The Care Bears Family

{{Infobox television

| genre = Slapstick
Adventure

| image =

| caption =

| creator = Linda Denham
Elena Kucharik

| writer = John de Klein

| director = David Marshall
Jim Craig
Joseph Sherman
Lawrence Z. Jacobs
Laura Shepherd

| executive_producer = Lenora Hume

| producer = Michael Hirsh
Patrick Loubert
Clive A. Smith

| starring = Jim Henshaw
Chris Wiggins
John Stocker
Terri Hawkes
Sunny Besen Thrasher
Noam Zylberman
Tracey Moore

| theme_music_composer = John Sebastian

| open_theme = "Care Bears Countdown"{{YouTube|2lpeFfAA2LQ|"Care Bears Countdown"}}{{br}}performed by John Sebastian

| end_theme = "Care Bears Countdown" (instrumental)

| composer = Patricia Cullen

| country = Canada
United States

| language = English

| company = Nelvana
C.B.I.S. Productions
American Greetings

| animator =

| network = ABC (U.S. seasons 1–2)
Global Television Network (Canada season 3)

| runtime = 25 minutes

| first_aired = {{Start date|1986|9|13}}

| last_aired = {{End date|1988|11|25}}

| num_seasons = 3

| num_episodes = 49 (78 segments + 1 three-part special)

| list_episodes = List of Care Bears episodes#Nelvana series (1986–1988)

}}

The Care Bears Family is an animated series produced by Nelvana based on the American franchise of the same name, and is the successor series to the series produced by DIC Entertainment. It was originally broadcast from September 13, 1986 to November 25, 1988{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 |date=2005 |edition=2nd |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-1476665993 |pages=185–187}} on the Global Television Network in Canada. 49 episodes were produced.

The first two seasons were exported to the United States via ABC.{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 |date=2005 |edition=2nd |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-1476665993 |pages=802–804}} However, ABC decided not to air the third season; network officials said they "got killed" in the second season since the people meter was too difficult for preschoolers to operate. ABC ran a number of preschool-oriented cartoons that season, all of which suffered in the ratings.{{cite news |last=Winfrey |first=Lee |date=September 16, 1988 |title=ABC hoping Pooh can pull more than honey out a jar |url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19880916&id=CqgeAAAAIBAJ&pg=6729,251354 |work=Spartanburg Herald-Journal |publisher=Knight Ridder |page=A9 |via=Google News Archive}}

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 thwarting the evil plans of Lord No Heart.Chris Richards Young People, Popular Culture and Education 1441107355 p 111

– 2011 "It may be that there is a distinction here between the power used against No Heart, similar to that used by many other superheroes... "Barbara Kruger Remote Control: Power, Cultures, and the World of Appearances 1994 0262611066 "... "in order to punish the Care Bears, a scary villain named No Heart concocts a not unfamiliar scheme — he floods "the Forest of Feelings" and forces its non-Care Bear denizens to join the Care Bears' closed colony."

Episodes

Voice cast

Season 1

Jim Henshaw – Tenderheart Bear
Bob Dermer – Grumpy Bear
Dan Hennessey – Brave Heart Lion{{cite web | url=https://www.tmz.com/2024/11/19/cartoon-voice-actor-dan-hennessey-dead/ | title=Cartoon voice actor Dan Hennessey dead at 82 | website=TMZ | date=November 19, 2024}}
Chris Wiggins – No Heart
John Stocker – Beastly
Eva Almos – Friend Bear
Patrice Black – Share Bear
Melleny Brown – Cheer Bear, Baby Tugs Bear
Jayne Eastwood – Birthday Bear
Anni Evans – Champ Bear
Paulina Gillis – Swift Heart Rabbit
Luba Goy – Gentle Heart Lamb, Lotsa Heart Elephant
Janet Laine-Green – Wish Bear
Nonnie Griffin – Funshine Bear
Terri Hawkes – Baby Hugs Bear
Ellen Ray Hennessey – Proud Heart Cat, Bedtime Bear
Marla Lukofsky – Good Luck Bear, Playful Heart Monkey
Eric Peterson – Noble Heart Horse
Pauline Rennie – Cozy Heart Penguin, Grams Bear
Billie Mae Richards – Bright Heart Raccoon
Carolyn Scott – True Heart Bear

Additional voices

Laurie Waller Benson – Polite Panda
Alyson Court
Victor Erdos
Michael Fantini – Adam
Don Francks – Dr. Fright
Ray Jafelice
Keram Malicki-Sanchez
Donald McManus – Sour Sam
Barbara Redpath
Eric Richards
Cree Summer Francks – Gay
Greg Swanson – Perfect Panda
Tina Teggart
Sunny Besen Thrasher – Dale
Lee-Max Walton
Jason Whitebread
Noam Zylberman – Charles

Season 2

Dan Hennessey – Brave Heart Lion
John Stocker – Beastly
Eva Almos – Champ Bear
Billie Mae Richards – Bright Heart Raccoon
Luba Goy – Treat Heart Pig
Tracey Moore – Cheer Bear
Bob Dermer – Grumpy Bear
Pauline Rennie – Grams Bear
Chris Wiggins – No Heart
Terri Hawkes – Baby Hugs Bear, Shreeky
Melleny Brown – Baby Tugs Bear

= Additional voices =

Season 3

Melleny Brown – Cheer Bear, Baby Tugs Bear
Tara Charendoff
Bob Dermer – Grumpy Bear
Luba Goy – Lotsa Heart Elephant, Treat Heart Pig
Dan Hennessey – Brave Heart Lion, Announcer, Additional Voices
Jim Henshaw – Tenderheart Bear
Tracey Moore – Baby Hugs Bear, Shreeky
Pauline Rennie – Grams Bear
Billie Mae Richards – Bright Heart Raccoon, Tenderheart Bear
Susan Roman – Champ Bear
Adam Simpson
John Stocker – Beastly
Sunny Besen Thrasher
Chris Wiggins – No Heart

= Additional voices =

Eva Almos
Jayne Eastwood – Bedtime Bear
Paulina Gillis – Swift Heart Rabbit
Keith Hampshire – Songfellow Strum
Terri Hawkes
Keith Knight
Noam Zylberman

Home media

Select episodes of the Nelvana series were released on VHS in the late 1980s by Kideo Video (distributed by Lorimar Home Video) and Fries Home Video in the United States.

In 2002, the Care Bears toy line was reintroduced by Play Along Toys and featured plush toys that came with a VHS featuring either one or two episodes from the series.

In Region 1, Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released many episodes on DVD in various single-disc collections from 2004 to 2008. In total, 12 collections have been released, each featuring random episodes from the series.

On October 9, 2012, Lionsgate released Care Bears: The Original Series Collection on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.{{cite web | url=http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?item_id=1622730 | title=Care Bears: The Original Series Collection | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923221138/http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?item_id=1622730 | archive-date=September 23, 2015 | url-status=dead}} The 6-disc set features the majority of episodes from the series (from the previously released discs excluding King of the Moon and Give Thanks) as well as the bonus feature Care Bears Nutcracker Suite.

In Region 4, Magna Entertainment released all 52 episodes (in chronological order) on DVD in Australia in 2004 in 12 separate volumes.