International themed attraction design company, Katapult, has partnered with children’s entertainment studio, Cloudco Entertainment, to create a new Care Bears™ family entertainment centre concept.
The attraction is a ticketed play cafe experience where guests can explore a range of themed zones, before enjoying a super sweet Care Bears treat. Aimed at the ever-growing ‘tweens’ market who love cute, sweet, and colorful, it’s a place where caring is cool and sharing amplifies the experience.
Care Bears, which recently celebrated its 40th birthday, has millions of fans across 120+ territories. The brand’s strength was demonstrated recently in License Global’s “The Leading Licensees” 2023 report, where industry insiders voted Care Bears the number-three top new license signed last year. Popularity has surged since the launch of TV programme Care Bears: Unlock the Magic in 2019 – airing across multiple channels, including its own YouTube channel. Katapult and Cloudco Entertainment are now seeking project partners to license and deliver the visitor experience in key markets.
Speaking about the Experience, Katapult’s Chief Creative Officer Phil Higgins, said: “The new family entertainment centre has been designed to create a memorable, fun, and heartfelt experience where guests can indulge in the most delicious sweet treats. As fans of Care Bears ourselves, we are excited to take this concept to market to interested operators, investors, and real estate owners around the world.”
Cloudco Entertainment’s International Licensing Director Charlotte Payne added: “We’re delighted to have worked with Katapult to create this ready-to-go family entertainment centre concept, bringing the heartwarming world of Care Bears to life in an immersive and enchanting experience for fans of all ages.”
The launch of the Experience follows a successful 2023 for Care Bears, which saw three new activations open across Asia. A pop-up experience in Hong Kong’s Langham Place Mall has welcomed 2,000 visitors per day since November, with the store averaging even higher numbers on the weekend. The location also quickly surpassed its revenue goal.
Meanwhile, cafe activations in Seoul (South Korea) and Bangkok (Thailand) continue to thrive in the region. Seoul’s Care Bears themed Baskin and Robbins store, has become the number one performing location across 1800 stores across South Korea.
Interested parties can hear more about the opportunity from Katapult and Cloudco Entertainment teams at key industry events this summer. Katapult will be at IAAPA Latin America and Saudi Entertainment and Amusement Expo, while Cloudco will be in attendance at Licensing Expo Las Vegas. Both will be attending IAAPA Europe in Amsterdam.
About Katapult:
Katapult creates and designs themed attractions and experiences that amaze and
engage visitors globally. Our work is enjoyed by over 95 million visitors, at 120 visitor attractions, in 26 different countries. As well as increasing guest experience, they thrive on helping clients generate more income, more fans and bring the vision for their attraction to life.
Katapult became the world’s first themed attraction design company in 2023 to be awarded B Corp Certification. The award represents the company’s high standards of environmental and social performance. https://www.katapult.co.uk/
About Cloudco Entertainment:
Cloudco Entertainment (formerly American Greetings Entertainment) is a family and children’s entertainment company and the owner of iconic entertainment brands such as Care Bears™, Holly Hobbie™, Madballs™, Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese™, Twisted Whiskers™, Buddy Thunderstruck™, Tinpo™ and its newest IP, Overlord & The Underwoods™. Cloudco Entertainment creates, develops, and produces multi-platform entertainment franchises across all media channels and creates a wide-range of consumer merchandising programs and experiences that immerse children and adults in the brands they love.
About Care Bears:
Introduced in 1982 through consumer products, greeting cards, and later a series of animated television shows and feature films, Care Bears is one of the most popular and endearing children’s properties in the world. Fans of all ages are drawn to the lovable, huggable bears from Care-a-Lot who inspire all to have fun, share, and care. The Care Bears first appeared in their own television specials in 1983 and 1984, followed by a long-running animated TV series and the leap to the big screen in 1985-87 with The Care Bears Movie trilogy. Care Bears & Cousins, a Netflix original CGI- animated series, launched in fall 2015. In 2019, a brand-new look and mission for the Care Bears was introduced in Care Bears: Unlock the Magic, a 48 episode, 2D animated series currently airing in the US on Cartoon Network, Boomerang, and Max via its Cartoonito preschool block. In 2022, the Care Bears celebrated 40 years of sharing and caring through the launch of new consumer products with key retail partners and a range of new toys with Basic Fun.
For more information, contact:
Robbie Jones, Insights Director | robbie@katapult.co.uk | +44 (0)1332 527164
Charlotte Payne, International Licensing Director | cpayne@cloudcoentertainment.com
