#original 10

Bedtime Bear came in the mail today, so with him, I finally have the Original 10 Care Bears, all vintage 80s editions!

These are the first 10 Care Bears, first introduced by American Greetings in 1981.  They are, from left to right, top row first:

Cheer Bear, Birthday Bear, Good Luck Bear, Bedtime Bear, Funshine Bear, Friend Bear, Tenderheart Bear, Love-A-Lot Bear, Grumpy Bear and Wish Bear

I found the majority of my Care Bears at various garage sales and thrift shops over the years.  I “cheated” and used Ebay for the last two, but since they were actually replacements for bears I had given away (Funshine and Bedtime, both given to friends/family who were having their first babies), it doesn’t really count as cheating :)  Friend Bear is my own, personal favourite toy, whom I’ve had since I was a little kid myself, as I explained in my first post on this blog. 

All are in great shape, especially for 30+ year old plush toys!  Most aren’t exactly collector’s items -- Friend Bear is well-loved, quite a few have permanently stained noses, and Tenderheart needed some patch stitching to his tummy symbol -- but all still ready to play with!  My son actually abducted Grumpy and Friend Bear shortly after taking this photo.   

I also have a collection of 9 vintage Care Bear storybooks :)