Cheer Bear

Kenner Products, ca. 1980

Polyvinyl chloride

8.9 x 3.8 cm

GIfted by Carrie Kimberley

Personal collection

This posable figurine was given to me by my mother, when I was a young child. This was a toy that she had kept from her youth. Care Bear toys emerged in the early 1980s, and were paralleled by a TV series and films beginning in 1985. Each bear had a distinct colour and design on its belly which represented its personality, as in this case - “Cheer” Bear. While this is only a children’s toy, it provides an interesting commentary on the technological age and the impact that it is having on children. While digital electronics now dominate the toy industry. this was a time where more had to be done with individual thought. Although narratives would become accessible through television and film, there was an greater emphasis on imagination in childhood. It allowed children, like my mother, to create stories and adventures for these figures.

There was no specific guidelines that needed to be followed or specific way that these toys needed to be played with. They allowed children freedom and autonomy in a way that they otherwise would not experience. Even more importantly, there was no wrong way to play with it. No one would be able to say “no, that isn’t how you play with this” or “you can’t play like that”. It was a toy that could be whatever the child wanted it to be.

In this case, boys and girls alike would be able to create stories of Care Bears and their adventures. They were any child’s toy for any child’s desire. It shows us that toys at this time were designed to be interacted with in any way and that anyone could engage in play. These types of popular toys taught children to develop and use their imagination and that they did not have to be stuck in a certain idea of playing. There was freedom and experimentation because once finished playing with these toys, you could later pick them up and create something entirely different and entirely new. You were not stuck having the same ongoing tale, rather you were encouraged to begin again and try something new. The 1980s were a time of free thought, self expression, and new ways of thinking, not just for adults, but for children, too, and that can be seen in how these toys were created and used. At this moment, the toy also provides a connection to my mother and to family, when we are prevented from physical contact with objects and other individuals.

 Alexa Kimberley