Care Bears
Encyclopedia
The Care Bears are characters created by American Greetings
in 1981 for use on greeting cards. The original artwork for the cards was painted by artist Elena Kucharik
. In 1983, Kenner
turned the Care Bears into plush teddy bear
s. The Care Bears appeared in their own TV specials called The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings
(1983) and The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine
(1984). They also had their own television series
from 1985 to 1988, in addition to 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 comes in a different color and has a specialized insignia on its belly that represents its duty and personality. This insignia was known as their "tummy symbol." However, the movie Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!
renamed them "belly badges". Adding to the Care Bear family are the "Care Bear Cousins", which feature a lion, rabbit, penguin, raccoon, and other such animals created in the same style as the teddy bears.
In 2002, the bears were reintroduced with new toys. Made by Play-Along Toys, the new toys offered features such as illuminated bellies upon touch, aerobic bears, and glow-in-the-dark bears. As part of this comeback, the Bears have appeared in two computer-animated
movies: Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot
(2004) and The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie
(2005). In 2007, the franchise celebrated its 25th anniversary; another relaunch took place, as well as the release of Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!.
As of 2011, Care Bears merchandise is still being marketed. During 2008 and 2009, Canada's Cookie Jar Group and France's MoonScoop Group
attempted to acquire the franchise from AGC, with no apparent success.
, the co-president of TCFC, introduced the first Care Bear to six businessmen—three from AGC, and three 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."
Muriel Fahrion
, the artist who helped create Strawberry Shortcake
's look, was also among the franchise's first concept artists. Working with TCFC Creative VP Ralph Shaffer, Muriel designed the first six bears, creating the best-selling 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 a myriad of licensed products. TCFC's creative team of artists and writers worked to create numerous characters in the line, which was a joint development by Those Characters From Cleveland and MAD (Marketing and Design Service of the toy group of General Mills
).
As they had done with Strawberry Shortcake, once titled "Project I," AGC called the Care Bears development "Project II" as they strove to make the character program secret until advertising was ready. At the start of the franchise, Care Bears was already established as its working title.
and Kenner the following spring, as well as pre-licensed characters and media stars. At that time, American Greetings touted their debut as "the biggest character launch in the history of retailing". On a US$5–6 million advertising budget and a wholesale commitment worth US$122.5 million, 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 ten Bears starred in their first syndicated special, Atkinson Film-Arts
' The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings
; Kenner produced and sponsored it.
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 Bears and Cousins starred in their first film, The Care Bears Movie
, produced by 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 Entertainment
released an 11-episode television series in syndication. Professor Coldheart and Frostbite did not appear in the movie, but appeared semi-regularly in the series with a new villain named Auntie Freeze.
In 1986, Nelvana returned to the franchise with a second movie, 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, a TV series titled The Care Bears Family (also from Nelvana) premiered on the U.S. ABC network
and Canada's Global
. Lasting two 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.
The Care Bears' third film, The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland
, debuted in 1987. A TV special, Care Bears Nutcracker Suite
, premiered on the Disney Channel in 1988.
Over 40 million Care Bears were sold between 1983 and 1987, and during the decade, American Greetings printed over 70 million of their cards. In whole, the sales of their merchandise reached over $2 billion during the 1980s. This made them one of the most successful toylines of its time, alongside "My Little Pony
" and "Transformers".
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.
In 1999, the rights to the Care Bears franchise were bought by Jay Foreman, the president of Fort Lauderdale-based Play Along Toys
, for less than $1 million; he also planned to acquire fellow AGC property Strawberry Shortcake. Three years later, American Greetings relaunched the Care Bear brand as part of the Bears' 20th anniversary celebration with a series of plush toys and movies. The artwork and design of the bears were changed for relaunch. Also, Funshine Bear's gender was changed from female to male, Champ Bear's colours were changed from tan to true blue, with his tummy symbol changed to a winner's cup with a star, and Share Bear's tummy 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 on the grounds that 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 tummy symbols.
In the midst of this revival, Play Along released brand new toys based on the newly redesigned Bears, sold at stores such as Wal-Mart
, 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 that is playing with the toy as the doctor); Champ Bear as a fireman; and the Care Bears themselves as Cubs. Over 70 million 13 inches (330.2 mm) plush Bears have been sold since the re-launch. In addition, Lionsgate Home Entertainment
and subsidiary FHE Pictures
, in association with Nelvana, have made two direct-to-DVD computer-animated films, Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot in 2004 and The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie in 2005. Various other music CDs featuring the bears and video games were also produced.
New versions of the various cousins were produced (with Proud Heart being changed back into a cat, in a different color and the same symbol she had in the 1980s franchise). However the revival of the line was not as successful as that of the bears' revival. Two of the Cousins, Treat Heart Pig and Noble Heart Horse, were never produced as 13 inch plushes in the 2000s, and the Cousins were not relaunched in the 2007 relaunch of the franchise.
In 2007, American Greetings relaunched Care Bears again, first with a series of dolls, then a new movie, Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!
and immediately before with a new TV series Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-lot
. The animation and artwork is completely different from the originals giving the Care Bears have smaller body structures and redesigned tummy symbols, which are now called belly badges. Also, instead of Nelvana, the film and the animated series are produced by SD Entertainment
.
As part of the franchise's 25th anniversary celebrations, the Bears were redesigned by the AG Properties illustration team, as was the logo of the franchise. The line consists of fifteen of the thirty-nine bears (as seen in Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!
). Five of the bears were chosen to be the focus of the franchise: Oopsy Bear, Cheer Bear, Funshine Bear, Grumpy Bear and Share Bear. The other bears include Wish Bear, True Heart Bear, Bedtime Bear, Tenderheart Bear, Love-a-lot Bear, Harmony Bear, Amigo Bear, Surprise Bear, Superstar Bear, Best Friend Bear, Play-A-Lot Bear, Heartsong Bear, Good Luck Bear and Hopeful Heart Bear, although the remaining 24 bears are also stated to have a release in the near future according to Play Along Toys.
Their new theme song is performed by former Letters to Cleo
member, Kay Hanley
, and the music video premiered on Fox
and Nickelodeon
. In August 2007, they appeared in 20th Century Fox
's theatrical release of Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!. This was followed by the television series from SD Entertainment, Adventures in Care-a-lot. The series premiered on CBS
' KEWLopolis block on September 15, 2007.
The Care Bears franchise was rebooted upon the 2007 relaunch. Prior plot devices like the Cloudmobiles, Caring Meter, the Cloud Keeper, and even Care-a-lot castle were not referred to or mentioned as of 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 have, up until the point of the first direct-to-DVD release for the new franchise (Grizzle-ly Adventures), never had humans visit Care-a-lot, and 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".
However, the Caring Meter made its return in Grizzle-y Adventures, and the second direct-to-DVD release of the franchise, Ups and Downs, included a passing remark regarding the Forest of Feelings. In addition, Care-a-lot castle reappeared in certain scenes in the new game for the V.Smile Baby Infant Development System, Play Day.
In late 2009, American Greetings announced that the Care Bears will be re-imagined with the launch of a new series, "Care Power Team". This re-imagining, while re-using the Adventures in Care-a-lot designs, will now have the bears sport "enhanced belly badges" and see the bears taking on emergencies. Soon after, a trio of new films appeared: Care Bears: Share Bear Shines
, Care Bears: The Giving Festival
and Care Bears: To the Rescue.
In July 2011, the card company announced that a new television series, the franchise's first in CGI, is in development and will premiere in 2012.
The franchise consists mainly of the Care Bears themselves, as well as the later additions the Care Bear Cousins. Both of them 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 (home to 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 angel
s: furry, friendly, adorable creatures whose mission is to guide small children and protect them from bogeymen. Running against a Care Bear is like, well, running against the Easter Bunny
."
Accompanying them are the Star and Heart Buddies, who look out for the Bears and Cousins whenever they are on missions in caring; and the Birds, who are usually seen in the Forest of Feelings with the Care Bear Cousins and watch over them. A less recurring character is The Cloud Keeper, the portly gentleman who maintains Care-a-lot. He only appeared in some of the franchise's early publications and on the DiC-produced TV episodes. The Cloud Keeper was created by Barbara Bleser for General Mills (CPG).
The ten original Care Bears consisted of Bedtime Bear, Birthday Bear, 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 new 2007 TV series, Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-lot
, five of the Care Bears were chosen to be the main characters of the show. As seen on the Care Bears website, they are Share Bear, Cheer Bear, Funshine Bear, Grumpy Bear, and the new bear introduced in the movie, Oopsy 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 movies and series, various villains have tried to stop the Bears and Cousins in the background on their missions. On the first two specials and DiC television series, they battled against Professor Coldheart, his assistant Frostbite, and occasionally Auntie Freeze; in Nelvana's version, they faced 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 movies, 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 & Dumb in The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland
, and the Rat King and Evil Vizier in Care Bears Nutcracker Suite. Following the 2002 revival, Sir Funnybone the rat was introduced as a villain in the movie Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot, while The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie broke from tradition in which it did not have a villain. For the 2007 revival, The new movie, Care Bears: Oopsy Does It! introduced new villains, Grizzle and WingNut, who persists into the new TV series, Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-lot
.
In the original animated specials and the DiC 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!"
During the movies and the DiC series, the Care Bear Cousins call their weapon the "Care Bear Cousin Call." In the DiC series, the call looks identical to the Care Bear Stare and is often performed at the same time without it being referred to as the call. In the first movie, the Cousins, excluding Swift Heart Rabbit, simply made whatever animal noise is common to their species since they did not have any tummy symbols; those are later given to them by the Care Bears at the end of the movie. In the second movie, the Call looks like a musical score which radiates from their tummy symbols. By the start of the Nelvana series, the Care Bear Cousin Call was no longer used and the Cousins simply performed the Care Bear Stare.
Although commonly used on villains, the stare and call have been also been used on humans and the Care Bears themselves. It was occasionally used in the DiC series to cure Care Bears and humans who were placed under the effects of Professor Coldheart's uncaring magic. It also occurred once in Adventures in Care-a-lot, when it was used to temporarily cheer Grumpy up in the episode "Tell-Tale Tummy".
In addition to the Care Bear Stare, the Care Bears can also use their tummy symbols to summon other assistance such as heart-shaped balloons, cloud cars, rainbow bridges and sending out a distress signal.
Initially, no mention was made of the Caring Meter in Care Bears: Oopsy Does It! and the first season of Adventures in Care-a-lot. With the release of Grizzle-y Adventures, the franchise's first direct-to-DVD release, the Caring Meter has returned, and the Care Bears have begun to interact with humans once again.
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's Gifts; several Care Bears plushies came with a video tape featuring one or two episodes of Nelvana's Care Bears series.
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 bears returned into their appropriate hues. Later, a children's story was written explaining why the bears had switched tints.
In his 1986 essay, The Shortcake Strategy, Tom Englehardt referred to the Care Bears dolls as "highly specialized" toys. "So specializd [are they] 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."
has 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 are also 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 [by 1984] how long the likes of these characters would remain popular?"
Star Comics
; the books were drawn by DC Comics
artist Howard Post. The November 13, 1986 issue featured a crossover with another American Greetings property, the Madballs
.
During the same period, over in Britain the Care Bears also appeared in a comic book series published by Marvel UK with artwork by Harry Papadopoulus. The pereodic comics eventually were then bundled into hardcover Care Bear Annual books. some of these UK comic book issues also had stories and art from the US comic series.
released several LPs based on the franchise. These included "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" (all from 1983), and 1986's "Friends Make Everything Better" (released as a promotion with Trianimic). They released the soundtrack albums for the first two movies. The albums based on the toys were best sellers in children's music during their prime.
All of the albums from 1983 (except for "Birthday Party") featured writing, production, and performance credits from Mark Volman
and Howard Kaylan
(who were the lead singers of The Turtles
, also known as Flo & Eddie
; former Mothers of Invention from Frank Zappa
's 1970-1972 period). The soundtrack album from "The Care Bears Movie" featured songs by Carole King
and John Sebastian
, who sang lead for The Lovin' Spoonful
.
In the midst of the 2002 revival, Madacy Kids
released brand new Care Bear CDs. 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 came out, as well as Care Bears Nighty-Night the following year.
The cover of both Care Bears Holiday Hugs and Care Bears Nighty-Night advertises another two CDs, called Care Bears Share A Smile and Care Bears Let's Be Friends. As of April 2008, Both Share A Smile and Let's Be Friends have been folded into a single album and released as a digital download from www.Amazon.com and www.Walmart.com, however it is at this date not available as a physical CD. This has caused some difficulties to international fans as Amazon.com and Walmart.com will not sell digital downloads to fans who reside outside North America.
A Care Bears game was planned for the Atari 2600
in 1983. It was preliminarily completed and ready for beta testing, but the project was canceled before testing could begin. The beta prototype subsequently disappeared into obscurity and the only known existing prototype to date is an early alpha of the game. No other games featuring the bears were ever made during the period.
In 2004, the 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 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
).
Like the movies, no game for any systems was produced in 2006, and no new game was released in time for the 2007 relaunch. However, in August 2008, a new game, Care Bears Play Day, was released for the V.Smile Baby Infant Development System, finally breaking the two years of silence for the franchise on the gaming front.
. The head, mouth and eyes of the Care Bear move around as a cartridge plays fairy tales such as Goldilocks and the Three Care Bears
, Jack and the Beanstalk
and the Three Little Pigs
. A hardback book version of the story comes with it so the parent and child can read along as the story plays. The toy ships with the story Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and additional story cartridges and books are to be purchased separately. Also, apparently only Share Bear was ever made as such a toy.
Additionally, Care Bears Sing-along pals were also introduced. These Care Bears plush toys sing three different songs while their heads rock back and forth and could synchronize wirelessly with other singing Care Bears of the series to sing together in a group (the effective wireless coverage being three feet, although the range might deteriorate due to environmental conditions and remaining battery strength). 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.
Another Care Bear smart toy is the Care Bears Tenderheart Smart Check-up. The toy comes with an interactive plush Tenderheart bear and various toy medical equipment. The interactive plush has soft-touch points throughout the body and can be fully played with without the toy medical equipment.
Lastly, there are a line of Care Bears smart toys that would play hide and seek with the owner. The line, called Hide 'N Seek Care Bears, comes in two designs: Secret Bear and Surprise Bear. Both bear comes with a wireless handpiece. To play the toy, a third party, usually the parent, must partake in the game by hiding the bear. The child then has to find the bear, with the handpiece occasionally providing hints on how close the child is to the bear through audible instructions.
In 1984 and 1985, the Care Bears appeared at the San Diego Zoo
in California, performing in a stage show at the amphitheater.
Tenderheart Bear, Funshine Bear and Cheer Bear appeared in a live-action 1985 TV special produced by ABC station WLS-TV in Chicago called "Be A Safe Kid", teaching kids how to be safe from strangers.
During the Summers from 1988 through 1992, the Care Bears were the official characters in residence at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
near Allentown PA. On the park's Center Stage, they performed in "The Care Bear Song & Dance Revue" and also did many walkabout meets & greets with guests around the amusement park. Dorney Park also had the animatronic "Care-A-Lot Castle" show created by Sally Industries.
A Care Bear appeared at the Teddy Bear Rally in Amherst MA from 1996 to 2005.
In the mid-2000s, the Care Bears starred in their own stage show, called "Care Bears Live," organized by VEE Corporation. The tour ended in Atlanta, Georgia in July 2006.
The Care Bears appeared in the 2007 St.Patrick's Day Parade in Chicago, where as Grand Marshall, Good Luck Bear ceremoneously dyed the Chicago River green from a motorboat.
The Care Bears have been appearing in the annual Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver BC, Canada since 2008.
During the Christmas holiday season, the Care Bears have also been doing shows and appearances in Singapore at the Downtown East shopping mall and entertainment district since 2008.
) 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 US$95 million deal; AGC and Cookie Jar sued each other in the process as well. In late April 2010, the Cleveland company "won summary judgment on MoonScoop SAS' contract", as well as "promissory estoppel
claims" in the case; MoonScoop filed for an appeal the following month.
American Greetings
American Greetings Corporation, Inc. is the world's largest publicly-traded greeting card company. It is based in Brooklyn, Ohio and sells paper greeting cards, electronic greeting cards, party products , and electronic expressive content...
in 1981 for use on greeting cards. The original artwork for the cards was painted by artist Elena Kucharik
Elena Kucharik
Elena Kucharik is a children's illustrator from the U.S., 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...
. In 1983, Kenner
Kenner
Kenner Products was a toy company founded in 1947 by three brothers, Albert, Phillip, and Joseph L. Steiner, in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and was named after the street where the original corporate offices were located, which is just north of Cincinnati's Union Terminal.Kenner introduced its...
turned the Care Bears into plush teddy bear
Teddy bear
The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. They are usually stuffed with soft, white cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal in many countries, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items...
s. The Care Bears appeared in their own TV specials called The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings
The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings
The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings is the first television special to feature the Care Bears characters. Made by Atkinson Film-Arts of Canada, it was premiered on syndication in April 1983...
(1983) and The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine
The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine
The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine is the second television special to feature the Care Bears characters. Made by Atkinson Film-Arts of Canada, it premiered in syndication in April 1984.-Overview:...
(1984). They also had their own television series
The Care Bears (TV series)
The Care Bears is an animated television series based on the Care Bears franchise, which aired between 1985 and 1988 in syndication; on the ABC network in the United States; and on Global in Canada. The 1985 episodes were produced by DIC Entertainment; the ABC/Global episodes were made by...
from 1985 to 1988, in addition to three feature films: The Care Bears Movie
The Care Bears Movie
The Care Bears Movie is a 1985 Canadian animated film, the second feature production from the Toronto animation studio Nelvana. One of the first films based directly on a toy line, it introduced the Care Bears characters and their companions, the Care Bear Cousins. In the film, orphanage owners...
(1985), Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation
Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation
Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation is a 1986 children's animated film produced by LBS Communications, Inc. and Canadian animation studio Nelvana. The third animated feature from Nelvana, it was directed by Dale Schott, written by Peter Sauder and produced by Nelvana's three founders...
(1986), and The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland
The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland
The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland is the third theatrically released film in the Care Bears animated franchise. It was released in the United States and Canada on August 7, 1987 by Cineplex Odeon Films, and is based on Lewis Carroll's Alice stories...
(1987).
Each Care Bear comes in a different color and has a specialized insignia on its belly that represents its duty and personality. This insignia was known as their "tummy symbol." However, the movie Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!
Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!
Care Bears: Oopsy Does It! is a computer-animated film released on August 4, 2007 by Kidtoon Films. It was developed by American Greetings as part of the Care Bears' 25th anniversary, and produced by SD Entertainment...
renamed them "belly badges". Adding to the Care Bear family are the "Care Bear Cousins", which feature a lion, rabbit, penguin, raccoon, and other such animals created in the same style as the teddy bears.
In 2002, the bears were reintroduced with new toys. Made by Play-Along Toys, the new toys offered features such as illuminated bellies upon touch, aerobic bears, and glow-in-the-dark bears. As part of this comeback, the Bears have appeared in two computer-animated
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
movies: Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot
Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot
Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot is a 2004 children's animated feature, produced by Nelvana Limited and released by Lions Gate Home Entertainment. Directed by Mike Fallows and written by Jeffrey Alan Schecter, this was the fourth film to star the Care Bears, and their first in over 15 years...
(2004) and The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie
The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie
The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie is a 2005 children's animated feature, 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 film is a follow-up to the Care Bears' previous efforts in 2004's...
(2005). In 2007, the franchise celebrated its 25th anniversary; another relaunch took place, as well as the release of Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!.
As of 2011, Care Bears merchandise is still being marketed. During 2008 and 2009, Canada's Cookie Jar Group and France's MoonScoop Group
MoonScoop Group
The MoonScoop Group is a French company that creates and publishes animated television series with offices in U.K. and U.S.A.. It was established in 2003...
attempted to acquire the franchise from AGC, with no apparent success.
Development
The Care Bears were initially created in 1981 by Those Characters From Cleveland (TCFC), the licensing division of American Greetings Corp. Jack ChojnackiJack Chojnacki
Jack Chojnacki served as the co-president of Those Characters from Cleveland Inc., a division of U.S. greeting card company American Greetings , in the 1980s...
, the co-president of TCFC, introduced the first Care Bear to six businessmen—three from AGC, and three from the toy company Kenner
Kenner
Kenner Products was a toy company founded in 1947 by three brothers, Albert, Phillip, and Joseph L. Steiner, in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and was named after the street where the original corporate offices were located, which is just north of Cincinnati's Union Terminal.Kenner introduced its...
—in February 1981. On the employees' reaction to the toy, Chojnacki recalled in early 1985: "It had a high 'aaaaaah' factor."
Muriel Fahrion
Muriel Fahrion
Muriel Fahrion is an American illustrator, who is well known for being the original designer of the famous girl's toy Strawberry Shortcake. She is married to Michael Fahrion and has two adult children.- Career history :...
, the artist who helped create Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry Shortcake is a licensed character owned by American Greetings, originally used in greeting cards and expanded to include dolls, posters, and other products...
's look, was also among the franchise's first concept artists. Working with TCFC Creative VP Ralph Shaffer, Muriel designed the first six bears, creating the best-selling 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
Elena Kucharik is a children's illustrator from the U.S., 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...
became the primary artist for the Care Bears creating hundreds of full color illustrations for cards, books and a myriad of licensed products. TCFC's creative team of artists and writers worked to create numerous characters in the line, which was a joint development by Those Characters From Cleveland and MAD (Marketing and Design Service of the toy group of General Mills
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
).
As they had done with Strawberry Shortcake, once titled "Project I," AGC called the Care Bears development "Project II" as they strove to make the character program secret until advertising was ready. At the start of the franchise, Care Bears was already established as its working title.
Launch and success
On September 24, 1982, the Care Bears franchise was launched in New York City before members of the area's Society of Security Analysts. Attending the event were American Greetings president Morry Weiss, and two employees of Those Characters from Cleveland: Jack Chojnacki and senior vice-president Henry Lowenthal. Eventually, the characters were announced as a toyline for production by Parker BrothersParker Brothers
Parker Brothers is a toy and game manufacturer and brand. Since 1883, the company has published more than 1,800 games; among their best known products are Monopoly, Cluedo , Sorry, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation, and Probe...
and Kenner the following spring, as well as pre-licensed characters and media stars. At that time, American Greetings touted their debut as "the biggest character launch in the history of retailing". On a US$5–6 million advertising budget and a wholesale commitment worth US$122.5 million, 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
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
, a food company which owned the board game manufacturer Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers is a toy and game manufacturer and brand. Since 1883, the company has published more than 1,800 games; among their best known products are Monopoly, Cluedo , Sorry, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation, and Probe...
. 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 ten Bears starred in their first syndicated special, Atkinson Film-Arts
Atkinson Film-Arts
Atkinson Film-Arts was an animation studio based in Ottawa, Ontario, The company is best known for the first two Care Bears television specials, The Land Without Feelings and The Freeze Machine, and the four syndicated specials that inspired The Raccoons...
' The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings
The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings
The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings is the first television special to feature the Care Bears characters. Made by Atkinson Film-Arts of Canada, it was premiered on syndication in April 1983...
; Kenner produced and sponsored it.
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
The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine is the second television special to feature the Care Bears characters. Made by Atkinson Film-Arts of Canada, it premiered in syndication in April 1984.-Overview:...
, came out that same year. A miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
based on the toys was distributed by Lexington Broadcast Services Company
Lexington Broadcast Services Company
Lexington Broadcast Services Company was a television production and syndication company founded in 1976 by advertising pioneer Henry Siegel...
. A year later, the Bears and Cousins starred in their first film, The Care Bears Movie
The Care Bears Movie
The Care Bears Movie is a 1985 Canadian animated film, the second feature production from the Toronto animation studio Nelvana. One of the first films based directly on a toy line, it introduced the Care Bears characters and their companions, the Care Bear Cousins. In the film, orphanage owners...
, produced by Nelvana
Nelvana
Nelvana Limited is a Canadian entertainment company founded in 1971 known for its work in children's animation. It was named by founders Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith after a Canadian comic book superheroine created by Adrian Dingle in the 1940s...
Limited and released by The Samuel Goldwyn Company
The Samuel Goldwyn Company
The Samuel Goldwyn Company was an independent film company founded by Samuel Goldwyn, Jr., the son of the famous Hollywood mogul, Samuel Goldwyn, in 1979.-Background:...
. It became the highest-grossing animated film made outside the Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
market at the time of its release. Later that autumn, DIC Entertainment
DiC Entertainment
DIC Entertainment was an international film and television production company. In addition to animated television shows such as Ulysses 31 , Inspector Gadget , The Littles , The Real Ghostbusters , Captain Planet and the Planeteers , and the first two seasons of the English adaptation of...
released an 11-episode television series in syndication. Professor Coldheart and Frostbite did not appear in the movie, but appeared semi-regularly in the series with a new villain named Auntie Freeze.
In 1986, Nelvana returned to the franchise with a second movie, Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation
Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation
Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation is a 1986 children's animated film produced by LBS Communications, Inc. and Canadian animation studio Nelvana. The third animated feature from Nelvana, it was directed by Dale Schott, written by Peter Sauder and produced by Nelvana's three founders...
. Released by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
, 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, a TV series titled The Care Bears Family (also from Nelvana) premiered on the U.S. ABC network
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and Canada's Global
Global Television Network
Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
. Lasting two 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.
The Care Bears' third film, The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland
The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland
The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland is the third theatrically released film in the Care Bears animated franchise. It was released in the United States and Canada on August 7, 1987 by Cineplex Odeon Films, and is based on Lewis Carroll's Alice stories...
, debuted in 1987. A TV special, Care Bears Nutcracker Suite
Care Bears Nutcracker Suite
Care Bears Nutcracker Suite is the third and final television special to feature the Care Bears characters. Produced by the Canadian animation studio Nelvana, it is loosely based on the Nutcracker ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky...
, premiered on the Disney Channel in 1988.
Over 40 million Care Bears were sold between 1983 and 1987, and during the decade, American Greetings printed over 70 million of their cards. In whole, the sales of their merchandise reached over $2 billion during the 1980s. This made them one of the most successful toylines of its time, alongside "My Little Pony
My Little Pony
My Little Pony is a brand of toy ponies marketed primarily to girls produced by the toy manufacturer Hasbro. These ponies can be identified by their colorful bodies and manes and a unique symbol on one or both sides of their flanks...
" and "Transformers".
Revivals
In early 1991, Those Characters from Cleveland and Kenner embarked on a relaunch of the franchise, involving seven bears. One of the 1980s characters, Proud Heart Cat, was released as a bear and sported the symbol of a heart-shaped American flag. The publishing company Random HouseRandom House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
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.
In 1999, the rights to the Care Bears franchise were bought by Jay Foreman, the president of Fort Lauderdale-based Play Along Toys
Play Along Toys
Play Along Toys is a Florida-based toy company, and a wholly owned division of Jakks Pacific.In 1999, the founders of Play Along chose the Britney Spears Doll line as the first licensing venture with their new company...
, for less than $1 million; he also planned to acquire fellow AGC property Strawberry Shortcake. Three years later, American Greetings relaunched the Care Bear brand as part of the Bears' 20th anniversary celebration with a series of plush toys and movies. The artwork and design of the bears were changed for relaunch. Also, Funshine Bear's gender was changed from female to male, Champ Bear's colours were changed from tan to true blue, with his tummy symbol changed to a winner's cup with a star, and Share Bear's tummy 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 on the grounds that 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 tummy symbols.
In the midst of this revival, Play Along released brand new toys based on the newly redesigned Bears, sold at stores such as Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
, Kmart
Kmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
, Toys "R" Us, Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
, KB Toys
KB Toys
K·B Toys was a chain of mall-based retail toy stores in the United States. It was founded in 1922 by the Kaufman brothers. K·B operated 605 stores in 44 U.S. states, Puerto Rico as well as Guam. It was privately held in Pittsfield, Massachusetts...
, and Mervyns
Mervyns
Mervyns was an American middle scale department store chain based in Hayward, California. It carried national brands of clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics, and housewares. Many of the company's stores were in shopping malls...
. The new merchandise included the Bears doing aerobics
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...
; Tenderheart Bear as a patient (casting the child that is playing with the toy as the doctor); Champ Bear as a fireman; and the Care Bears themselves as Cubs. Over 70 million 13 inches (330.2 mm) plush Bears have been sold since the re-launch. In addition, Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Lionsgate Home Entertainment is the home video and DVD distribution arm of Lions Gate Entertainment and most former Artisan Entertainment releases. Its library of more than 8000 films owes some of its size to output deals with other studios...
and subsidiary FHE Pictures
Family Home Entertainment
Family Home Entertainment was an American home video company founded in 1980 by Noel C. Bloom. It was a division of International Video Entertainment, which had its headquarters in Newbury Park, California.-General information:...
, in association with Nelvana, have made two direct-to-DVD computer-animated films, Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot in 2004 and The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie in 2005. Various other music CDs featuring the bears and video games were also produced.
New versions of the various cousins were produced (with Proud Heart being changed back into a cat, in a different color and the same symbol she had in the 1980s franchise). However the revival of the line was not as successful as that of the bears' revival. Two of the Cousins, Treat Heart Pig and Noble Heart Horse, were never produced as 13 inch plushes in the 2000s, and the Cousins were not relaunched in the 2007 relaunch of the franchise.
In 2007, American Greetings relaunched Care Bears again, first with a series of dolls, then a new movie, Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!
Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!
Care Bears: Oopsy Does It! is a computer-animated film released on August 4, 2007 by Kidtoon Films. It was developed by American Greetings as part of the Care Bears' 25th anniversary, and produced by SD Entertainment...
and immediately before with a new TV series Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-lot
Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-Lot
Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-lot is an animated television series by SD Entertainment and Cookie Jar Entertainment that premiered on CBS's KEWLopolis line-up on September 15, 2007, and is designed to be an immediate follow up to the movie Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!...
. The animation and artwork is completely different from the originals giving the Care Bears have smaller body structures and redesigned tummy symbols, which are now called belly badges. Also, instead of Nelvana, the film and the animated series are produced by SD Entertainment
SD Entertainment
SD Entertainment is an animation studio specialising in direct-to-DVD 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 Animation employees Paul Sabella and Johnathan Dern.The company is based in Woodland...
.
As part of the franchise's 25th anniversary celebrations, the Bears were redesigned by the AG Properties illustration team, as was the logo of the franchise. The line consists of fifteen of the thirty-nine bears (as seen in Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!
Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!
Care Bears: Oopsy Does It! is a computer-animated film released on August 4, 2007 by Kidtoon Films. It was developed by American Greetings as part of the Care Bears' 25th anniversary, and produced by SD Entertainment...
). Five of the bears were chosen to be the focus of the franchise: Oopsy Bear, Cheer Bear, Funshine Bear, Grumpy Bear and Share Bear. The other bears include Wish Bear, True Heart Bear, Bedtime Bear, Tenderheart Bear, Love-a-lot Bear, Harmony Bear, Amigo Bear, Surprise Bear, Superstar Bear, Best Friend Bear, Play-A-Lot Bear, Heartsong Bear, Good Luck Bear and Hopeful Heart Bear, although the remaining 24 bears are also stated to have a release in the near future according to Play Along Toys.
Their new theme song is performed by former Letters to Cleo
Letters to Cleo
Letters to Cleo was an alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts perhaps best known for the 1993 single "Here & Now" from their full-length debut album Aurora Gory Alice...
member, Kay Hanley
Kay Hanley
Kathleen Marie Hanley is an American alternative rock musician. She is best known as the vocalist for the band Letters to Cleo.-Life and career:...
, and the music video premiered on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
and Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
. In August 2007, they appeared in 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
's theatrical release of Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!. This was followed by the television series from SD Entertainment, Adventures in Care-a-lot. The series premiered on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
' KEWLopolis block on September 15, 2007.
The Care Bears franchise was rebooted upon the 2007 relaunch. Prior plot devices like the Cloudmobiles, Caring Meter, the Cloud Keeper, and even Care-a-lot castle were not referred to or mentioned as of 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 have, up until the point of the first direct-to-DVD release for the new franchise (Grizzle-ly Adventures), never had humans visit Care-a-lot, and 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".
However, the Caring Meter made its return in Grizzle-y Adventures, and the second direct-to-DVD release of the franchise, Ups and Downs, included a passing remark regarding the Forest of Feelings. In addition, Care-a-lot castle reappeared in certain scenes in the new game for the V.Smile Baby Infant Development System, Play Day.
In late 2009, American Greetings announced that the Care Bears will be re-imagined with the launch of a new series, "Care Power Team". This re-imagining, while re-using the Adventures in Care-a-lot designs, will now have the bears sport "enhanced belly badges" and see the bears taking on emergencies. Soon after, a trio of new films appeared: Care Bears: Share Bear Shines
Care Bears: Share Bear Shines
Care Bears: Share Bear Shines is a 2010 computer animated, direct-to-DVD film featuring the Care Bear Power Team. The film was produced by SD Entertainment, who also made 2007's Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!.-Cast:* Tracey Moore - Share Bear...
, Care Bears: The Giving Festival
Care Bears: The Giving Festival
Care Bears: The Giving Festival is a 2010 computer-animated feature film starring the Care Bears characters. It was made by SD Entertainment, and released on DVD by Lionsgate on November 2, 2010...
and Care Bears: To the Rescue.
In July 2011, the card company announced that a new television series, the franchise's first in CGI, is in development and will premiere in 2012.
Characters and universe
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the only major daily newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and its suburbs. The AJC, as it is called, is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the result of the merger between The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta...
referred to them as "the whimsical, late 20th-century descendents of what we used to know as guardian angel
Guardian angel
A guardian angel is an angel assigned to protect and guide a particular person or group. Belief in guardian angels can be traced throughout all antiquity...
s: furry, friendly, adorable creatures whose mission is to guide small children and protect them from bogeymen. Running against a Care Bear is like, well, running against the Easter Bunny
Easter Bunny
The Easter Bunny or Easter Rabbit is a character depicted as a rabbit bringing Easter eggs, who sometimes is depicted with clothes...
."
Accompanying them are the Star and Heart Buddies, who look out for the Bears and Cousins whenever they are on missions in caring; and the Birds, who are usually seen in the Forest of Feelings with the Care Bear Cousins and watch over them. A less recurring character is The Cloud Keeper, the portly gentleman who maintains Care-a-lot. He only appeared in some of the franchise's early publications and on the DiC-produced TV episodes. The Cloud Keeper was created by Barbara Bleser for General Mills (CPG).
The ten original Care Bears consisted of Bedtime Bear, Birthday Bear, 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 new 2007 TV series, Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-lot
Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-Lot
Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-lot is an animated television series by SD Entertainment and Cookie Jar Entertainment that premiered on CBS's KEWLopolis line-up on September 15, 2007, and is designed to be an immediate follow up to the movie Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!...
, five of the Care Bears were chosen to be the main characters of the show. As seen on the Care Bears website, they are Share Bear, Cheer Bear, Funshine Bear, Grumpy Bear, and the new bear introduced in the movie, Oopsy 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
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
. For example, the name of the main characters' residence, Care-a-lot, is a play on King Arthur's legendary Camelot
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 eventually came to be described as the fantastic capital of Arthur's realm and a symbol of the Arthurian world...
castle. The Care Bear Family sits around a heart-shaped table, similar to the Round Table
Round Table (Camelot)
The Round Table 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 everyone who sits there has equal status. The table was first described in 1155 by Wace, who relied on previous depictions of...
used by Arthur and his knights. In addition, Sir Lancelot's name inspired that of Love-a-lot Bear.
Throughout the movies and series, various villains have tried to stop the Bears and Cousins in the background on their missions. On the first two specials and DiC television series, they battled against Professor Coldheart, his assistant Frostbite, and occasionally Auntie Freeze; in Nelvana's version, they faced 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 movies, they went up against Nicholas and the Evil Spirit in The Care Bears Movie
The Care Bears Movie
The Care Bears Movie is a 1985 Canadian animated film, the second feature production from the Toronto animation studio Nelvana. One of the first films based directly on a toy line, it introduced the Care Bears characters and their companions, the Care Bear Cousins. In the film, orphanage owners...
, Dark Heart in Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation
Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation
Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation is a 1986 children's animated film produced by LBS Communications, Inc. and Canadian animation studio Nelvana. The third animated feature from Nelvana, it was directed by Dale Schott, written by Peter Sauder and produced by Nelvana's three founders...
, The Wizard of Wonderland and his assistants Dim & Dumb in The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland
The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland
The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland is the third theatrically released film in the Care Bears animated franchise. It was released in the United States and Canada on August 7, 1987 by Cineplex Odeon Films, and is based on Lewis Carroll's Alice stories...
, and the Rat King and Evil Vizier in Care Bears Nutcracker Suite. Following the 2002 revival, Sir Funnybone the rat was introduced as a villain in the movie Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot, while The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie broke from tradition in which it did not have a villain. For the 2007 revival, The new movie, Care Bears: Oopsy Does It! introduced new villains, Grizzle and WingNut, who persists into the new TV series, Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-lot
Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-Lot
Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-lot is an animated television series by SD Entertainment and Cookie Jar Entertainment that premiered on CBS's KEWLopolis line-up on September 15, 2007, and is designed to be an immediate follow up to the movie Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!...
.
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 could bring care and joy into the target's heart. 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 Bears and/or Cousins are involved. A yellow beam with red hearts is sometimes seen as well. The movies 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 Oopsy Does It!. In the new series, Care Bears Adventures in Care-a-lot, the stare appears as a beam of light in the color of the bear from which it originates, but is initiated by simply rubbing the symbol.In the original animated specials and the DiC 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!"
During the movies and the DiC series, the Care Bear Cousins call their weapon the "Care Bear Cousin Call." In the DiC series, the call looks identical to the Care Bear Stare and is often performed at the same time without it being referred to as the call. In the first movie, the Cousins, excluding Swift Heart Rabbit, simply made whatever animal noise is common to their species since they did not have any tummy symbols; those are later given to them by the Care Bears at the end of the movie. In the second movie, the Call looks like a musical score which radiates from their tummy symbols. By the start of the Nelvana series, the Care Bear Cousin Call was no longer used and the Cousins simply performed the Care Bear Stare.
Although commonly used on villains, the stare and call have been also been used on humans and the Care Bears themselves. It was occasionally used in the DiC series to cure Care Bears and humans who were placed under the effects of Professor Coldheart's uncaring magic. It also occurred once in Adventures in Care-a-lot, when it was used to temporarily cheer Grumpy up in the episode "Tell-Tale Tummy".
In addition to the Care Bear Stare, the Care Bears can also use their tummy symbols to summon other assistance such as heart-shaped balloons, cloud cars, rainbow bridges and sending out a distress signal.
Caring Meter
Shown prominently in most of the Care Bears movies and TV episodes made in the 80s, the Caring Meter is typically in the dead center of Care-a-lot inside the Care Bears' main meeting hall. This meter shows how much caring there is both in Care-a-lot and on Earth. In the 1980s movies/cartoons, it is shown as an un-numbered clock-like meter. In The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie, the meter is shown with a raincloud (less caring) side and a rainbow (more caring) side. Ideally, the Caring Meter should be all the way towards the rainbow side. Whenever the Bears see the meter drop towards the raincloud side, they try to prevent it from getting worse by going on "caring missions" to try to get more people to care or for the Bears themselves to do caring deeds. If the meter drops near zero, Care-a-lot will suffer disasters, such as thunderstorms, buildings and rainbows crumbling (earlier movies) or the bright colors of Care-a-lot gradually turning into black and white (later movies). If the meter were to reach all the way to zero (there is no caring anywhere), then Care-a-lot would be gone forever.Initially, no mention was made of the Caring Meter in Care Bears: Oopsy Does It! and the first season of Adventures in Care-a-lot. With the release of Grizzle-y Adventures, the franchise's first direct-to-DVD release, the Caring Meter has returned, and the Care Bears have begun to interact with humans once again.
Merchandise
Merchandising
Merchandising is the methods, practices, and operations used to promote and sustain certain categories of commercial activity. In the broadest sense, merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer...
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's Gifts; several Care Bears plushies came with a video tape featuring one or two episodes of Nelvana's Care Bears series.
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 bears returned into their appropriate hues. Later, a children's story was written explaining why the bears had switched tints.
In his 1986 essay, The Shortcake Strategy, Tom Englehardt referred to the Care Bears dolls as "highly specialized" toys. "So specializd [are they] 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 have featured, the Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins. Some early publications include "Meet the Care Bear Cousins" (based on the first movie), "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 makers Parker Brothers, who was a licensee of the characters. Over 45 million Care Bears books were sold during the 1980s. As of 2006, Scholastic PressScholastic Press
Scholastic is a global book publishing company known for publishing educational materials for schools, teachers, and parents, and selling and distributing them by mail order and via book clubs and book fairs. It also has the exclusive United States' publishing rights to the Harry Potter book...
has 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 are also 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
Parker Brothers is a toy and game manufacturer and brand. Since 1883, the company has published more than 1,800 games; among their best known products are Monopoly, Cluedo , Sorry, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation, and Probe...
/General Mills
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
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 [by 1984] 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'sMarvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
Star Comics
Star Comics
Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and continued to publish comic books until early 1988. Titles published by the imprint were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys...
; the books were drawn by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
artist Howard Post. The November 13, 1986 issue featured a crossover with another American Greetings property, the Madballs
Madballs
Madballs were a series of toy rubber balls created by AmToy, a subsidiary company of American Greetings in the mid-1980s.The toys incorporated gross-out humor in the vein of Wacky Packages and Garbage Pail Kids...
.
During the same period, over in Britain the Care Bears also appeared in a comic book series published by Marvel UK with artwork by Harry Papadopoulus. The pereodic comics eventually were then bundled into hardcover Care Bear Annual books. some of these UK comic book issues also had stories and art from the US comic series.
Music
At the height of the '80s Care Bears craze, Kid Stuff RecordsKid Stuff Records
Kid Stuff Records was a record label of the 1980s devoted to children's music. The label's albums were mostly tie-ins for franchises such as Care Bears, The Pink Panther Show, Strawberry Shortcake, Fat Albert, Garfield, E.T...
released several LPs based on the franchise. These included "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" (all from 1983), and 1986's "Friends Make Everything Better" (released as a promotion with Trianimic). They released the soundtrack albums for the first two movies. The albums based on the toys were best sellers in children's music during their prime.
All of the albums from 1983 (except for "Birthday Party") featured writing, production, and performance credits from Mark Volman
Mark Volman
Mark Volman is an American rock and roll singer, best known as a founding member of the 1960s band The Turtles. At times during his career he has used the pseudonym "The Phlorescent Leech"...
and Howard Kaylan
Howard Kaylan
Howard Kaylan is an American rock and roll musician, best known as a founding member and lead singer of the 1960s band, The Turtles, and "Eddie" of 1970's rock band Flo & Eddie.-Early days:...
(who were the lead singers of The Turtles
The Turtles
The Turtles are an American rock group led by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. The band became notable for several Top 40 hits beginning with its cover version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" in 1965...
, also known as Flo & Eddie
Flo & Eddie
Flo & Eddie are a comedic musical duo.The two were the original founding members of the Top 40 rock group the Turtles. After the Turtles dissolved, Volman and Kaylan first joined the Mothers of Invention as "Phlorescent Leech & Eddie"...
; former Mothers of Invention from Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
's 1970-1972 period). The soundtrack album from "The Care Bears Movie" featured songs by Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
and John Sebastian
John Sebastian
John Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...
, who sang lead for The Lovin' Spoonful
The Lovin' Spoonful
The Lovin' Spoonful is an American pop rock band of the 1960s, named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. When asked about his band, leader John Sebastian said it sounded like a combination of "Mississippi John Hurt and Chuck Berry," prompting his friend, Fritz Richmond, to suggest the name...
.
In the midst of the 2002 revival, Madacy Kids
Madacy Entertainment
Madacy Entertainment is a company based in Mount Royal, Quebec that publishes DVDs, CDs, and formerly VHS tapes. Most of the products are frequently seen in Walmart, Best Buy and other discount stores in the United States and Canada, often at low retail prices, as compared to releases by major labels...
released brand new Care Bear CDs. 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 came out, as well as Care Bears Nighty-Night the following year.
The cover of both Care Bears Holiday Hugs and Care Bears Nighty-Night advertises another two CDs, called Care Bears Share A Smile and Care Bears Let's Be Friends. As of April 2008, Both Share A Smile and Let's Be Friends have been folded into a single album and released as a digital download from www.Amazon.com and www.Walmart.com, however it is at this date not available as a physical CD. This has caused some difficulties to international fans as Amazon.com and Walmart.com will not sell digital downloads to fans who reside outside North America.
Video games
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
in 1983. It was preliminarily completed and ready for beta testing, but the project was canceled before testing could begin. The beta prototype subsequently disappeared into obscurity and the only known existing prototype to date is an early alpha of the game. No other games featuring the bears were ever made during the period.
In 2004, the 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 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
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
).
Like the movies, no game for any systems was produced in 2006, and no new game was released in time for the 2007 relaunch. However, in August 2008, a new game, Care Bears Play Day, was released for the V.Smile Baby Infant Development System, finally breaking the two years of silence for the franchise on the gaming front.
Smart toys
Various interactive smart toys with the Bears have been introduced by Play Along since the 2002 revival. One of them, Care Bears Share-A-Story, was introduced by Play Along in July 2005. The toy is based upon the same basic idea of a Teddy RuxpinTeddy Ruxpin
Teddy Ruxpin is a children's toy talking bear. The bear would move his mouth and eyes while 'reading' stories which were played on an audio tape cassette deck built into his back. It was created by Ken Forsse with later assistance by Larry Larsen and John Davies. Later versions would use a digital...
. The head, mouth and eyes of the Care Bear move around as a cartridge plays fairy tales such as Goldilocks and the Three Care Bears
The Three Bears
"The Story of the Three Bears" is a fairy tale first recorded in narrative form by British author and poet Robert Southey, and first published anonymously in a volume of his writings in 1837...
, Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk is a folktale said by English historian Francis Palgrave to be an oral legend that arrived in England with the Vikings. The tale is closely associated with the tale of Jack the Giant-killer. It is known under a number of versions...
and the Three Little Pigs
Three Little Pigs
Three Little Pigs is a fairy tale featuring anthropomorphic animals. Printed versions date back to the 1840s, but the story itself is thought to be much older...
. A hardback book version of the story comes with it so the parent and child can read along as the story plays. The toy ships with the story Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and additional story cartridges and books are to be purchased separately. Also, apparently only Share Bear was ever made as such a toy.
Additionally, Care Bears Sing-along pals were also introduced. These Care Bears plush toys sing three different songs while their heads rock back and forth and could synchronize wirelessly with other singing Care Bears of the series to sing together in a group (the effective wireless coverage being three feet, although the range might deteriorate due to environmental conditions and remaining battery strength). 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.
Another Care Bear smart toy is the Care Bears Tenderheart Smart Check-up. The toy comes with an interactive plush Tenderheart bear and various toy medical equipment. The interactive plush has soft-touch points throughout the body and can be fully played with without the toy medical equipment.
Lastly, there are a line of Care Bears smart toys that would play hide and seek with the owner. The line, called Hide 'N Seek Care Bears, comes in two designs: Secret Bear and Surprise Bear. Both bear comes with a wireless handpiece. To play the toy, a third party, usually the parent, must partake in the game by hiding the bear. The child then has to find the bear, with the handpiece occasionally providing hints on how close the child is to the bear through audible instructions.
Live appearances and shows
The Care Bears appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985. With the redesign of the characters on the heels of their 25th anniversary, the Care Bears returned to the parade for the holiday in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Also in those latter two years, they appeared at the Macy's Flower Show in the flagship New York store.In 1984 and 1985, the Care Bears appeared at the San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, is one of the most progressive zoos in the world, with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species...
in California, performing in a stage show at the amphitheater.
Tenderheart Bear, Funshine Bear and Cheer Bear appeared in a live-action 1985 TV special produced by ABC station WLS-TV in Chicago called "Be A Safe Kid", teaching kids how to be safe from strangers.
During the Summers from 1988 through 1992, the Care Bears were the official characters in residence at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is an American amusement and water park located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The park features nine roller coasters, other adult and children's rides, and a waterpark, Wildwater Kingdom....
near Allentown PA. On the park's Center Stage, they performed in "The Care Bear Song & Dance Revue" and also did many walkabout meets & greets with guests around the amusement park. Dorney Park also had the animatronic "Care-A-Lot Castle" show created by Sally Industries.
A Care Bear appeared at the Teddy Bear Rally in Amherst MA from 1996 to 2005.
In the mid-2000s, the Care Bears starred in their own stage show, called "Care Bears Live," organized by VEE Corporation. The tour ended in Atlanta, Georgia in July 2006.
The Care Bears appeared in the 2007 St.Patrick's Day Parade in Chicago, where as Grand Marshall, Good Luck Bear ceremoneously dyed the Chicago River green from a motorboat.
The Care Bears have been appearing in the annual Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver BC, Canada since 2008.
During the Christmas holiday season, the Care Bears have also been doing shows and appearances in Singapore at the Downtown East shopping mall and entertainment district since 2008.
Lawsuit
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 'toushee tags'" used to identify the Care Bears.Acquisition attempts
On July 23, 2008, American Greetings announced that the Care Bears (along with Strawberry ShortcakeStrawberry Shortcake
Strawberry Shortcake is a licensed character owned by American Greetings, originally used in greeting cards and expanded to include dolls, posters, and other products...
) 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 US$95 million deal; AGC and Cookie Jar sued each other in the process as well. In late April 2010, the Cleveland company "won summary judgment on MoonScoop SAS' contract", as well as "promissory estoppel
Estoppel
Estoppel in its broadest sense is a legal term referring to a series of legal and equitable doctrines that preclude "a person from denying or asserting anything to the contrary of that which has, in contemplation of law, been established as the truth, either by the acts of judicial or legislative...
claims" in the case; MoonScoop filed for an appeal the following month.
See also
- Rainbow BriteRainbow BriteRainbow Brite was a character franchise introduced by Hallmark Cards in 1983, with the animated television series starting the following year....
- Strawberry ShortcakeStrawberry ShortcakeStrawberry Shortcake is a licensed character owned by American Greetings, originally used in greeting cards and expanded to include dolls, posters, and other products...
- The Get-Along GangThe Get-Along GangThe Get Along Gang were characters created in 1983 by American Greetings' toy design and licensing division, "Those Characters from Cleveland" , for a series of greeting cards...
- Holly HobbieHolly HobbieHolly Hobbie is an American writer and illustrator, and the name of a fictional character based on this person.Hobbie is the author of the popular Toot and Puddle children's books, and the creator of the character bearing her name...
- PopplesPopplesPopples is a series of fantasy characters created by Those Characters From Cleveland , a subsidiary company of American Greetings. Popples resemble brightly colored teddy bears or marsupials , and have pouches on their backs that they can go into and resemble brightly colored balls.-History:Susan...
- Ziggy (comic)
- The Salvador Cresta´s Oseti Cariniosi (2011)