The Care Bears are a group of colorful, lovable bears who promote kindness, friendship, caring, and sharing. Originally created for American Greetings greeting cards in 1981, each Care Bear has a unique color and a special symbol on its tummy that represents its personality and values. The characters quickly became a global phenomenon through toys, books, television shows, and movies. 

The Care Bears were developed by Those Characters From Cleveland, the character design division of American Greetings. The original artwork was created by illustrator Elena Kucharik, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, who is recognized as a co-creator of the franchise. American Greetings itself was founded and headquartered in the Cleveland area, making the Care Bears another famous character franchise with Ohio roots.