Care Bears! They've made a comeback and now my kids love the same characters that I did!!

The boys recently discovered Care Bears. We watched The Care Bears in Wonderland. Yes, the SAME Care Bears in Wonderland that I watched in 1987. I feel so old! 

This is the one where the little girl Alice learns about self-worth when she helps the Care Bears rescue the Princess of Wonderland. 

Yes. I remember it. I remember it well. 

I loved the Care Bears when I was a kid. My favorite stuffed animal, which I still have, is Swift Heart Rabbit, who’s actually a Care Bear Cousin. We had multiple Care Bears VHS tapes and a few Care Bears toys. 

Remember the first Care Bears movie? Yes you do.

And the second one?

Then they like, disappeared for awhile. That was okay because I was growing older and not as interested in these guys, but apparently they relaunched the Care Bears franchise in 2002. I, being deeply engrossed in academia at the time, didn’t even notice. They’re not quite the same Care Bears though. 

After surfing the ‘net for awhile during Cocoa Puff’s nap, I found out the following:

The artwork and design of the Care Bears were changed. This explains why they look slightly different to me. Funshine Bear was changed to a boy bear. Champ Bear, who I remember being tan/brown, is now true blue, and his tummy symbol is now a winner’s cup with a star. Share Bear, who had a milkshake with two straws in it now has two lollipops. I wondered who that one was because I had never seen him before. The new versions of the cousins were produced too. Proud Heart returned to a cat who resembled nothing about his former self. 

Apparently there was another relaunch in 2007. Apparently I did not notice this either, being eyebrow deep in physics books at the time. They were really changed around with American Greetings taking over. The Cloudmobile, Caring Meter, Cloud Keeper and Care-a-lot castle apparently didn’t make the cut (NOOOOO!!!). The Bears now had a gathering tree instead. 

So, there used to be a LOT more Care Bears back in the day. There was Bedtime Bear (blue, with yellow moon/star), Birthday Bear (gold, with cupcake), Cheer Bear (pink, with rainbow), Friend Bear (orange, with sunflowers), Funshine Bear (yellow, with sun), Good Luck Bear (green, with four-leaf clover), Grumpy Bear (blue, with rain cloud and rain), Love-a-Lot Bear (pink, with hearts), Tenderheart Bear (brown, with big heart), and Wish Bear (teal, with shoooting stars). 

Those are the 10 original Care Bears I remember playing with as a kid. My grandma had several stuffed animals at her house and also a bunch of figurines and a Cloudmobile. 

Then, a bunch of others such as Baby Hugs Bear, Baby Tugs Bear (the babies. Hugs is pink with stars and a heart, Tugs is blue with stars and a diaper) , Champ Bear (tan, with gold trophy and heart), Daydream Bear (pink, with heart balloons), Grams Bear (gray, with a pink rose. Takes care of the baby bears), Harmony Bear (purple, with three hearts), Secret Bear (tangerine, with heart padlock), Share Bear (lavender, with a milkshake and two straws), and True Heart Bear (yellow, with multicolored star) were introduced in the 1980s and 90s. There were some others that made single appearances or were introduced in other countries. I remember most of these guys from the movies/TV series.

The Care Bear Cousins companions were Brave Heart Lion (brown, with heart/crown), Bright Heart Raccoon (purple, with lightbulb), Cozy Heart Penguin (lilac, with stocking and heart), Gentle Heart Lamb (mint, with a lacey heart pillow), Lotsa Heart Elephant (pink, with a weight), Loyal Heart Dog (blue, with a medal), Noble Heart Horse (multicolored, with a star), Playful Heart Monkey (yellow orange, with a party hat/heart balloon), Proud Heart Cat (orange, with a star/heart), Swift Heart Rabbit (light blue, with a winged heart), and Treat Heart Pig (yellow, with an ice cream cone). I remember most of these guys too! 

The new reboots introduced a bunch of bears that I’ve never heard of. These are America Cares Bear, Bashful Heart Bear, Best Friend Bear, Do Your Best Bear, Laugh-a-Lot Bear, Smart Heart Bear, Thanks-a-Lot Bear, Hopeful Heart Bear, All My Heart Bear, Amigo Bear, Heartsong Bear, Play-a-Lot Bear, Oopsy Bear, Shine Bright Bear, Superstar Bear, Work of Heart Bear, Sweet Dreams Bear, Always There Bear, Pink Power Bear, and Sweet Sakura Bear. I had to look up every single one of these because I had NO IDEA who they are. 

The latest reboot has Great Giving Bear, Wonderheart Bear, and a few others that appear only in a single episode. 

We got a Care Bears coloring book for Christmas and honestly, these new ones don’t look anything like the old ones! Of course, that is to be expected with how far we’ve come in animation technology. 

But, you know, it’s been fun remembering these guys. I’m alright with the boys watching Care Bears, and we have gotten some of the mystery packs of the single Care Bear figurines. 

Froot Loop especially likes the Care Bears. I’m thinking of getting him a plush, but I don’t know which one to get him. 

There’s also these DVDS.

And this looks like a fun book.

Wow, this has been a blast! And other things I’ve run into in my little blast from the past are My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, and Rainbow Brite (oh, Starlite! and Twink!)!!! Oh man, I’ve got a lot more Googling to do!

Do you remember Care Bears? Which was your favorite?