It just occured to me that the real danger isn't when a kid starts talking to their Care Bears, it's when they start answering back.

Dave

pretty pics, too, Dave, thanks - one of them isn't showing up, however

also, the astonishing thing about the Care Bears is that my 20 year-old daughter and my 5 year-old daughter have had almost identical devotion to them at a 15-year remove. Now I know why

I love Gumby. I'm just saying. Peace, bro!

I'm with you, Phillip: Gumby's rad.

seriously. I grew up with Care Bears... and now they have become all Hot Topic. I was bowled over last year when I went in and saw Grumpy Bear and Funshine Bear on t-shirts.

I would totally wear one of those. Voodoo or no.

Which one, Eric? They're all showing up for me.

Dave

By the way, that Unicorn picture reminds me of a t-shirt I keep threatening to buy for my wife: Unicorns fart rainbows

Oiks, and where did my book links go? I had book links, dammit! Good ones too.

Dave

The scariest image on the page is that candle at the top. Scary stuff there, mate.

the one at the 8th paragraph, which begins, "Voodoo is a religion"

Hmmm, Love-a-Lot bear is loading for me, Eric. Perhaps you aren't caring or sharing enough to see her?

Dave

possible, even likely

Such is nature of Firefox that I didn't even notice the image wasn't loading! Such is also the nature of Firefox that I was able to put the image URL directly into the address bar, and got this message:

"The image "http://blogcritics.org/mt/mt-comments.php?mode=red&u=http://www.ragnarokpress.com/scriptorium/lovealotbear.jpg" cannot be displayed, because it contains errors."

No joke.

Hmmm. I'll make the image over again and reupload it. Wonder why some browsers like it and some don't.

Dave

Apparently Legba had tainted that image with some Photoshopishness so I sacrificed a goat and drove out the malign influence and it should be working now.

BTW, the Michael Reaves novel linked to with the article is really excellent and I recommend it highly. It does a great job of showing how relevant Voodoo is as a religion and/or world view for modern times.

Dave

you all need to get a life and stop trying to find something in society that is not christian, the carebears have nothing to do with voodoo!!!!! you all need to take off the f-ing blinders and stop seeing everything as "non-christian" GODS forbid that you start wearing a tshirt and someone starting thinking that you are Pagan or something.......BURN YOURSELF YOURSELF YOU HAVE SINNED!!!

hey Dave, this mighty fine post, besides fooling the civilians, now seems to run off the right edge of the page in IE - could you check it out, please?

Seems to work just fine in IE for me. This article was generated the same way all my others have been. Is it the only one you see this problem with? The only HTML included is the image links. Is it possible that having the google ads pop up next to an image is causing the overrun?

Dave

ah, very good point, will check it out

taking out love-a-lot fixed it, but now where is the ad?

You've got me. How are you inserting those ads anyway? Are they not automated? And do we really need them - they kind of break up the flow.

I'm working on a photo-essay right now and I hate to think what's going to happen when google ads get popped into the middle of it.

Dave

automated yes; unfortunatley, the whole point is that they break up the flow; Phillip needs to get involved in this part of the discussion

Dave Nalle,Just for posterity: The term
"Santeria" is largely derogatory,since
they follow the ways of the Orishas not
the Catholic litany of Saints.It was the
name that the Spanish gave to the
traditional African religions brought to
Cuba after they became syncretic with
the enforced Catholicism of the Spanish.
A preferred term of followers is "Regla
De Ocha", to name but one that is not a
slur.

nice read there Mr Nalle

but i have always thought the CBs, the Smurfs, Rainbow Brite and a host of others should be tossed feet first into a wood chipper

i do like the history about the folks that worked on it, especially the animator last seen in Haiti...that is sweet

Symbols are very powerful things in and of themselves...just desserts to those that steal them, file the serial numbers off and then profit from their theft

that's my kind of Irony

Excelsior!

I'll keep that in mind, HW. People here in Texas seem to use the term Santeria without any derogatory connotations, but it may be different elsewhere.

Gonzo, I promise to burn one of Papa Jim's Red Penis Candles for you when I get back home - I'm blogging from the road right now.

Dave

Just when I thought I had read it all; this has got to be one of the funniest. I'm going to print this out & go scare the neighbors with it.

Drive carefully over the holiday, folks. Dave - don't blog & drive.

Dave N.,The term "Santeria" is so common
anymore that most people who use it dont
mean it derogatrorily they just don't
know the difference.Most of the Spanish
colonialists used it as a put down.They
didn't know of the syncretism between
certain saints and orishas.Santa Barbara
= Shango etc.They just thought the slave
laborers were crazy in their veneration
of certain saints so they called them
saint worshipers and such in a way that
wasn't mean't to be flattering.In and
amongst true believers you'll almost
never hear anyone call it Santeria.I've
got Cuban friends who are followers and
initiates and they usually just call it
"Regla" or simply "the faith".

Okay, so there's more to the Care Bears then meets the eye. Are the Berenstain Bears still okay though?

>>Drive carefully over the holiday, folks. Dave - don't blog & drive.<<

Not to fear, I'm blogging from a nice hotel room in midtown Manhattan.

>>Okay, so there's more to the Care Bears then meets the eye. <<

Actually, the syncretic nature of Voodoo makes it possible to adapt almost anything as alternative symbols for the Lwa.

>>Are the Berenstain Bears still okay though?<<

They're plenty creepy in their own way.

Dave

I must agree with not-a-fundie, but not so explicitly. I think that you are going off of the deep end on this whole "voodoo for the kids" kick.

I myself am a 17 year old male whose has almost all of the DVDs that have come out of the Care Bears and have quite a few plush toys. I see no connection between voodoo and the Care Bears.

Why not take a look at another symbol of "evil". Catholics do the "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. This is done simultaneously while forming a cross pattern. This is all great, but what does the fourth point of the cross mean?

Could it possibly be something else? Perhaps Druidic. For we use druidic symbols all the time without realizing it, such as giving out star stickers for doing a good job.

Maybe the druidic elements are being invoked (there are FOUR elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water) during this process. This is almost running parallel to what you are saying about Rainbow Brite, Smurfs, Care Bears, etc. Maybe Catholics should not do this motion just in case I am correct(I am being sarcastic).

In conclusion, maybe the best thing to do would be to not start a vigilante attack against something you think you have figure out.

Oh come on now! I'm 18 year old female, and do not see anything indicating voodo or evil with the care bears nor any other show that I was growing up around. Seriously, if you think about it and do your research, which I have done so, I'm studying religious history in college and in fact christianity started as a way to bring down other religions, expecially the wicca, which a true wicca does not have anything to do with evils, wicca is a very nature loving olden religion, christianity is nothing more than a religion created by old people that wanted to ruin all and everyone elses religions. Sheesh, let kids, and us reminicing people alone and please stop thinking everything has to do with evils or voodoo.

First off, voodoo isn't evil. And second, note the date this was published. We didn't have a 'satire' tag back then.

Dave

Um, actually , Wicca is not that old... participants of the religion often claim that to make Wicca seem more authentic. I took a class on witchcraft last year, and read a book on it. While the practice of magic, for harm or good, has been around, and has documented evidence for it, since at least the ancient Greeks, Wicca is a fairly recent development...from around the '60s or '70s, I believe...

Sir, I would go seek some spiritual help as soon as possible. I am a devoted Catholic (and please enlighten me with what you believe is Voodoo in our religion, and no we do not pray to mary! nice try) I have never seen such comparisons such as care bears and carefours (what the heck is that anyway no ones heard of that but you) Why are you comparing apples and oranges. But you know , youll always find that group of people that support you and are telling people that care bears represent satan but at the same time are at pro choice rallys. I know people like you, trouble is, you have no basis for you arguments and id oubt you live by your own words and beliefs

Read the header. It's satire. And BTW, I didn't say the Catholic church practiced Voodoo, I said that it tolerates the practice of Voodoo in conjunction with catholicism. And if you think Catholics don't pray to Mary you've never been to Mexico.

Dave

Hmmm... could this conspiracy possibly have something to do with the Care Bear revival? Why have the Care Bears suddenly become so popular again?

I absolutely love Care Bears I have two and my screen saver and background and icon are all care bears. My little cousin Taylor and I always shop for Care Bears and my older cousin Jamie usually buys them for us!

i love the carebears more than anything in the world besides my boyfriend and family. i have a big pile of carebears in my room and there all organized and everything and i cant amagine nbot having carebears around!

i think care bears are an awful thing for kids to be playing with.
the other day my sisters and i were playing with a care bear and my sister alexis threw the care bear at my sister sammy, the care bear was actually crawling to her. my sister got so scared and so did me and my sister.at that time my parents weren't home. we were so scared!!!!

So, I realized that this thread is long dead but...
I read the blog, and I honestly couln't tell if you were being highly satirical, or if you are just psychotic. Then I read the comments... and I still can't tell.
Being a Christian myself, I can't really see anything wrong with all of the programmes you mentioned. I grew up watching them, and I never feel any sudden urges to poke a doll or to worship any other god but God Himself.

WELL DAVE I'M A CHRISTIAN AND MAYBE YOUR WRIGHT MAYBE IT IS TRUE WELL I'M GOING TO CHURCH TODAY AND I'M PLANNING TO PRINT IT OUT AND SHOW IT TO MY FRIENDS.THE WAY I FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS IS WHEN MY FRIND WAS DOING SOME RESEARCH AND SHE READ IT AND SHE TOLD ME ABOUT IT THEN I WENT TO HER HOUSE AND I SAW IT ON THE INTERNET WHILE WE WERE READING IT I GOT REALLY SCARED.WELL I HAVE TO GO BUT I THINK THAT YOU SHOULDNT LISTEN TO WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT IT JUST IN WHAT YOU BELIEVE.

JULIE UM YOU SHOULD RESEARCH THE WORD SATIRE ON THE INTERNET SO YOU WONT BE SCARED.

Also, check that Caps Lock key!

Interesting site.Well, I'm the first animator to work on Care Bears and developed their movements, in Ottawa for Atkinson Film Arts,but I didn't fall prey to a curse.In fact I was escaping one by going to Canada!I was however forced into Shamanism by my Canadian experiences, but that had been developing a long time.The culmination came from my Montreal experiences however,after being bitten by the wolf and finally going home, seeing a hawk at each time I changed highways, all the way back to Virginia!I've regarded the Bears as more of a blessing than a curse,because it was a chance to work on a good show, that was actually well concieved,written designed and directed,(at least the first one that we did was.After that we lost the contract and the quality sunk.Half the time in my opinion on other studios their noses are out of joint like they're sniffing poo!Pino Van Lambsverde did a fine job of directing,while I got also to design the first talking tree.Ian Freedman and myself I remember took special care on the bears to get them right, (ian's special love was Grumpy Bear, which fit him, he'd sit there next to me,grinning and going "Grump, Grump" ,truly becoming Grumpy Bear! Also, Drew Mandigo did some beautiful stuff as did everyone,Scott Fiander, Kathy Harker,Bill Perkins and many others.Drew did some wickedly fun drawings of "Prostitute Bear" and Punk Bear" for our walls,(sort of a Care Bear stuffed into a Madonna outfit).And although I often like to joke about the satirical drawings of "them Bears" we adult animators put on the wall to blow off a little creative steam at Atkinson,I was genuinely proud to be working on something of quality for the little crib "wee folk" set,(as I think we all were),giving little kids something decent at that early impressionable age along the lines of the stuff that affected me well when I was that age,when those worlds of fantasy are truly magical, such as Richard Scary's books and Disney's more cudly stuff and many others,like Gustaf Tengrenn.It was rare in the business environment at that time to even get a chance to animate something of quality.That's why I left Ottawa, because the quality of the work coming in took a down turn and I could'nt stand it.It got better later, but I've often wished I'd stayed and stuck it out simply because of the many fine friends and people I knew and worked with there. I may have some copies of Drew's "punk bears" which I may post on my website,vanallenanimation.com.There you can also see some of my more kosher animation drawings of Tenderheart and others.It's often been the case that quality of work doesn't equal quality of life.In those days I was on the "Disney quest" to do great animation etc.,but the fun of comradeship and warmth I found in Ottawa at that time when I needed it badly has rarely been equaled in my life and I miss it.We would work hard and then throw frisbies down the hall, bike, hike,skate and ski,act goofy, go out to good but cheap restaurants-truly good times.
But back to the Voo doo connection,I have heard that the lady who originally came up with the Care Bears at Hall Mark or whatever,"Those Characters from Cleveland" is the actual company holding the copyright, that she was black.But that's all I know.I do however have a very fine friend here in Richmond who is a Voo Doo practitioner, and I am a big fan of "I Walked With a Zombie" and all of Val Lewton's films, concidering them very close to cinematic religious experiences,because of the quality of truth they achieve.

Interesting history on the CBs, Keith. I originally wrote this satire because my 4-year-old was driving me mad with her CB obsession.

A few of the responses the article garnered were more frightening than the anything in the article itself - I hadn't seen them until your comment drew my attention.

I do have to say that the last few years of new CB stuff has been pretty crappy, especially the computer animated material. Not funny at all and really badly animated.

Dave

Thanks Dave. I wish the business powers that be would be smarter and let the artists that know what they're doing on a given project organize the personel and execution of the given project more.Sometimes it happens ,sometimes not.Leon Schlesinger at Warner Bros. was smart,he put Tex Avery, Jones and Clampett together as well as Friz Freleng and others, and left them alone as long as the product was funny.He was SthMarrT!(even inspiring Daffy Duck's and Sylvester's voice).The rest is animation history.Care Bears is a good example of a good project and series being mismanaged.They should have left the films at Atkinson to begin with,instead of putting it up for bidding.That way,you lost the original crew that worked and "cared " about the Bears and knew their (excuse me) Careacter.The cards and toys maintain better consistancy than the films.With a little "care" and planning they could make even better profits and we the audience here in Americo-media culture,(which can be a wonderful thing)would'nt
have to suffer so much.

Quite frankly, I think the writer of this article has gone a bit overboard. Unless it comes out later on that the creators of "Care Bears" and "Rainbow Brite" intended to make voodoo references, then I don't think there's anything to worry about. You're making a big to-do about nothing!

(Blushes) I just read the part where Dave said that this is a satire. Sorry!

Whoever wrote this article about the care bears should be ashamed of themselves. My sisters and I grew up with care bears and now you want to criticise them. If kids like them, let them be. Don't tell your kids their bad because of some voodoo junk. Voodoo is some myth that someone made up. It's not like it works anyway. Only some crazy people probably can make it work. If you catch my drift. Leave the care bears alone and all of the cute and cuddly movies you added along with it. Voodoo... ha don't even go there. You'll probably think I'm crazy after this, but deal with it.

Samantha says: "Whoever wrote this article about the care bears should be ashamed of themselves."

Often one can determine the author of an article by looking just around the title. Try it!

"My sisters and I grew up with care bears...."

Ah, well, that explains a lot.

"Voodoo is some myth that someone made up."

You've fallen into their little trap. That's just what the practitioners of voodoo want you to believe.

"It's not like it works anyway."

So, you've tried it. Let's see, grew up with Care Bears, tried voodoo. I believe you're a prime example of the real dangers engendered by the Care Bear cult.

"You'll probably think I'm crazy after this..."

Samantha, slow down, get a hold of yourself. Now, listen. It's not your fault. Repeat after me, "It's not my fault." Again.

It's not too late to get help, and your confession here is just the first step. Be strong. All our prayers go out to you.

Excellent response Duane. You might also point her towards reading the DATE on which the article was published.

Dave

Excuse me Duane, I dont know what your talking about, but you got the wrong idea. Maybe "you" need to slow down. Obviously if you are going to talk about me doing voodoo, then theres obviously something wrong with you. Honestly you probably have no life. So, why are you on this care bear site anyway if your just going to torment someone else. I never said anything about anyone else, I just gave my own opinion. And yes i did grow up with the care bears, but I never in my life did voodoo. So mind your business. Thank you.

This is a Care Bear site? Now I know what I've been doing wrong!

This is a Care Bear site? Now I know what I've been doing wrong!

And I thought it was a voodoo site. My search continues.

Hi Samantha. Take a joke, will ya? Sheesh. Just teasing you a little for taking Dave's article seriously.

I never said anything about anyone else.

Whoever wrote this article about the care bears should be ashamed of themselves.

Ummm ... oh, nevermind.

Thanks for the info. I have been having some problems in my Christian life, and I used to be into the Care Bears in a big way all through my childhood. God told me to research them. I don't know if they are New Age or Voodoo, but there certainly is something to it.

(Check out how defensive people are getting! I probably would too if there was some attack on Count Von Count, :D)
Anyway, I entered care bear voodoo in my search engine expecting string dolls or something for my friend's 19Th to pop up, now since it didn't I'm actually a little disappointed someone beat me to it. Oh well, back to Yahoo! Japan. Thanks for the entertainment and voodoo history lesson!