Start of my Collection
Here is a bit of history on it. How did it start? I started with my original 1983 Love-A-Lot bear that I had as a baby. Then one day back in 2002 I wandered down the toy section at Walmart and saw they had Care Bears. After that, I started something I didn’t realize how big it would get or how many times it would save me.
At the start of 02, I brought anything and everything I could find. Within 6 months I had a total of 55 plushies and that was the start of the Care Bears Christmas tradition for me.
What is a Care Bears Christmas? So, every year the only thing I get is Care Bears. It saves the hassle of always being asked what I wanted. so, for the last 18 years, that’s what my mom, friends, and dating partners get me. But at the start, there were a lot of Care Bears items out.
As time has gone on the Care Bears have moved from being found in stores to being found on Amazon and eBay. These places have been my friends through the years. They have allowed me to find rare items and pieces from other countries I wouldn’t have otherwise known about and get past items I missed out on during the original release.
My Collection now
When I started in 2002 I had 55 plushies that could fit on the desk and floor of my study loft bed. Now 18 years later my collection is large enough that it takes up the master bedroom. Which is including the closet, walls, ceiling, and spots on the floor. As well as 25 storage bins that are 50 gallons and 20 boxes of various sizes between the attic and the basement of my mom’s house.
Breakdown
To give you an idea of how large it is, I’ll break down some of the categories. I have more than just what is listed below obviously.
*Will be updated periodically
Vintage (80-89)
- Plushies of various sizes: Bears 37 | Cousins 9
- PVC Figures: Bears 58 | Cousins 12
- Ceramic Figures: Bears 33 | Cousins 11
- Banks: Bears 16 | Cousins 8
- Mugs & Glasses: Bears 34 | Cousins 5
- Books: Bears: 30 | Cousins7
- Pillow Pals: Bears 11 | Cousins 8
- Magnets Wooden & Plastic: Bears 17 | Cousins 20
Environmental (90-99)
- Bears: 6
20th Anniversary (01-04)
- Cuddle Pillow: Bears 17 | Cousins 4
- Cuddle Pals: Bears 6
- Plushies Jumbo: Bears 6
- Plushies 13″ & 16″: Bears 26 | Cousins 4
- Plushies 8″ & 10″: Bears 46 | Cousins 10
- Christmas Plushies: Bears: 5 | Cousins 6
- Special Edition Series: (Ser. 1) 6 | (Ser. 2) 9
- Plushies 4″ & 6″: Bears 17 | Cousins 6
- 2 Inch Figurines: 7
- UK Exclusives: Bears 9
New Style (02-07)
- Cuddle Pillow: Bears 4
- Cuddle Pals: Bears 9 | Cousins 5
- Plushies Jumbos: Bears 16
- Plushies 24″ & 26″: Bears 8
- Plushies 16″, 20″, & 22″: Bears 15 | Cousins 2
- Plushies 13″: Bears 94 | Cousins 10
- Plushies 11″ & 12″: Bears 16
- Plushies 10″: Bears 143 | Cousins 8
- Plushies 8″: Bears 123 | Cousins 9
- Plushies 3″, 4″, & 7″: Bears 48
- 4 Inch Figurines: 13
- Playsets: 20
- Books: 48
- Other Books (coloring, activity, work, sticker): 29
- DVDs: 17
Celebration (04-07)
- Plushies various sized: Bears 43 | Cousins 4
- Special Edition Series 1-5: Bears 23
- Messenger Bag Plushies: Bears 3
25th Anniversary (08)
- Plushies varied sized: Bears 13
Adventures in Care-A-Lot (07-08)
- Plushies Jumbo: Bears 6
- Plushies 12″ & 13″: Bears 20
- Plushies 8″ & 10″: Bears 66
- Plushies Holiday: Bears 15
- Figurines: 12
30th Anniversary/ Hasbro (12)
- Plushies: Bears 3
- Figurines: 12
Welcome to Care-A-Lot (14-19)
- In Progress
Care Bears and Cousins (16-18)
- In Progress
35th Anniversary (17)
- In Progress
Unlock the Magic (19-Current)
- Plushies 13″: Bears 11
- Plushies 10″: Bears 3
- Plushies 8″: Bears 6
- Keychains & Figurines: Bears 15