TOTAL LICENSING
Nearly 40 years ago,Those Characters from Cleveland (TCFC), the character development division of American Greetings, was determined to create a brand that would replicate the success the group had recently enjoyed with Strawberry Shortcake. Those Characters from Cleveland co-presidents, Jack Chojnacki and Ralph Shaffer, believed that the secret to their new property was to convey emotions.Writer Dave Polter and freelance artist Elena Kucharik were enlisted to help turn a traditional teddy bear, which had been around since the early 1900’s, into an “ownable, huggable expression of emotions”. While Kucharik submitted sketches of adorable bears, hearts, and rainbows, and other symbols were being conceived by Polter, the “eureka moment” came when Shaffer placed one of the symbols on the bear’s belly. As he described in those early days, “Boom! The clouds opened up, and the sun shone!” After months of refining the design of the bear, Chojnacki and Shaffer felt pleased with the final results, and the American Greetings’ plush department translated their ideas into a three-dimensional plush design with a little extra volume for huggability and a notable heart-shape button on their rear ends.The symbol on the bear’s belly became known as the “belly badge” and helped to distinguish the different bear characters and define their individual personalities, missions, and power. Cleverly, the design on the bears’ stomach was patented by American Greetings to further distinguish their special bears from any other teddy bear on the market. TCFC realised they had something really special – a lovable, huggable bear that represented human emotions.These bears could help parents talk to their kids about sharing, caring, friendship, and love. After much brainstorming and discussion, the team experienced another magical moment when the bears were illustrated amongst the clouds in a giant cloud castle with a mission to spread sharing and caring to all. A detailed style guide was created for the initial ten bears, each with a different colour, story, and emotion. Among the first ten Care Bears were Cheer Bear, Funshine Bear, Good Luck Bear, Friend Bear, Bedtime Bear, Birthday Bear, Love-A-Lot Bear,Tenderheart Bear,Wish Bear, and Grumpy Bear. The Care Bears were born.
