The History of Care Bears and Care Bear Collectors

In 1981, American Greetings decided to cash in on the success of their Strawberry Shortcake line by adding a group of cuddly, teddy-like bears to their greeting cards. Thus the Care Bears were born. The next year Parker Brothers introduced a toy line featuring these characters, and in an example of well-timed marketing, soon after that they were featured in a television special called "The Land Without Feelings". The loveable creatures quickly gained popularity with young children, and in 1984 the next Care Bears special was released, "The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine".

A miniseries soon followed the product line as children everywhere started clamoring for more. The Care Bear Cousins also arrived at this time, making their movie debut along with the Care Bears in their first "official" film not on television. The film was a box office hit, making the characters a household name in all families with young children. This spawned a 22-episode series and a second film, titled "Care Bears II: A New Generation". After the second movie premiered, Nelvana created a 70-episode TV series "The Care Bears Family Storybook" for ABC that lasted two seasons. The next year featured the Care Bears' third and final film, "Adventure in Wonderland".

The Care Bears earned American Greetings well over two billion dollars in the 1980s, a sum almost unheard of for toy production at that time. Taking their place alongside contemporary favorites like Rainbow Brite and My Little Pony, Care bears enjoyed their place all the way through the 80s.

Throughout the 1990s, several attempts were made to revive the feeling of the old product line, but the girls who had grown up with the now "vintage" toys didn't appreciate the changes that were made. The "Environmental" Care Bears and the partial re-release of some of the characters (including one particularly infamous incident in which the species of Proud Heart Cat was changed entirely) didn't win over any hearts, and the Care Bear toy line languished in obscurity for several years.

In 1999 Jay Foreman came on the scene, purchasing the rights to the Care Bear name. At the beginning of the 21st century, Care Bears returned from retirement in order to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Included in this celebration were a re-release of several characters made the "right" way (as they had originally looked in the 1980s) and the addition of several new Care Bears. An entirely new generation of children has been able to enjoy the cuddly characters. Women now in their teens and twenties also remembered their childhood fondly, and it's partly their money that has helped revive the line.

The new line of toys is much more inspired by their original 1980s appearance, but features a wider variety in the production line and an interactive web site where children and collectors alike can go to learn more about their favorite characters. New additions to the Care Bear family are being created every day, but Ebay is by far the most popular choice for those who are seeking to recapture the playthings of their youth from the 1980s. Even today Care bears are closely connected to toys of that era, and cannot be mentioned without automatically linking the two.