The Calculated History of The Care Bears
90,083
Published 2024-06-27
In the early 1980's, with a hit on their hands in Strawberry Shortcake, Kenner approached American Greetings about reimagining the Teddy Bear so they could take a bite out of the plush market.
What American Greetings came up with was not only a reimagining of the Teddy Bear but Care Bears were a full out assault on the marketplace in the United States with every kind of merchandise imaginable.
The Care Bears were everywhere and on everything.
SOURCES:
clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/the-read/articles…
www.newspapers.com/image/227989298
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Care_Bears_(TV_series)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Care_Bears_Family
web.archive.org/web/20050303062052/http://www.care…
carebears.fandom.com/wiki/Care_Bears_Care_About_th…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Care_Bears
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Care_Bears_Movie
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All Comments (21)
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I'm a 51 year old man- and I'm not ashamed to say the first time I ever saw a film by myself in the theater was 1985's The Care Bears Movie...
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Grumpy will always be my bear.
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Insert obligatory reminder that the Care Bears Movie beat out the Black Cauldron at the domestic box office here and we’re good
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Grumpy Bear is my spirit animal.
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Critics always complain about toyetic brands in the 1980s, but I think it was the pinacle of toys and cartoons. I loved the multi-faceted approach that gave us comics, toys, cartoons and more, of the characters we loved. A moral lesson is all well and good, but kids also need something to be passionate and excited about. It's things like the Transformers cartoon and the G.I.Joe box art that inspired me to go to art school, then study animation!
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I loved The Care Bears Movie so much as a young kid that my mom has a picture of the cake from my 5th birthday, which said “Happy Birthday, Nicholas”, which was the name of the main human character from TCBM. My name is not Nicholas, but apparently that’s what I asked for.
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When the movie came out (I would have been in first grade or thereabouts), Pizza Hut did the obligatory themed kids' placemats that had games and activities. One of the activities was to draw your own Care Bear. I drew Grim Reaper Bear. My mom was so proud.
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I think it's hilarious that every toy I grew up with [Care Bears, My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake] were originally from my mom's childhood. It's almost like the 80s never did leave. Speaking of the 1980s, I hope Toy Galaxy will cover The California Raisins one day.
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I volunteered to provide medical coverage for a Roller Derby tournament recently and one of the players I met works in an ICU as a nurse. Her Derby Name is "Intensive Care Bear", or "Care Bear" for short. I work in a medical clinic and one of my co-workers is named Claire. Everyone calls her "Claire Bear". Safe to say Care Bears are a part of the social zeitgeist.
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Care Bears were legit. Both the movies and Nelvana series had surprisingly good writing. They were mostly tame for the younger viewers but just enough tension and heroism for older kids.❤
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LMFAO! The new version of the "I warned you" clip with the "Care Bear Stare" is f*ckin' hilarious. My favorite of your cutaway gags!
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“The Land Without Feelings”…So THAT’S what that one “Rugrats” episode was parodying. (In the episode, Tommy and Chuckie are taken to the movies, where the film the adults intend for them to see is “The Dummy Bears in: The Land Without Smiles”. Naturally, Tommy wants to see the Reptar movie after catching a trailer on TV.)
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Also, The Care Bears Movie saved Nelvana from bankruptcy after the failure of Rock & Rule, and outperformed Disney's own The Black Cauldron. I remember a few of the pillow dolls.
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That is wild. Transformers the Movie now with Care Bears. Tenderheart zapping Prime with Heart stare. Tenderheart: "Fall. Fall!" Tenderheart: "I would have waited an eternity for this. It's over Prime!"
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Henry Rollins said in the eighties you could hug your Care Bear while being evicted from your home.
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It always comes back to the death of Optimus. 😢 If I were to design a care bear it would be dark gray with no articulation like Optimus’ corpse. Its name: “Trauma Heart”.
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Ahh Care Bears. The first emojis?
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I know this wasn’t how it was intended but the idea that modern Care Bears would include emotions like “Would” is amazing.
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Good Luck Bear was my favorite. Cute and cuddly battle beasts?? Damn it, I'm in!
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You shoulda mentioned how the Nelvana episodes of Care Bears were a little saucier than the DIC ones. Like, when the baby Care Bears sing, it pans over to the anti-Care Bear Beastly, tapping a baseball bat in his palm. Or those episodes where the Care Bears were on Star Trek (complete with The Next Generation offering a riposte in an episode where they encounter the planet Nelvana, a barren and empty world without meaningful resources).
