The updated version of Care Bears is making inroads around the world, most recently securing key deals in France and China.
Care Bears: Unlock the Magic follows Cheer Bear, Grumpy Bear, Good Luck Bear, Funshine Bear, and Share Bear as they embark on a new adventure from Care-A-Lot to the Silver Lining, a beautiful, strange world inhabited by the Whiffles, a group of innocently happy creatures that plant seeds to keep the magical land of Care-A-Lot growing.
Throughout the series, Care Bears use their belly badge powers to spread messages of sharing, caring, friendship and courage while making sure to have lots of laughs along the way.
Cloudco Entertainment, owner of the venerable entertainment property Care Bears, has now launched its new Care Bears: Unlock The Magic animated series on China’s CCTV14 public broadcasting network and French free-to-air television channel, Gulli.
These content launches come in tandem with new toy deals in both territories that will support the new TV series as well as the Care Bears’ forthcoming 40th anniversary this year.
“We’re delighted to bring the Care Bears franchise back to China and France, just in time for the brand’s 40th Anniversary in 2022,” Roubina Tchoboian, VP of International Licensing, Cloudco Entertainment, said. “Parents and kids alike will be thrilled to see the Care Bears explore brilliant, brand-new adventures.”
Following the success experienced in the US, Europe, and APAC, CCTV14 Children’s Channel in China started streaming Care Bears: Unlock the Magic across the country in October. The all-new 2D animated series produced by Cloudco Entertainment includes 48 x 11’ episodes and 2 x 22’ shorts. In September 2021, Lagardere Active started airing Care Bears: Unlock the Magic on the French free-to-air television channel, Gulli, after the initial launch on Tiji, where the series also continues to air.
“Kindness is an important value for Gulli – that is why we are so keen on Care Bears!” said Jean-René Aucouturier, Sales and Business Development Director at Gulli. “Our shared values contribute to the success of the property.”
This October, Cloudco also relaunched Care Bears toys with new master toy partner, Splash Toys, in France. The toy line emulates the new character art style seen in Care Bears: Unlock the Magic and is rolling out successfully at mass and specialty as well as a number of other online and brick and mortar retailers across the country.
Product Manager Julia Padiou said Splash Toys is proud to include the Care Bears license in its portfolio of brands. “It’s a special property that has values that speak to everyone: solidarity, friendship, positivity, which are essential, especially in these times,” Padiou said. “It’s an evergreen brand that touches the adults, full of nostalgia, and the children that discover the brand through the new animated series. Both will be happy to find the Care Bears in their hypermarkets, online, or in their favorite toy store.”
As well, Care Bears will introduce a new line of toys and collectibles with POP MART, in China, early next year. That deal was brokered by IMG China and will feature a range of figurines, blind boxes, and novelties for teens and young adults. The toy line will debut at POP MART and rollout to online and brick and mortar retailers across the country as the brand celebrates its 40th Anniversary and 40 years of sharing and caring across the globe.
Xu Xiaobing, Head of IP Development and Management of POP MART, said his company is thrilled to be working with the Care Bears brand, citing the brand’s enduring global popularity, and the quality of the Cloudco team.
“Both sides have a highly consistent understanding of IP and the concept of delivering happiness for consumers,” he said. “We look forward to working together to create more excellent works in the future and continue to create a better consumer experience for global users.”
The original Care Bears were introduced in 1982 through consumer products, greeting cards, and later a series of animated television shows and feature films. Care Bears is now one of the most popular and endearing children’s properties in the world. The new series Care Bears: Unlock the Magic launched in 2021 on Cartoon Network and HBOmax’s Cartoonito block in the US.