Care Bears: Difference between revisions

Originating on greeting cards in [[The Eighties|1981]], these little guys and gals were a hit right out of the gate when Kenner launched a toy line two years later. They had a lot of animated screentime for the rest of the decade: two specials, a TV series, and three theatrical films over 1985-87: ''The Care Bears Movie'', ''Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation'', and ''The Care Bears Adventure In Wonderland''. A fourth film, ''Care Bears Nutcracker Suite'' (1988), was aired as a TV special when the third flopped. The franchise died back through the 90's after a very brief and [[They Changed It, Now It Sucks|unsuccessful redesign]] -- Compare [[My Little Pony]]. Now they're back with a handful of new direct-to-DVD movies.

 

 

They're one of the most spoofed of [[The Eighties]] toy lines because of their [[Tastes Like Diabetes|overly sugary reputation]] - which is not wholly deserved when one takes [[Vile Villain Saccharine Show|some of their villains]] [[Nightmare Fuel/Care Bears|and plotlines into account]]. On the other hand, they're still quite popular. At the turn of the millennium, the characters were relaunched with a toy revival and two direct-to-video animated films. In 2007, a redesigned line of the toys arrived along with another DTV film and a Saturday morning series on CBS, ''Care Bears - Adventures in Care-A-Lot''.

 

Films include:

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* [[Care Bear Stare]]: After a non-fatal attack (and later, also a healing maneuver) typically employed in the series.

* [[Grumpy Bear]]: After a character from the series: A dark blue Care Bear with a raincloud on its tummy.

 

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* [[Agony Beam]]: The [[Care Bear Stare]] functions like one to [[The Heartless]] and others who [[Evil Cannot Comprehend Good|cannot comprehend good]].

* [[Amazing Technicolor Wildlife]]

* [[Aw, Look -- They Really Do Love Each Other]]: In one episode, No Heart banishes Beastly, and Shreeky finds that she misses him. Awww...

** Then again, the episode gave no reason to believe it was just because Shreeky didn't like doing Beastly's chores.

'''Grizzle''': Well, look anyway! }}

* [[Beauty Equals Goodness]]

* [[Be Careful What You Wish For]]: A major theme of the CGI ''Big Wish Movie''. Wish Bear, upset that nobody likes her wishes, wishes for some bears to come to Care-a-Lot who like wishing just as much as she does. She gets her wish, but the new neighbors turn out to like wishing so much that they take away Twinkers, her wishing star, from her.

* [[Cheerful Child]]: Hugs and Tugs Bear, the cubs.

* [[Christmas Episode]]: A movie, ''Care Bears Nutcracker Suite''.

* [[Circle of Friendship]]: Care Bares love this move.

* [[Crying Wolf]]: Crying swamp monster, actually. Then there was a "real" swamp monster who happened to be Beastly in disguise, and the ''real'' real monster wasn't bad.

* [[Disembodied Eyebrows]]: Wingnut, in the new ''Giving Festival Movie'' from the ''Adventures in Care-a-Lot'' era.

** And No-Heart in the Nelvana series.

* [[Easily-Thwarted Alien Invasion]]

* [[Evil Is Deathly Cold]]: Professor Coldheart.

* [[Evil Is Hammy]]: Most of the villains. Probably the most notable example is the Vizier from the Nutcracker special, who is fond of SHOUTING OUT EVERY LINE! Which are then commonly followed up with a "MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

** If you don't think the Evil Spirit counts, perhaps you need a LESSON on what Hammy is. A LESSON you really need. '''A LESSON''' FOR YOU!!!

* [[Evil Sorcerer]]: No Heart.

* [[Fake Ultimate Hero]]: Braveheart Lion.

* [[Fluffy Cloud Heaven]]: Care-A-Lot, just not as an afterlife.

* [[For the Evulz]]: Pretty much the only reason almost any villain does anything. Except for ''Adventures in Care-a-Lot'''s Grizzle, who simply hates the Care Bears and wishes to take over, or at least be rid of, Care-a-Lot.

** Another exception is the Wizard of Wonderland from the third movie ''Care Bears Adventure In Wonderland''. His motive is political power (he wants to become the new king of Wonderland).

* [[Four-Fingered Hands]]: Shreeky. Oddly, other human characters, including her uncle No Heart, have all five fingers. [[Wild Mass Guessing|Maybe there's a story there.]]

** ...Shreeky and No-Heart are humans?

** Just watch Nutcracker Suite. Count how many fingers Alan Prince/Nutcracker, his wife and their students have.

* [[Glad I Thought of It]]: Shreeky did this with Beastly practically [[Once Per Episode]].

* [[Good Feels Good]]: Initially played straight with Beastly's [[Heel Face Turn]], then subverted. He runs back to Shreeky at the end of the episode because he can't stand the taste of diabetes being a Care Bear brings.

* [[Informed Flaw]]: Cheer Bear in the Nelvana series referred to as "fat" sometimes, in spite of being the same size as everyone else.

* [[I Would Say If I Could Say]]

* [[Large Ham]]: The voice actors and actresses playing the villains had a lot of fun.

** Averted in the 80s: One was planned for the [[Atari 2600]], but was scrapped when the great crash came around.

** For the 2000s revival: One for the [[Game Boy Advance]] and One for the V-Tech V-Smile. And three for PC/Macs.

* [[Merchandise-Driven]]: The first two films introduced new or revamped characters in conjunction with their toy line debuts: the Cousins in the first, and the whole gang's baby selves in the second.

** There are plush toys for bears from ''Adventures in Care-a-Lot'' that had maybe two lines on the show at most, if they even got to speak at all.

* [[Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant]]: Songfellow Strum, at least for the viewer.

* [[Nobody Poops]]: Well, of '''course''', but ''Adventure in Wonderland'' actually goes so far as to show us the inside of Grumpy Bear's bathroom, which has everything you would expect ''except'' for a toilet. No ''wonder'' he's so cranky.

* [[The Power of Rock]]: That one too. (As an aside, have you noticed that these "Power Of" Tropes seem to be the Holy Trinity for 80's cartoons?)

** Grams Bear plays an electric guitar in one episode.

* [[Quirky Miniboss Squad]]: Professor Coldheart, Frostbite, and Auntie Freeze. Then later, Shreeky and Beastly, who also serve as a two-person [[Terrible Trio]].

* [[The Renaissance Age of Animation]]

* [[Ridiculympics]]: One episode involves the Care-A-Lot Games, consisting of such events as the piggyback race, limbo, the egg spoon race, and paddle ball. Much [[Hilarity Ensues]] when Mr. Beastly tries to cheat at every single event he participates in {{spoiler|(his screwup with the paddle ball stops just short of ''destroying the entire stadium'')}}.

* [[Tome of Eldritch Lore]]: In the first movie, and it was alive.

* [[Verbal Tic]]: In the Nelvana series, Champ Bear calls everyone "sports fan" no matter what the context.

* [[Villainous Friendship]] : Dark Heart and Christy in the second movie.

* [[Villain Song]]: In the first TV special: "Allow me to introduce myself!/They call me Professor Coldheart..."

** And from the Adventures in Care-a-Lot movie ''Oopsy Does It'', "Grizzle's Bad."

** "When I'm the King of Wonderland" in the ''Wonderland'' movie.

* [[Zombie Apocalypse]]: ''Adventures in Care-a-Lot'' has one when a [[Love Potion]] goes wrong, turning the other Care Bears into creepy "love zombies" bent on apparently hugging Oopsy to death.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:The Renaissance Age of Animation]]

[[Category:DiC Entertainment]]

[[Category:Nelvana]]

[[Category:Care Bears]]