Written by: Michelle Parnett-Dwyer, Chief Curator at The Strong National Museum of Play
In the early 1980s, toy and entertainment companies Those Characters From Cleveland, American Greetings, and Kenner came together to break into the plush toy market with a new kind of teddy bear. Plush teddy bears had existed for at least a century—they needed a unique, eye-catching product to grab the attention of kids and parents. Ralph Schaeffer, co-president of Those Characters From Cleveland, stumbled upon a solution. Freelance illustrator Dave Poulter had submitted sketches of rainbows and hearts for a potential line of greeting cards. Schaeffer thought wouldn’t these look cute on the tummies of the bears sketched by artist Elena Kucharik? Not only would these bears appeal to children, but the symbols would reinforce the sappy messages on American Greetings cards. The team got to work.
Those Characters from Cleveland developed the bears into pastel-colored characters with symbols on their bellies and a heart-shaped button on their bottoms. Each symbol, known as a belly badge, conveyed a different human emotion (American Greetings eventually secured a patent for the bears based on the graphics). Kenner then turned to designer Sue Trentle to transform the bears into three-dimensional sweet, huggable plush. The team settled on 10 characters including Bedtime Bear, Birthday Bear, Cheer Bear, Friend Bear, Funshine Bear, Good Luck Bear, Love-a-Lot Bear, Tenderheart Bear, and Wish Bear. Each had its own color and insignia symbolizing a positive quality or personality trait. Except for the last character, Grumpy Bear. His raincloud belly badge served as a reality check—life is not always filled with fluffy clouds, sunshine, starry nights, and rainbows.
The next step was to devise a backstory. In the narrative, the Care Bears lived in a cloud-filled kingdom. They traveled down to earth to complete missions with their special power, the Care Bear Stare, which removed negativity. The premise proved appealing and American Greetings secured 26 licensees to manufacturer complimentary items devoted to Care Bears before their product hit the market. Kucharik was tasked with the finished art for the style manual provided to all licensees. The guide included the story of the bears, images of the bears in different poses, and the Pantone matching system for each character. Director Tom Scheider meticulously reviewed every licensed product before approving use of Care Bears, helping to protect the brand’s standards before anyone knew the difference.
Care Bears made their official debut in 1983 at Toy Fair in New York City. The launch included a stage production fit for Broadway. Care Bears was an immediate success. Everywhere people turned, they found Care Bears toys, sheet sets, greeting cards, stickers, figures, pajamas, anything a child’s heart desired. In addition to merchandise, two Care Bears television specials aired. The following year, The New York Times published an article on December 23 about a teddy bear boom noting that stuffed toys “accounted for $427 million in retail sales in 1983.” John Mendelson, Kenner’s president, stated, “We can’t keep up with the demand. It really has tremendous appeal to a child, and one of the biggest reasons is that they embody universal feelings that everyone shares. And kids want to collect all the different emotions.” And this was just the beginning.
Throughout their many years in popular culture, Care Bears held fast in their essential messages of kindness and sharing even as the material manifestation of the message expanded. In 2026, Authentic Brands Group closed its acquisition of Care Bears. The global brand was reported to have included more than 100 bears and 500 licensing partners. Care Bears and their emotional architecture have appealed to at least two generations and products range from high-heeled shoes, dresses, and cardigans for fans who have been around since the 1980s. Because any fan, regardless of age, can always use a Care Bear hug. Now, the bears join illustrious company as 2026 inductees into The Strong’s National Toy Hall of Fame.
