History of the Care Bears
The Kingdom of Caring is made up of the magical lands of Care A Lot and the Forest of Feelings.
The Care Bears live in the magical cotton candy land of Care A Lot,
while the Care Bear Cousins are just down the Rainbow River in the Forest of Feelings.
In 1981, following the success of their Strawberry Shortcake line, American Greetings introduced Project II. American Greetings contacted Elena Kucharik to help design their idea. Although Elena is the most well known of the developers and her name appears on most of the original artwork, others who helped to develop these loveable, cuddly bears are: Linda Denham, Penne Bender, Ernie Ruder, Ingrid Koepcke, Tom Jacobs, David Polter, Asther Narosny, Robyn Hill, & Judi Schuman. These fuzzy little bears designed for greeting cards were a huge success. The Care Bears started out as ten characters designed to help people express emotions. Each bear was named for the feeling he or she represented. The original ten bears are Tenderheart, Good Luck, Birthday, Cheer, Share, Bedtime, Grumpy, Wish, Funshine, and Love A Lot.
It was in 1983 that the bears fully burst onto the scene. These bears were EVERYWHERE! American Greetings contacted Kenner Toys to produce a line of plush Care Bears. Care Bears appeared not only in the form of cards and toys but also collector items, stickers, books, comics, records, and in many other forms.
In 1985, the Care Bears appeared in their first big screen movie, followed the next year by a second movie, The Care Bears A New Generation; which explained the history behind the bears. The first movie came to theaters on March 23, 1985 and grossed almost $24 million. The second movie, released on January 1, 1986, grossed $8 million in theaters, and the third movie, The Care Bear's Adventures In Wonderland, released in January of 1987, grossed only $2 million. The movies introduced the world to the Care Bear Cousins, a set of animals other than bears who had the same “caring mission” that the Care Bears did.
The Care Bears also stared in their own television series in September of 1985, The Care Bears which was produced by DIC, and then a newer version of the bears that acted less like greeting cards appeared in a second television series titled The Care Bear Family. In the new version of the show, the bears went on many adventures and had a new look to them with some of the bears wearing clothing and Cheer Bear even had a ponytail. Through these television episodes many new bears appeared.
The bears also appeared in comics, which better explained the "family history" of the bears. The comics, produced by Marvel Comics, ran from November of 1985 until January of 1989. The comics followed the television series and helped to replace a few of the “missing details” that were never explained in the show.
During the 1980s, the Care Bears appeared in almost every form imaginable. Here is a list of just a few of the products that were produced from 1980 until 1989:
Information contained on this page is from the following:
The Official Care Bear Site
The History of Kenner Toys
Kenner Employee Interviews
Press release information from the Care Bears Adventures In Wonderland Movie
Sherri from the former FFCBB Message Board
From various members of various message boards for the past 6 years
In 1981, following the success of their Strawberry Shortcake line, American Greetings introduced Project II. American Greetings contacted Elena Kucharik to help design their idea. Although Elena is the most well known of the developers and her name appears on most of the original artwork, others who helped to develop these loveable, cuddly bears are: Linda Denham, Penne Bender, Ernie Ruder, Ingrid Koepcke, Tom Jacobs, David Polter, Asther Narosny, Robyn Hill, & Judi Schuman. These fuzzy little bears designed for greeting cards were a huge success. The Care Bears started out as ten characters designed to help people express emotions. Each bear was named for the feeling he or she represented. The original ten bears are Tenderheart, Good Luck, Birthday, Cheer, Share, Bedtime, Grumpy, Wish, Funshine, and Love A Lot.
It was in 1983 that the bears fully burst onto the scene. These bears were EVERYWHERE! American Greetings contacted Kenner Toys to produce a line of plush Care Bears. Care Bears appeared not only in the form of cards and toys but also collector items, stickers, books, comics, records, and in many other forms.
In 1985, the Care Bears appeared in their first big screen movie, followed the next year by a second movie, The Care Bears A New Generation; which explained the history behind the bears. The first movie came to theaters on March 23, 1985 and grossed almost $24 million. The second movie, released on January 1, 1986, grossed $8 million in theaters, and the third movie, The Care Bear's Adventures In Wonderland, released in January of 1987, grossed only $2 million. The movies introduced the world to the Care Bear Cousins, a set of animals other than bears who had the same “caring mission” that the Care Bears did.
The Care Bears also stared in their own television series in September of 1985, The Care Bears which was produced by DIC, and then a newer version of the bears that acted less like greeting cards appeared in a second television series titled The Care Bear Family. In the new version of the show, the bears went on many adventures and had a new look to them with some of the bears wearing clothing and Cheer Bear even had a ponytail. Through these television episodes many new bears appeared.
The bears also appeared in comics, which better explained the "family history" of the bears. The comics, produced by Marvel Comics, ran from November of 1985 until January of 1989. The comics followed the television series and helped to replace a few of the “missing details” that were never explained in the show.
During the 1980s, the Care Bears appeared in almost every form imaginable. Here is a list of just a few of the products that were produced from 1980 until 1989:
- 6, 12, 18, and 36 inch plush toys
- Poseables (with and without accessories)
- Comic Books
- Story Books
- Stickers
- Pizza Hut sticker books
- Pizza Hut glasses
- Cups and Mugs
- Dishes
- Miniature Figurines
- Christmas Ornaments
- Keychains/attachables
- Prizes in Cheerio’s box (a set of stickers)
- Bedding
- Clothing
Information contained on this page is from the following:
The Official Care Bear Site
The History of Kenner Toys
Kenner Employee Interviews
Press release information from the Care Bears Adventures In Wonderland Movie
Sherri from the former FFCBB Message Board
From various members of various message boards for the past 6 years
Website Design is Copyright © 2007 Kingdom of Caring
