, bē̂ta or ell, βήτα, víta) is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 2. In Modern Greek, it represents the voiced labiod ...
prototype subsequently disappeared into obscurity and the only known existing prototype to date is an early
alpha Alpha (uppercase , lowercase ; grc, ἄλφα, ''álpha'', or ell, άλφα, álfa) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of one. Alpha is derived from the Phoenician letter aleph , whic ...
of the video game. No other video games featuring the Care Bears were made during this period. In 2004, the Care Bears starred in their first official game, ''Care-a-Lot Jamboree'', for the PC. A few months later, another game featuring the Care Bears for the PC, ''Let's Have a Ball!'' was released. In the same year, they were featured in ''Care Bears A Lesson in Caring'' for the
V. Smile ''V.'' is the debut novel of Thomas Pynchon, published in 1963. It describes the exploits of a discharged United States Navy, U.S. Navy sailor named Benny Profane, his reconnection in New York City, New York with a group of pseudo-bohemianism, b ...
educational game console. In 2005, they appeared in ''Catch a Star'' (also for the PC) and ''Care Bears: Care Quest'' (for the
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...
). In August, 2008 a new game, ''Care Bears Play Day'', was released for the
V.Smile The V.Smile (stylized as V.SMILE TV LEARNING SYSTEM) is a sixth-generation educational home video game console manufactured and released by VTech. Titles are available on ROM cartridges called "Smartridges", to play off the system's education ...
Baby Infant Development System. A new interactive toy, ''Care Bears Share-a-Story'', was introduced by Play Along in July 2005. Based upon a concept similar to
Teddy Ruxpin Teddy Ruxpin is an animatronic children's toy in the form of a talking 'Illiop', a creature which looks like a bear. The toy's mouth and eyes move while he reenacts stories played on an audio tape cassette deck built into its back. It was crea ...
, the Care Bear's head, mouth and eyes move around as a cartridge plays fairy tales, such as ''
Goldilocks and the Three Bears "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" (originally titled "The Story of the Three Bears") is a 19th-century English fairy tale of which three versions exist. The original version of the tale tells of an obscene old woman who enters the forest home ...
'', ''
Jack and the Beanstalk "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale. It appeared as "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" in 1734 4th edition On Commons and as Benjamin Tabart's moralized "The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk" in 1807. Henry Cole ...
'', and ''
The Three Little Pigs "The Three Little Pigs" is a fable about three pigs who build three houses of different materials. A Big Bad Wolf blows down the first two pigs' houses which made of straw and sticks respectively, but is unable to destroy the third pig's house t ...
''. A hardback book version of the story accompanied it so that parent and child could read along as the story played. The toy shipped with the story, ''Goldilocks and the Three Bears'', while additional story cartridges and books could be purchased separately. Care Bears Sing-Along pals also were introduced. These Care Bears plush toys sing three different songs while their heads rock back and forth and can synchronize wirelessly with other singing Care Bears of the series to sing together in a group. While initially introduced in a rather large variety of designs, at the moment only the Share Bear, Cheer Bear, and Funshine Bear models are still being made, with the physical appearance of the bears redesigned to match the 25th anniversary looks.


See also

*
Berenstain Bears The ''Berenstain Bears'' is a children's literature franchise created by the late Stan and Jan Berenstain and continued by their son, Mike Berenstain, who assumed partial authorship in 2002, and full authorship in 2012 following Jan's death. T ...
*
Bratz Bratz is an American fashion doll and media franchise created by former Mattel employee Carter Bryant for MGA Entertainment which debuted in 2001. The four original 10-inch (25 cm) dolls were released on May 21, 2001 — Yasmin, Cloe, Jade ...
* Holly Hobbie *
My Little Pony ''My Little Pony'' (''MLP'') is a toy line and media franchise developed by American toy company Hasbro. The first toys were developed by Bonnie Zacherle, Charles Muenchinger, and Steve D'Aguanno, and were produced in 1981. The ponies feature c ...
*
Popples Popples is a toy and television franchise created by Those Characters From Cleveland (TCFC), a subsidiary of American Greetings. Popples resemble brightly colored marsupial teddy bears with long tails ending in a pom-pom. Each Popple character ...
*
Pound Puppies Pound Puppies is a toy line that was created by Tonka in the 1980s. It later inspired an animated TV special, two animated TV series, and a feature film. Shipments of the toys over five years generated sales of $300 million in 35 countries. Toy ...
*
Rainbow Brite ''Rainbow Brite'' is a media franchise by Hallmark Cards, introduced in 1984. The animated ''Rainbow Brite'' television series first aired in 1984, the same year Hallmark licensed Rainbow Brite to Mattel for a range of dolls and other merchand ...
*
Strawberry Shortcake Strawberry shortcake may refer to: * Strawberry shortcake (dessert), a shortcake served with strawberries * "Strawberry Shortcake, Huckleberry Pie," a song published in 1956; a version by The Brother Sisters was released by Mercury Records in 196 ...
*
The Get Along Gang ''The Get Along Gang'' is a group of characters created in 1983 by Tony Byrd, Tom Jacobs, Ralph Shaffer, Linda Edwards, Muriel Fahrion, and Mark Spangler for American Greetings' toy design and licensing division, "Those Characters from Cleveland" ( ...
*
Ziggy (comic strip) ''Ziggy'' is an American cartoon series about an eponymous character who suffers an endless stream of misfortunes and sad but sympathetic daily events. It was created by Tom Wilson, a former American Greetings executive, and distributed by Andrew ...


References


External links

*
Care Bears
at AG Properties * {{Authority control 1980s fads and trends 1980s toys 1985 comics debuts Animated series Comics based on toys Fictional teddy bears Mascots introduced in 1983 Bear mascots Toy mascots Fictional characters who use magic Joint ventures Mass media franchises Star Comics titles Toy animals