The Care Bears are spreading the love in Canada through Nelvana, a children’s show producer and distributor owned by Corus Entertainment.
Cloudco Entertainment, which owns the Care Bears brand, says Nelvana has been appointed as the licensing representative for Care Bears in Canada. Nelvana is tasked with seeking out new licensing deals and working with existing licensees for all merchandise, publishing, and promotions in Canada.
“Nelvana has a long and revered history with Care Bears, having produced two films in the 2000s—Care Bears: Journey to Joke-A-Lot and The Care Bears’ Big Wish Movie,” said Mellany Masterson, Head of Nelvana Enterprises. “Given our cherished, deep-rooted ties to Care Bears, we look forward to working with Cloudco, Canadian retail partners, and licensees to promote the brand while expanding Nelvana’s extensive portfolio that appeals to a multi-generational demographic.”
The move comes as the new animated series Care Bears: Unlock the Magicpremieres in Canada, touching off the roll out of new licensing programs across the country. These include appointment of a Basic Fun! as the Master Toy Partner, NTD for apparel, Bioworld (accessories), Franco (home products), and Penguin Random House for publishing, among others, enabling the Care Bears program to expand online and into every aisle at retail in Canada.
In celebration of the Care Bears’ 40th Anniversary in 2022, Nelvana is currently planning new licensing and retail programs that will launch next year. Additionally, Cloudco is developing a new and exclusive Care Bear for Canada called True North Bear.
True North Bear is a happy bear who loves nature’s boundless beauty and his homeland, Canada. By helping others care about nature, True North Bear inspires respect for the earth everywhere.
“Nelvana’s previous experience working with the Care Bears brand makes them the perfect licensing partner to bring onboard to lead the merchandising efforts in Canada,” said Robert Prinzo, Head of Global Licensing at Cloudco Entertainment. “We are so fortunate to have Nelvana’s valued expertise and esteemed relationships in the Canadian market to reach both existing Care Bears fans, and new generations, with the well-loved brand.”
In addition to the new Care Bears: Unlock the Magic placement, other Care Bears’ series currently on-air in Canada include the CGI-animated Welcome to Care-a-Lot on Telequebec and the Netflix Original Care Bears & Cousins on Netflix.
Nelvana is actively looking for licensing opportunities for Care Bears. If your company is interested in licensing, you can email nelvanalicensing@corusent.com.