Care Bears

The Care Bears are a set of 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 took the characters and made the first in a line of very succesful teddy bears based of the Care Bears. Over 40 million units were sold between 1983 and

Alphabetical list of Care Bears

• America Cares Bear - A brand-new addition to the famous toy line (2004), America Cares Bear is the Kingdom of Caring's most patriotic member, a happy and energetic bear who believes that America's greatest strength is in caring. Her shooting-star tummy symbol reminds America to lift up their red, white and blue by caring for those around them, and making their country--and the world--a better place.
• Baby Hugs Bear (often called Hugs), along with her brother, Baby Tugs Bear, with whom she often gets into mischief, is the youngest member of the Care Bears family. Sweet, curious and loving, she can never go anywhere without being hugged by anyone. A Star Buddy inside a pink box—her tummy symbol—shows her personality.
• Baby Tugs Bear (often called Tugs), whose sister is Baby Hugs Bear, is a rough and tumble little boy cub who always gets into mischief. The two siblings, looked after by their grandmother, Grams Bear (see below), are the youngest members of the Care Bears family. Baby Tugs' aspiration is to become a Care Bear himself and join the other Bears on missions in caring. His tummy symbol, a smiling Star Buddy inside a diaper, reflects his bright and happy personality.
• Bedtime Bear - The sleepiest Bear of them all, Bedtime Bear makes sure that people get a good night's sleep all over the world. His tummy symbol (see above) says everything best about his job.
• Birthday Bear knows how to celebrate his namesake all the time. His symbol is a cupcake with one candle on it.
• Champ Bear - The Kingdom of Caring's sports guru, Champ Bear encourages the message of playtime--he is especially good at games he has never played before. A yellow trophy with a heart is his symbol. He appeared in some of the Nelvana episodes and made a cameo appearance in the beginning of the third movie, Adventure in Wonderland.
• Cheer Bear - One of the original ten, Cheer Bear's job (see picture below) is to make people feel their happiest. A rainbow stands out as her symbol.
• Do-Your-Best Bear - A recent addition to the toy line (2004), Do-Your-Best Bear helps people be the best they can. His symbol--a colourful kite--reminds everyone that the sky's the limit when you do your best. However, he is the only one in the Kingdom of Caring who cannot fly a kite!
• Day Dream Bear - Made exclusively for the British version of the franchise in the 1980s, Day Dream Bear shows that daydreams are fun and help inspire people to do things, but also shows how to pay attention. She is constantly getting into funny little scrapes because her mind is somewhere else. Her tummy symbol, two heart-shaped ballons, shows that, with imagination, there is a rainbow of happiness that we can create.
• Forest Friend Bear - A joint exclusive between Tonka and the World Wildlife Fund for the 80's British franchise, Forest Friend Bear's job is to help keep forested areas safe.
• Friend Bear, one of the original ten Bears, is the ideal friend for everyone she meets. Two smiling flowers show up on her tummy symbol.
• Funshine Bear - A regular in the toy line's animated fare for years, Funshine Bear, Care-a-lot's class clown, has a smiling sun as her tummy symbol--and even a smile on her face. Being happy is what she is all about. In the 2004 toy line and the direct-to-DVD feature, ', Funshine was a male bear.
• Good Luck Bear helps spread his namesake to those he encounters. What can say better about his mission than (of course) a four-leaf clover on his tummy?
• Grams Bear - The grandmother of all the Care Bears family, 'Grams Bear' looks after the Kingdom of Caring's two youngest members, Hugs and Tugs (see above). A seasoned "veteran," an excellent storyteller, and a valued mentor for the family, she knows just about all there is about being a Bear, and is ready to lend a hand or a patient ear to help anyone in need. A rose stands out as her symbol. As a later addition to the toy line, Grams Bear was featured, along with her grandchildren, in the first movie and on some of the Nelvana TV episodes.
• Grumpy Bear, whose symbol is a grey rain cloud with falling hearts, tells us that it is okay to be grumpy sometimes, but that we are silly when we take our grumpiness too far. Grumpy is a fan favourite.
• Harmony Bear, a peace-lover, helps others overcome differences and get along. Her symbol (see below) shows that harmony can be achieved when different people come together for the good of all. In the second movie (1986), Harmony's symbol was three joint-together hearts (the US version); in the British toys, it was three music notes. In 2004, it was changed into a multi-coloured flower. She is also one of the mascots of the Sigma Sigma Sigma college sorority in real life.
• Laugh-A-Lot Bear - Also a new addition in 2004, Laugh-A-Lot Bear turns her worst mistakes into the best jokes. Her symbol--a laughing star at giving others the giggles--shows what she really is.
• Love-A-Lot Bear - With two intertwined hearts as her tummy symbol, Love-a-Lot Bear spreads the message of her namesake and makes it grow wherever she goes. Though a true believer in the power of love, she is not afraid to help it along. She can be seen dancing with her crush, Tenderheart Bear, at the beginning of the first movie.
• Perfect & Polite Panda - Looking after Paradise up above the skies of Care-a-lot, Perfect & Polite Panda always spoke in rhyme, finishing each other's sentences and complimenting one another's feelings. They only appeared in one Care Bears episode, "The Long Lost Care Bears."
• Sea Friend Bear - Another British exclusive in the 80's between Tonka and the World Wildlfe Fund, Sea Friend Bear makes sure that the world's oceans and seas are safe from harm.
• Secret Bear, a later addition to the Care Bears family, acts as a mime to the other members. She can only tell secrets to her partner, Friend Bear (as the first movie strongly shows). Secret's tummy symbol is a red heart-shaped padlock.
• Share Bear, also a later addition, helps others to learn about sharing the things they have. She shows that, through her symbol (see below), sharing is a treat that comes from the heart. In the 1980's franchise, Share Bear's symbol was a heart-sprinkled sundae with two straws; in 2004 it was changed to two lollipops (on the grounds that sharing milkshakes can spread germs, according to present-day distributors Play Along Toys).
• Surprise Bear - A rare find in the 80's franchise, there is no one who loves good surprises so much like Surprise Bear. His symbol represents his job: a jack-in-the box with a star popping out. He was featured in the British franchise as an exclusive plush.
• Take Care Bear - The least-known of all the Bears, Take Care Bear helps her friends live in the best of health. Her only appearance in the early franchise was in a 1987 cough medicine colouring book. A smiling apple was her symbol back then.
• Tenderheart Bear - The leader of the Care Bears, and one of the original ten characters introduced in the franchise (the others were Bedtime Bear, Birthday Bear, Cheer Bear, Friend Bear, Funshine Bear, Good Luck Bear, Grumpy Bear, Love-A-Lot Bear and Wish Bear). A loving and lovable brown bear who knows a lot about helping others share their feelings, Tenderheart helps spread love and make it grow by helping people show they care. He wears the perfect symbol for his job on his tummy--a red heart with a narrow pink border.
• Thanks-A-Lot Bear - One of the least known Care Bears, Thanks-A-Lot Bear's only known appearance is in the toy line as a plush, a glowing plush, and a small plush partnered with Funshine Bear. He's bright blue and his symbol is a shooting star with a rainbow tail.
• True Heart Bear - The mother of the Care Bears and the Cousins, True Heart Bear, who first appeared in the second , is everything one would expect the first Bear to be: warm and perky, fun and friendly and extra-lovable and loving! Her symbol, a multi-coloured star radiating from a central heart, shows all the beautiful ways that caring shines out from a loving heart.
• Wish Bear's job is help, simply enough, everyone's wishes come true, even though not all of them work the way they should. Her symbol--a shooting star with a rainbow tail--reminds us to believe in our dreams.