TORONTO — Corus Entertainment’s kids’ animated and live-action content producer and distributor Nelvana and Care Bears brand owner Cloudco Entertainment today announced several food, apparel and experiential event collaborations with Canadian companies to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Care Bears franchise.
“We’re honoured to pay homage to 40 incredible years of the Care Bears, and to provide opportunities for the devoted fan base in Canada to join in on celebrating this landmark anniversary,” said Mellany Masterson, head of Nelvana Enterprises, in a Corus press release.
“The enthusiasm and excitement from so many well-known Canadian companies to develop unique Care Bears-themed products and experiences speaks to the power of the nostalgic franchise and how much the brand’s values of sharing, caring and togetherness resonates with fans both young and old.”
Commemorative Care Bears collaborations are set to launch this summer and fall from Canadian food and apparel retail partners, including iHalo Krunch, Bunners Bakeshop, Eva’s Original Chimneys, SQUISH Candies, Peace Collective and Retrokid.
iHalo Krunch is “known for Asian-inspired soft-serve ice cream served in activated charcoal house-made cones,” and all of its retail locations in Toronto “will offer limited-edition Care Bears inspired twists and milkshakes,” the press release says.
Toronto vegan and gluten-free bakery Bunners Bakeshop “will offer limited-edition rainbow Care Bears sugar cookies, rainbow s’mores squares, mini rainbow birthday cake doughnuts, mini rainbow chocolate chip creamies, and rainbow mini heart cookies with birthday frosting dunking kits at all storefront locations.”
Eva’s Original Chimneys will offer limited-edition Care Bears-inspired Chimney Cones, which “are delicious and unique, bread-like freshly baked Hungarian pastries – which Eva’s famously serves in a cone shape filled with ice cream,” at its Bloor Street location in Toronto, Port Credit and Square One locations in Mississauga, Ont., as well as its Newfoundland and Nova Scotia locations.
SQUISH Candies is a Canadian female-owned gourmet gummy shop that offers “real fruit pieces, no sugar added options, and vegan delights in juicy flavours.” It will offer “limited-edition Care Bears-themed candy and packaging, available through their website for delivery across Canada,” the release says.
Peace Collective, an apparel retailer where “every garment sold gives back to the communities that need it most,” will offer a limited-edition Care Bears clothing collection that “will feature the characters in unique ways and celebrate sharing, caring, and pride.” The collection will be available in-store and online.
Retrokid “celebrates your fondest childhood memories growing up as a kid through timeless design, authentic collaborations, and quality apparel,” reads the release. “A limited-edition collection of Care Bears tees, hoodies, and sweats is available online now.”
In addition, Nelvana “will also be delivering one-on-one time with the Care Bears themselves through experiential activations across Ontario, including a Peace Collective x Care Bears event in Toronto’s Distillery District on June 25 to celebrate the collection launch and an event at Pride Toronto on June 26 at Church Street Junior Public School,” the release says.
These events will include “meet and greets, photo opportunities, and unforgettable memories for everyone in the family,” the release says, adding more events and details will be announced soon.
“The Care Bears have always felt at home in Canada, and we are thrilled to have so many exciting collaborations lined up as we celebrate our 40th anniversary this year,” said Cristina Villegas, vice-president of licensing for North America, Cloudco Entertainment.
“The opportunity to bring sharing and caring to our fans in real life, as well, is always a treat and we look forward to seeing these partnerships come to life.”
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