Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana, a producer, distributor, and licensor of children’s content, will serve as licensing agent for the Care Bears brand in Canada.
Nelvana’s role includes securing new licensing deals and working with existing licensees on merchandise, publishing, and promotions in Canada for Care Bears, which is owned by Cloudco Entertainment.
“Nelvana’s previous experience working with the Care Bears brand makes them the perfect licensing partner to bring onboard to lead the merchandising efforts in Canada,” said Cloudco Head of Global Licensing Robert Prinzo Robert Prinzo. “We are so fortunate to have Nelvana’s valued expertise and esteemed relationships in the Canadian market to reach both existing Care Bears fans, and new generations, with the well-loved brand.”
Canadian Care Bears fans can currently connect with the brand via the new animated series Care Bears: Unlock the Magic, available on DHX Jr. in English and on Radio Canada and Telemagino in French; other Care Bears series airing in Canada include the CGI-animated Welcome to Care-a-Lot on Telequebec and Netflix Original Care Bears & Cousins.
In consumer products, master toy partner Basic Fun! also introduced figures and plush lines in the country in fall 2020 and are expanding placement this year.
Additional licensees include NTD for apparel, Bioworld for accessories, Franco for homeware, Penguin Random House for publishing, and more.
Care Bears is also ramping up for a 40th anniversary in 2022, with new licensing and retail programs now in the works. Cloudco has also developed True North Bear, a new bear exclusive to Canada.