The Care Bears are being revived for a new CGI-animated series that will be produced by American Greetings Properties in time for the characters’ 30th anniversary in 2012.
Additionally, Hasbro is planning to issue a new Care Bears toy line in 2013.
A licensing division of American Greetings created the Care Bears and launched them in 1982 as greeting-card characters that subsequently morphed into a wildly popular toy line. Scripted adaptations including TV specials soon followed, with initial feature film “The Care Bears Movie” grossing more than $22 million at the U.S. box office.
Even since 2002, when the product line was relaunched, the Care Bears have generated more than $2.6 billion in global sales.
“The Care Bears are not just a piece of ’80s pop culture, but enduring and still-beloved properties whose messages of caring and sharing are as relevant today as they were when the property was first introduced,” American Greetings Properties marketing director Gabrielle Oliff said. A network announcement is expected later this month.
