Mums of my vintage will remember the phenomenon that was Care Bears back in the 1980s. While the Care Bear names might be a little hazy, we’re hitting the refresh button on our own childhood memories! Fess up, which Care Bear did you have and are your kids obsessed with Care Bears of today?
Care Bears continue to dominate the world
The plush toys first hit toy shop shelves in the early 1980s and soon took the world by storm as a must-have toy. It’s reported that between 1983 and 1987 over 40 million Care Bears were sold. Holy magical bear, that’s a lot of bears and money! The company reportedly raked in over 2 billion dollars from the cuddly critters.
Belly badges, tufts of hair, heart-shaped noses and soft cuddly bodies… ahh sweet nostalgia! But also, I’m still a little salty that I never landed my five-year-old paws on a Tenderheart Bear.
Vintage Care Bears, just how I remember them! via GIPHY
Meet the Crew: the OG Care Bear Names
There were only 11 Care Bears in the original release – and some were REALLY hard to get your hands on!
BEDTIME BEAR
COLOUR:Â Light blue
CHARACTERISTICS: Light blue fur with a moon and star belly badge. Permanently looks like he could do with an extra few hours of shut-eye.
LOVE-A-LOT BEAR
COLOUR: Pastel pink
CHARACTERISTICS: It was double the hearts for Love-A-Lot Bear! With two large hearts on her belly badge, she has plenty of warm fuzzy love to spread around.
BIRTHDAY BEAR
COLOUR: Yellow
CHARACTERISTICS: The Care Bear with a sweet pink cupcake and candle on his belly badge, he says HAPPY BIRTHDAY without actually saying anything at all!
GOOD LUCK BEAR
COLOUR: Light green
CHARACTERISTICS: Ahhhh the luck of the Irish! Good Luck Bear sports a four-leaf clover on his belly badge and a permanent wink. The cutest good-luck charm there ever was. CUTE!
FUNSHINE BEAR
COLOUR: Yellow
CHARACTERISTICS: Funshine Bear loves to have some fun in the sun and radiates joy and light wherever she goes! You can’t miss her, she has a big sun on her belly badge.
CHEER BEAR
COLOUR: Candy pink
CHARACTERISTICS: This Care Bear boasts a big smile and a sweet rainbow on her belly badge, how can you not bring cheer or put a smile on someone’s dial when you’re pink?
TENDERHEART BEAR
COLOUR: Light Brown
CHARACTERISTICS: Light brown in colour with a beautiful big red heart on his belly badge with cute but slightly frowning eyes. Tenderheart Bear assumed the position as leader of the Care Bear pack, thanks to The Care Bear films.
GRUMPY BEAR
COLOUR: Blue
CHARACTERISTICS: With a rain cloud and hearts on his belly, Grumpy Bear taught people that experiencing big feelings was ok. It’s ok to be grumpy – just not ALL the time.
FRIEND BEAR
COLOUR: Gold
CHARACTERISTICS: A pair of smiling sunflowers on her belly badge, this care bear’s name is perfect – she’s friendly by name and by nature.
SHARE BEAR
COLOUR: Purple
CHARACTERISTICS: Share Bear joined the gang a little later in 1985, to coincide with the launch of The Care Bears Movie in December of the same year. She originally had a milkshake with two straws on her belly badge which was later swapped out with two lollipops. It’s good to share – just not germs!
WISH BEAR
COLOUR: Teal blue
CHARACTERISTICS: Features a smiling shooting star on her belly badge, amazing felt eyelashes and a need to help make wishes come true.
FUN FACT: The Care Bears Movie was an absolute Box Office hit in 1985, making USD$34 million dollars in sales!
Care Bear names and styles get a modern-day glow-up!
In 2002 a new updated Care Bears collection was launched. The old bear characters received a glow-up and look brighter than ever, with many names withstanding the change. Phew!
A whole lot of newly named bears (and magical lion, rabbit and elephant cousins!) have joined the Care-a-Lot community over the years, some characters sticking around longer than others and some being strictly Limited Edition. Some of those Care Bears’ names include:
- Harmony Bear
- Always There Bear
- Smart Heart Bear
- Champ Bear
- Take Care Bear
- True Heart Bear
- Tanks-a-lot Bear
- Hopeful Heart Bear
- Secret Bear
- Heartsong Bear
- Superstar Bear
- Daydream Bear
- Work of Heart Bear
- Sweet Dreams Bear
- Amigo Bear
- Laugh-a-lot Bear
- Do-your-best Bear
- Best Friend Bear
- Birthday Bear
- America Cares Bear
- Trick-or-sweet Bear
- Christmas Wishes Bear
- Watchful Bear
- Grams Bear
- Unity Bear
- Togetherness Bear
Limited Edition Care Bears in time for Christmas
You can buy Care Bears in all forms (full-size plush, Beanies, Ooshies, figurines and more) at leading toy retailers and independent toy stores around Australia. Keep your eyes peeled for the Limited Edition Christmas 2022 Care Bear and the Limited Edition Daydream Care Bear, both available at Big W for RRP$39.
Fans of Care Bears are ready and willing to invest!
If you’ve long forgotten the names of your Care Bear and you’ve well and truly passed this collector phase, it’s worth mentioning your stash of Care Bears can fetch astounding resale prices, with whole collections reportedly being sold for thousands of dollars on eBay and in Facebook Care Bear trading groups. Just saying, if the price is right, you CAN put a price on childhood memories, after all.
It’s a Care Bears birthday party!
Love care bears SO MUCH you’re running with that theme for your little one’s next birthday party? What a Queen! Check out this amazing Care Bears themed birthday party. It’s AMAZING!
Tell us about your Care Bears collection in the comments, we want to hear about your Care Bear names and those you wanted the most!
2 Comments
Secret Bear was also in the Care Bear movie in 1985 as I had one. It had a pull cord and it said phrases. I think I’ll have to grab a Care Bear for my granddaughter. 🙂
Have a massive collection packed away in boxes from the 80’s & early 2000’s including Care Bear cousins & some very rare ones Like Nobleheart Horse.