'Care Bears' are Back!

Everything old is new again -- although I feel as if I should say "old-ish" since I'm talking about something I used to love myself as a child.

This time it's the Care Bears. They're back, and they're much more, well, animated than they were back in the '80s when I used to watch them. And guess what? CC loves them. Just like she loves My Little Pony and Strawberry Shortcake -- other 1980s blasts from the past.

The newest incarnation of Care Bears premiered this morning on The Hub, a kids' channel that has really succeeded in reviving and revamping kid fare from back in the day. The shows don't feel rehashed and dated. Instead, they are fresh interpretations of ideas that just happen to have been favorites of their target audience's parents. Smart idea, if you can pull it off! And The Hub has.

Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot

CC and I caught the first episode of the series, Welcome to Care-a-Lot, and you'll recognize these loveable, cheerful (well, sometimes Grumpy -- see the blue bear in the above pic) little bears. Remember Cheer Bear, Share Bear, Funshine and Harmony? Well, they're back in action, helping friends and making a few mistakes along the way. There's even a cute new bear named Wonderheart, the smallest of the bunch who wants to play with the "big bears."

Wonderheart Bear

In this episode, Grumpy takes a dangerous shortcut and gets caught in the mud. While most of his Care Bear friends rush to help -- even as he keeps grumping at them -- Funshine and a human friend Penny decide to keep playing instead. Each bear has his or her own personality and makes a point of sharing common emotions and hesitations that small children often have themselves.

It's great to show that everyone can make mistakes but also learn from them without losing valuable friendships.

Check out The Hub for the Care Bears schedule.