Care Bears (TV series)

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Care Bears
Care Bears DiC.png
Original title card for the series
Created by Linda Denham
Elena Kucharik
Developed bySandy Fries
Jack Olesker
Written byEleanor Burian-Mohr
Randal Case
Howard R. Cohen
Matt Geller
Jack Hanrahan
Don Hart
Shelly Karol
Francis Moss
Jack Olesker
Bruce Reisman
Directed byJames A. Simon
Voices of Billie Mae Richards
Jayne Eastwood
Janet Laine-Green
Luba Goy
Eva Almos
Melleny Brown
Dan Hennessey
Pauline Rennie
Patrice Black
Laurie Waller Benson
Bob Dermer
Marla Lukofsky
Opening theme"I Wanna Be A Care Bear" [1]
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes11 (22 segments) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers Andy Heyward
Tetsuo Katayama
Producer Jean Chalopin
Running time30 minutes
Production companies DIC Enterprises
Those Characters From Cleveland
LBS Communications
Original release
Network Syndication
ReleaseSeptember 14 (1985-09-14) 
November 23, 1985 (1985-11-23)

Care Bears is an American animated fantasy adventure television series based on the franchise of the same name. After two specials in 1983, the main series began in 1985. The series was produced by DIC Audiovisuel's American branch DIC Enterprises and aired on syndication a while after the theatrical release of the first movie in the series.

Contents

In 1986, The Care Bears Family , a successor series by the Canadian studio Nelvana that had produced the movies, aired on ABC in the United States and in 1988 on Global Television Network in Canada.

In 2007, Sabella Dern Entertainment produced a revival, Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-lot .

Synopsis

The Care Bears live in a faraway place up in the clouds called Care-a-lot, which constitutes a part of the Kingdom of Caring. With the help of the Cousins and their Buddies, they go all around the world on Missions in Caring whilst they try to thwart the plans of the evil Professor Coldheart.

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast releasedNetwork
Specials 2April 22, 1983 (1983-04-22)April 6, 1984 (1984-04-06)N/A
DIC series 11September 14, 1985 (1985-09-14)November 23, 1985 (1985-11-23) Syndication
1 13September 13, 1986 (1986-09-13)December 6, 1986 (1986-12-06) ABC (U.S.)
2 6September 26, 1987 (1987-09-26)October 31, 1987 (1987-10-31)
3 30September 12, 1988 (1988-09-12)November 25, 1988 (1988-11-25) Syndication (U.S.)
Global (Canada)

Voice cast

Uncredited

Home media

United States

The series has seen a few VHS releases from Kideo Video (distributed by Karl-Lorimar Home Video), DIC Video (distributed by Promotional Concept Group and Avon Products) and DIC Toon-Time Video (distributed by BMG Kidz and Buena Vista Home Video) throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

In March 2003, Sterling Entertainment released two releases on VHS and DVD: "Bedtime Stories", "The Last Laugh" and a third one: "To the Rescue" in July 2003. Each release contained six or seven episodes, with a bonus episode on the DVD version, while "To the Rescue" contained a bonus Sylvanian Families episode. An additional DVD, "Daydreams", was released on February 4, 2004, and contained a Strawberry Shortcake short as a bonus on the DVD version.

Sterling would later release all 22 episodes in seven-volume collections in 2004 entitled Celebration, Dreamland, Forever Friends, Land of Enchantment, Starry Skies, Tenderheart Tales and Fun in the Sun.

In 2007, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment acquired the rights to the original DIC series and re-released all the DIC-produced episodes on DVD in five-volume collections entitled Care-A-Lot Adventures, Forest of Feelings, Magical Moments, Carousel of Dreams and Sharing in the Sunshine.

On August 26, 2008, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released Care Bears: Care-A-Lot Collection on DVD in Region 1. [3] The two-disc set features all 22 episodes of the series (with its original opening and closing titles).

In 2013, Mill Creek Entertainment acquired the rights to the series and subsequently released three-volume collections which contain six episodes each, on September 10, 2013.

On October 6, 2015, Mill Creek released The Care Bears – The Complete Original Series on DVD in Region 1. [4] The two-disc set features all 22 episodes of the series.

ReleaseFormatEpisodesDistributorRelease date
Care Bears Save the Day!VHSMayor For a Day
The Night the Stars Went Out
Karl-Lorimar Home Video
(Kideo Video)
1986
Volume 2Braces
The Lucky Charm
Volume 3Split Decision
Birthday
Volume 4Soap Box Derby
Camp
To the Rescue!VHS/BetamaxThe Lucky Charm
Braces
Split Decision
Share the Fun and Adventure!The Last Laugh
The Show Must Go On
The Forest of Misfortune
Magical Stories About Caring!Daydreams
Runaway
The Magic Mirror
The Last Laugh/The Show Must Go OnVHSThe Last Laugh
The Show Must Go On
Promotional Concept Group
(DIC Video)
unknown
They've Got Heart as Big as a Rainbow!The Birthday
Camp
Split Decision
The Magic Mirror
DIC Video 1992
The BirthdayThe Birthday
Split Decision
Buena Vista Home Video
(DIC Toon-Time Video)
1994
CampCamp
Braces
Bedtime StoriesVHS/DVDThe Night the Stars Went Out
The Magic Shop
Birthday
Lucky Charm
Drab City
The Cloud Worm
The Old Man and the Lighthouse (DVD-exclusive episode)
Sterling Entertainment
(DIC Home Entertainment)
March 11, 2003
The Last LaughThe Last Laugh
Soap Box Derby
The Forest of Misfortune
The Girl Who Cried Wolf
Concrete Rain
Mayor for a Day
The Show Must Go On (DVD-exclusive episode)
To the Rescue!The Magic Mirror
Dry Spells
Camp
Braces
Split Decision
Wedding Bells
Sylvanian Families episode (DVD-exclusive)
July 22, 2003
DaydreamsDaydreams
Runaway
The Show Must Go On
The Old Man and the Lighthouse
Strawberry Shortcake - Growing Better all the Time (DVD only)
February 3, 2004

International

In the United Kingdom, Maximum Entertainment released the whole DIC series on four DVD sets and two VHS releases under license from Jetix Europe (who at the time owned the international distribution rights to the pre-1990 DIC library).

Volume 1, released in August 2004 contained the first two episodes (1 on the VHS) alongside the Freeze Machine and Land without Feelings specials. Volume 2, released in October 2004 contained five episodes, and The Magic Shop (released in February 2005) and The Girl who Cried Wolf (released in August 2005) each contained three episodes, with the Freeze Machine special appearing on the latter again for an unknown reason, likely as filler. Both sets were released in two compilations titled "Volumes 1 and 2" (released in January 2005) and "Wedding Bells" (Released in May 2005), each containing two discs with their respective volumes.

The separate volumes were re-released again in 2007, with the former two volumes being released simply as Care Bears. Another compilation titled Happy Birthday, Care Bears was released by Maximum in February 2008, containing 12 episodes set within two discs. Lace DVD re-issued the DVDs again in 2011 as well was releasing the entire series in a four-disc boxset. These versions are identical to Maximum's releases.

In 2016, Platform Entertainment would release four DVDs of the series.

References

  1. "I Wanna Be A Care Bear" on YouTube
  2. "Dan Hennessey, Voice Actor for X-Men, Inspector Gadget & many more classic cartoons, dies at 82". Comic Book Resources. November 20, 2024. Archived from the original on November 20, 2024.
  3. "Care Bears: Care-A-Lot Collection". Archived from the original on January 3, 2010.
  4. "DiC's Episodes in 'The Complete Original Series' Return to DVD". Archived from the original on September 10, 2015.