Care Bears Finally Try Being Loving and Inclusive with New ‘Togetherness Bear’

If you grew up in the 1980’s you probably remember The Care Bears. They were brightly colored bears, with tummy symbols that fought against bullying and evil and taught kids to care-a-lot about others.  Apparently, that message wasn’t what we all thought it was because there’s a new Care Bear in town to finally represent inclusivity and acceptance and has the “Love All” catch phrase.

At least that seems to be the message behind the newest Care Bear.

It gets better.

Togetherness Bear was a new Care Bear that they found. She had no color (She’s white) and no name or symbol. The Care Bears tell her about each of their colors and what they mean so that she can choose to be one of their colors. In the end she chooses the best of each Care Bear to be all the colors.

So the white Care Bear appropriates other Care Bears color identities. Why didn’t they just tell the Care Bear that was different that it’s okay to be different and to accept themselves because they accept her? Wouldn’t that be actual acceptance?

Ashley Mady Brand Development for Basic Fun talks about how everyone’s different.

“It really represents everything and everyone, and this idea that it takes colors from all of the rainbow and really represents all of the bears as a collective. Just like no two people are the same, no two bears are the same, and that’s what really makes Togetherness different than any bear we’ve launched before.”

She was different before they make her like them, but her difference wasn’t okay then. Now it’s diversity?

Also “collective”?  What is this the Borg? A cult?

She was different so they converted her to their collective and gave her color and a brand, I mean tummy symbol so she could belong.  She couldn’t belong as herself? She had to change to be one of them.

She continues:

“There couldn’t have been a more perfect time for when the world needed to come together. And the idea that Togetherness Bear is coming to bring people even closer together — to unite them — after COVID and to celebrate inclusion, there’s so many different messages and meanings for what this bear could stand for. There’s an opportunity for each person to really project what they care about — and what they want to stand together on — onto this bear.”

So they’re leveraging a pandemic and diversity.

“An opportunity for each person to really project what they care about.” You mean like choosing which Care Bear was your favorite by the color or symbol you related to?

Why am I so annoyed? It’s just a toy?

I’m annoyed because I’m tired of these companies “reinventing” things that don’t need reinvented. The Care Bears were always inclusive and loving. They’ve had a couple different rainbow colored Care Bears before. This just feels like pandering.

I’m annoyed because I’m so tired of companies trying to leverage diversity and inclusion for money.  If it were truly about message, then the Care Bear should have been accepted for who she was as she was. Not changed to be the best of them.

Plus it’s wrong to keep using “diversity” and “inclusion” as buzz words to make money.

I want kids to know they are who they are and that’s okay. You don’t have to change yourself to fit in. This bear literally changes everything about herself to be “better.”

Kids need to understand that it’s okay that people are different from them and to accept who they are. Not to encourage them to change for you to accept them. It’s like the polar opposite of the message we should be teaching kids.

“Love All” has been the Care Bear message the entire time, until now, because now you have to change to be loved.

They did NOT think this through. They seemed to only see a rainbow cash grab.

Anyways. You can buy the new bear at Walmart. It’s $12.88 and exclusive to the store.

Found her. pic.twitter.com/k4oguoNItm

— Clownfish TV (@RealClownfishTV) May 19, 2021

Source: The Toy Insider