Care Bears were originally used in Artwork for use on greeting cards in America by American Greetings. In 1983 this artwork was turned into plush teddy bears and a TV series started and was popular through till 1987 a movie was also released.
Each Care Bear came in a different color and has a specialized logo on its belly which represented its duty and personality. In the movie these were referred to as Belly Badges.
Expanding on from the Care Bear family were additional characters lion, rabbit, racoon, penguin known as the Care Bear Cousins.