The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. It is an enduring, traditional form of a stuffed animal, often serving the purpose of comforting children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become expensive collector's items. Teddy bear collectors are known as arctophiles from the Greek words 'arcto' (bear) and 'philos' (lover).

The Care Bears are a set of characters created by American Greetings in 1981 for use on greeting cards. The original artwork for the cards was painted by artist Elena Kucharik. In 1983, Kenner turned the Care Bears into plush teddy bears.

Each Care Bear comes in a different color and has a specialized insignia on its belly that represents its duty and personality. This insignia was known as their "tummy symbol". The latest movie, Category: Care Bears - : Oopsy Does It!|Oopsy Does It!

(2007), however, controversially renamed them "belly badges". Adding to the Care Bear family are the "Care Bear Cousins," which feature a lion, monkey, penguin, rabbit, and other such animals created in the same style as the teddy bears.

The Care Bears appeared in their own television series from 1985 to 1988, in addition to three feature films: The Care Bears Movie (1985), Category: Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation - (1986), and The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland (1987).

Also the 25th aniversery bear came out in 2007 and also showed an unseen movie

In 2002, the bears were reintroduced with new toys. Made by Play-Along Toys, the new toys offered features such as illuminated bellies upon touch, aerobic bears, and glow-in-the-dark bears. As part of this comeback, the Bears have appeared in two computer-animated movies: Category: Care Bears - : Journey to Joke-a-lot|Journey to Joke-a-lot (2004) and Big Wish Movie (2005).

In 2007, the bears were once again relaunched. The 25th anniversary of the toy line was commemorated in 2007, and the Oopsy Does It! movie was released in commemoration of the 25th anniversary. As of 2008, Care Bears are still being marketed.

The "Care Bears" trademark and the copyrights in the character designs are currently owned by Those Characters from Cleveland, part of American Greetings.History of American Greetings at official site. Retrieved February 26, 2006. However, on July 23, 2008, American Greetings announced that the Care Bears (along with Strawberry Shortcake) would be sold to Cookie Jar Entertainment in an acquisition due to take place on September 30, 2008.American Greetings Corporate News. Retrieved July 23, 2008.

== History ==

Build-A-Bear Workshop was founded by Maxine Clark in the year 1997. The first store opened in the Saint Louis Galleria. Ten years on, over 300 stores have been opened in countries worldwide: The United States (including Puerto Rico), Canada, Japan, Korea, Republic of Ireland, Denmark, Singapore,Germany, Sweden, The Netherlands, Australia, France, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, Norway, and the United Kingdom. To celebrate the release of the 2006 film Happy Feet, plush toys featuring Mumble the penguin, the main character of the film, were created and sold. The toys were able to be fitted with a sound box that said four lines from the film. On March 7, 2006, Build-A-Bear Workshop announced that it had given $1 million (US) to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) through the sales of its WWF Collectibear stuffed animal series. For each plush animal sold, one dollar goes to the WWF to protect and conserve wildlife around the world.Build-A-Bear Workshop(R) Donates $1 Million for World Wildlife Fund, 7 March 2006 On May 10, 2006, Build-A-Bear Workshop announced a line of toys based on its store would be included in McDonald's Happy Meals. It became the first plush toy collection included with the Happy Meal to feature removable mix-and-match clothing. Sixteen bears were created. They were released during the four weeks between May 12 and June 8. Each of the 16 bears were released in one of two outfits, unique to each bear, making 32 toys in all.[http://ir.buildabear.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=182478&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=854693&highlight= Build-A-Bear Workshop(R) Featured in McDonald's(R) Happy Meal(R) and Mighty Kids Meals; Summer of Happy Meal Fun Series Includes First-Ever Plush Collection with Removable Clothing], 10 May 2006

McDonald's ran a second Build-A-Bear Workshop Happy Meal in August, 2007.

In 2006, the company acquired "The Bear Factory" in the United Kingdom from Hamleys Toys Store.

In 2007 Build-A-Bear Workshop celebrated their 10th anniversary by declaring 2007 as "The Year of Friendship". The year culminated with the launch of the company's

new interactive virtual world Build-A-Bearville. The company also announced that they had sold over 50 million stuffed animals in the last 10 years. As part of the 10th birthday celebration, the company built 10 playgrounds throughout the USA and Canada in partnership with KaBoom! and announced that they had donated over $10 million to various child and family causes since 1997. A new set of Beary Limited Edition Collectibears called the "Friends Fur All Seasons" arrived to help celebrate the event. Each bear included a Collectibear Pin.

For Dr. Seuss's birthday, Build-A-Bear Workshop released a The Cat in the Hat.

For the premiere of Shrek the Third, Build-A-Bear Workshop featured a make-your-own Shrek as well as Shrek-themed outfits and limited edition Shrek babies.

For the premiere of Surf's Up (film), Build-A-Bear Workshop is featuring a Cody Maverick penguin.

The Game Factory announced that it has signed a deal with Build a Bear to make a video game for the Nintendo DS that will come out in Christmas 2007.

In 2008, the new series of Beary Limited Edition Collectibears are the "Gem Of A Friend". The first bear was known as the Precious Pink Teddy, the second is Treasured Topaz Teddy, and the third is the Adorable Amethyst Teddy. All three bears feature a Collectibear Pin. As a new promotion for Build-A-Bearville, if a Gem Of A Friend is purchased and brought to life online, the user receives extra Bear Bills, and extra room and wallpaper for their Cub Condo house, and an animal adventure with an exclusive virtual reward.

In May, there is a weekend known as Stuffed For Hugs Weekend. On Saturday and Sunday, guests at Build-a-Bear are given the opportunity to stuff a preselected animal for charity. The entire process is free, and it attracts a lot of good Samaritans and good-hearted people. Some people even dress up the donated animal before sending it off with love to charity. This is an example of how Build-a-Bear donates to charity. There are also purple hearts that can be substituted for red ones when stuffing an animal. They cost one dollar, and go to a different charity each month.