Care Bear

See also: carebear

English

Etymology

Brand name. The characters were introduced in 1981 for use on greeting cards and turned into plush toys in 1983.

Noun

Care Bear (plural Care Bears)

1. Any of a brand of cheerful bear figures, seen on greeting cards and as stuffed toys.
   • 1994, Edward R. Christophersen, Pediatric Compliance: A Guide for the Primary Care Physician, page 171:

     The baby or toddler who goes to sleep alone (with a Care Bear, with his favorite blanket, or by sucking his thumb) learns valuable self-quieting behaviors that can be used for many years to come.

   • 2004, Jerry Sullivan, Hunting for Frogs on Elston, and Other Tales from Field & Street‎^[1], page 68:

     But the domestic turkey is about as remote from the wild animal as a Care Bear is from a grizzly.

   • 2007 March 13, Will Wright, keynote, South by Southwest, Austin:

     One of my real aspirations of this is I wanna see interstellar wars between Care Bears and Klingons.

2. A kind and caring person.
   • 2004, Jordyn Tate, Unforgivable Misconception, page 15:

     He was smart, tough, witty yet gentle all at the same time. He was my care bear.

   • 2013, D. Antoinette, The First Book of Carrie, page 121:

     "Man, you are beautiful, my Care Bear", he said in awe.

Derived terms

• carebear

Translations

fictional animal — see Care Bears

Care Bear

• French: Bisounours (fr) m (France), Calinours (fr) m (Quebec)
• German: Glücksbärchi n
• Swedish: Krambjörn c