I have been a fan of Care Bears for as long as I can remember. They were
almost an essential ingredient for an 80s childhood, along with
Strawberry Shortcake, Rainbow Brite and My Little Pony. I loved them
all, but I've always had a special soft spot for bears, as one can tell
by glancing at the photographs of three-year-old me assembling a tea
party to which all of my ursine friends were invited.
As much as
I loved Care Bears, though, they fell by the wayside a bit over the
years. I'd think about them now and then, particularly when popular TV
shows like Captain Planet or Power Rangers would engage in
a maneuver reminding me of the Care Bear Stare, in which the bears
united the characteristics symbolized on their white bellies in order to
overcome forces of destruction and despair. But it wasn't until college
that I found myself truly falling in love with them again, when the 80s
started to become big again and I found those cheerful faces peeking at
me from all sorts of surprising places.
My Care Bear fandom hit
its high point in 2003, my senior year of college. I needed a
distraction from all the stress of my last semester, and along with American Idol,
Care Bears fit the bill nicely. My 22nd birthday, which fell in
February, reflected that. I received several Care Bears-related gifts,
including a small container of glittery green kiwi-flavored lip gloss
inspired by Good Luck Bear, my favorite of the bears, and a small plush
version of the same. I also celebrated with cake eaten on Care Bears
plates, next to which were set Care Bears napkins that were so cute, I
hated to use them.
That's the main problem with novelty napkins
of any kind, of course. It seems a shame to sully them with tidbits of
food when the pictures are so endearing. But a good compromise is to set
aside one or two and save them as mementos of the occasion. Same goes
for paper plates. Several months ago, I was delighted to discover a
paper plate featuring Ewoks hiding in the back of the closet. I don't
have any recollection of using these plates, but given my love of the
much-maligned Return of the Jedi teddy bears, I assume they were purchased in my honor. That plate now hangs in my room.
One
of the most recognizable elements of Care Bears is the vibrant colors
used to depict them. The bears live in a sort of utopian cloudland, and
their fur covers the spectrum of the rainbow. These particular napkins
show only one bear, Friend Bear. This orange bear with entwined flowers
on her belly is shown squeezing the stuffing out of a smiling star while
another looks on, perhaps waiting for its turn. I'm a little surprised
that blue-green Wish Bear, whose emblem is a shooting star, is not
featured instead, but since birthday parties are generally occasions for
the gathering of friends, Friend Bear is most appropriate too.
She
is set against a starry backdrop, though the color of the atmosphere is
a daytime shade of sky blue, and the napkin's border features blocks of
color ranging from green to pink and back to green. The napkins are of a
generous size and certainly hardy enough for the average cake eater.
They come in packs of 16, so depending on the size of the guest list, it
may be a good idea to get two packs. One was more than enough for my
little gathering, with a couple to spare. No doubt these are designed
primarily with the under-10 set in mind, but if you are a nostalgic
child of the 80s like I am, chances are you will find them a beary
enjoyable addition to your birthday.
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