All ‘Care Bear’ names and colors

Care Bears is one of the most successful cartoon (and toy) franchises of the 1980s. They established a warm, colorful, and kid-friendly phenomenon that positively touched a generation of children during their early years, as they grew up. Originally created by children’s artist, Elena Kucharik in 1981, these multi-colored bears could be found in one way or another, practically everywhere.

They’re still popular today, in part, thanks to those young children now grown up, with kids of their own who have even more unique bears to bring them joy. They look very simple but what makes them unique is the meaning behind their individual fur colors and the accompanying symbols found on their tummies, or “belly badges.”

Some of the original bears included the blue “Bedtime Bear,” which made the traditional teddy bear for a child’s bedtime routine even more pleasant. Or the green “Good Luck Bear,” who inspired countless kids to find a four-leaf clover of their own for an extra boost of luck. By now, a new generation of fans can enjoy the likes of the “Shine Bright Bear,” a magenta-colored bear sporting a yellow sun inside a purple heart across its belly.

If you’re planning to buy them as a gift or just collect them, we’ve compiled a list of all the Care Bears’ names, symbols, and colors, so you’ll know who’s who in the Care Bear universe.

Meet the Care Bears

The first 10 Care Bears

These 10 are the O.G. Care Bears if you will; the ones that many of the oldest fans know and love from their respective childhood. They are the ones that were featured in all of the classic animated movies, television shows, and all the other media that are these days, undoubtedly iconic.

Extended family  (U.S. and U.K.)

With all the craze that followed the initial success of the Care Bears during the ’80s, the ’90s and the beginning of the 2000s featured relaunches that included new bears in addition to most of the original ones. Some bears were given new colors and name changes, but the draw to these loveable characters was the same.

New Bears

In 2019, another rebrand was kicked off which had the Care Bears’ design changed to look more contemporary, when compared to animation styles of this current era. This version of the bears is more wide-eyed, yet less detailed when it comes to the texture of the bears’ fur, for example. Altogether, they are all definitely still colorful, while “Do-Your-Best Bear” features a kite tummy badge with lime green fur. And “Togetherness Bear” has several fur colors with a rainbow heart on its belly.

Care Bear cousins

There are also other animals that are part of the franchise called Care Bears & Cousins. This was a computer-generated Netflix series from 2015 that was a continuation of a previous series, Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot. In this run though, four of the popular “Care Bear Cousins” – Brave Heart Lion, Bright Heart Raccoon, Lotsa Heart Elephant, and Cozy Heart Penguin, are featured throughout the episodes.

Of course, like every other media version of the Care Bears, there are toys that accompany them. But when it comes to series that involve the cousins, the toys are seemingly more valuable, especially to collectors. Some of the actual cousins are rarer than even the Care Bears themselves. In one episode of the famous show Pawn Stars, a seller sold some unreleased prototypes of Care Bear Cousins, and it went for serious dollars.

Yes, it’s safe to say that the Care Bears certainly have staying power, still bringing lots of smiles and happiness to a dedicated legion of fans!