"Care Bears' popularity is growing to an all-time high and this marks the first time this beloved children's property has been adopted for the interactive arena," stated Scott Zerby, Vice President of ValuSoft. "Now with Care Bears: Care-a-lot Jamboree and ValuSoft's extensive retail distribution, these adorable, lovable friends and their special caring message come to life for kids in a whole new way."
Care Bears: Care-a-lot Jamboree features 10 of the most popular Care Bears for rainbow-filled fun. Kids play eight exciting games that will entertain, challenge and inspire them to explore their creativity, test their memory and exercise their reflexes while they learn a valuable lesson in caring and sharing. The game is suitable for kids age five and up. An additional title based on the beloved Care Bears is expected to be released in third quarter 2004.
This agreement comes on the heels of a huge resurgence of American Greetings' Care Bears property in the marketplace. In 2002, Funshine, Cheer, Tenderheart, Bedtime and the other instantly recognizable Care Bears made a grand exit from hibernation. Their return grabbed national headlines, from Time and Newsweek to USA Today, and sparked a consumer frenzy as the cuddly characters' sharing and caring message struck a huge chord with a new generation of kids and teens, as well as parents who grew up with them. With initial sales of licensed product soaring to $70 million in 2002, the Care Bears have clearly demonstrated their growing appeal as a true classic, evergreen property.
Mike Brown, Vice President of Licensing at American Greetings said, "The Care Bears continue to be a favorite among kids and adults across all mediums including television, books and soon a major direct-to-video movie release from Artisan Family Home Entertainment. Partnering with ValuSoft - a leader in the children's gaming industry - is another exciting way for American Greetings to bring the Care Bears into the homes of millions of children. Care Bears: Care-a-lot Jamboree will instill positive values in kids while capturing their imaginations and surrounding the game with Care Bears fun."
About Care Bears
When introduced by American Greetings in 1982, the Care Bears property was truly ahead of its time. Never before had a property been introduced for children that was specifically designed to help teach them the importance of caring for others and sharing ones special feelings. The unique concept of each bear representing a feeling - or caring-based relationship - through a bright-colored symbol on its tummy proved to be incredibly popular.
Led by Cheer Bear, Tenderheart Bear, Share Bear and the other unforgettable characters, the Care Bears with their emotional underpinning truly connected with consumers, resulting in more than $1.5 billion in retail sales of licensed products, spawning three hit feature films and a top-rated Saturday morning animated series.