The Final Episode #100: The Care Bears Family (1986 - 1988)

 

Well we finally made it. 100 articles or columns or blog posts or whatever the hell, just discussing the Final Episodes of any series. I'm surprised this lasted so long. I thought I would have given up for good around #7. I thought I would have given up on this entire blog. So I'm glad I actually stuck to something for once in my life instead of just giving up. It's not successful in any way really. I get like maybe 10 people reading this crap, but I'm still glad I got to it. This wasn't the original Final Episode #100. You see I wanted to have all up to 100 done before the end of November. However, that doesn't work out. You see sometimes I'll take a day or two or even twenty away from this blog. If you aren't up to writing something even something silly I'll come across in the writing. That meaning If I forced something out this would have been even worse somehow. 

#99 and #100 would originally have been Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers and I Love Lucy. It was only because of how countchocula picked the order did I see that Care Bears or the second series The Care Bears Family would be perfect as #100. You see while this blog is part "Find stuff from the past I've never really delved into" it's also a nostalgia blog and boy oh boy did the Care Bears ever have something to do with my childhood. I have a picture of me barely over a year old holding a purple Care Bear with a milkshake on it. It's probably Share Bear or something like that. There were like 72 thousand of them I can't be called to remember all their damn names. I watched the movies all the time. However I didn't realize there was a DIC cartoon before this one. Don't worry we will talk about this one but I just felt like it was a better idea to talk about this show first.

So, the Care Bears first started in 1981. forty years ago. Damn time flies when you are having fun and even when you aren't. Anyway they started as Greeting Card characters. I think the same people who created them created Strawberry Shortcake. Care Bears had two tv specials before DIC came around to do the animated series. That one didn't last very long and then it was up to Nelvana to take up the charge and create the second Care Bears series. Since Nelvana was a Canadian animation company, it counted as Canadian content and we need that on our TV due to a law. This series I'm pretty sure is still running somewhere on some Canadian station. This and Inspector Gadget. 

The Final Episode was "Care Bears Nutcracker Suite" yes, it's a Christmas related three parter. That's how YTV always showed the three episodes. It would get shown during the rotation of the series AND at Christmas. I was always a big fan of these three episodes. They were a fun action packed Christmas adventure. This is STILL the only version of the Nutcracker I've ever seen. I am not a cultured man (what a shock!) and I don't really watch operas? It was a opera right? Anyway This was a really fun adventure. Now let's get to discuss the entire three parter.

The First Episode starts off with some kids doing the Nutcracker play. Their teacher talks about how there are different versions of this play/opera/whatever. They ask her what her favorite version is and she starts this story. It shows the Care Bears up in Care-A-Lot getting ready for Christmas. Grumpy Bear is shoveling snow, and at age 8 I was fine with this but now at age 36 I'm like why is he shoveling clouds. Why is snow appearing ABOVE the clouds? I usually don't get picky about this goofy stuff but this time I just went "wait what" Anyway they get a call about a lonely girl and that's Anna. Sunshine Bear and Grumpy Bear go to help her. She is sad about her friend Sharon moving away. They tell her that no matter how far a friend is you're still friends! This cheers her up a little but she still sad she doesn't have anyone to play with. BLAM out pops the Nutcracker out of a damn dimensional portal that just popped out of nowhere.  He talks about how he forgot who he is and then the Rat King and several of his henchmen pop out of the portal. They chase them out of the house, throw snowballs out of them and then the Care Bears shoot them back into their portal. Several other Care Bears come by, Tenderheart, Brave Heart Lion and Lotsa Heart Elephant. They also didn't realize that Hugs and Tugs were with them. They were looking for their very own Christmas Tree Ornament. Peter, Anna's younger brother is told to stay with them while they go in the portal. Peter doesn't listen and gets Hugs and Tugs to come with him. That bad bad boy.

The Second Episode starts up with yet again the kids at the play. They are waiting for the teacher to start up again because these were the starts of episodes. Now we finally meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Evil Vizier and learn about the fancy magic ring that will help the Vizier even more. I'm still not sure what a Vizier is. The Care Bears and Anna find a Toy Train to get on. Peter, Hugs and Tugs get on and hide away in the caboose (possibly the funniest word in the English language.) They are brought to a dark and fucked up area of Toyland, created due to the Vizier's evil magic. They are attacked by some random toys until they find out that the toys had been hurt and just want to escape. They are told about what had happened to the Prince (hint its the Nutcracker) and how they were treated just to find the Magic Ring. They get the toys to join them to stop the Vizier. Then there's this huge battle with the Rat King and his henchmen on the train tracks. Also two of his henchmen are eating the licorice bridge (it's their favorite)  They escape but Peter, Hugs and Tugs are captured. This episode ends with The Evil Vizier talking about how they might have escaped but he will still capture them. When these would show on YTV this would freeze on his evil ass face. It always made me angry. THE CARE BEARS WILL GET YOU VIZIER DON'T TEST ME!!!

The Final Episode is a wild one. It has the Care Bears turned into WOOD to be DESTROYED if the Nutcracker won't open the nut that has the magic ring  It also has a lot of Peter, Hugs and Tugs action if that is what you are into. They escaped from the Rat King because the Rat King is a huge moron and very easy to fool. They get him to show how much he loves the dark by running into the darkest part of the dungeon they are in. He gets out thanks to his henchmen. Peter, Hugs and Tugs get the magic ring and HILARIOUS HIJINX ensue. The Rat King finally gets the ring to the Vizier and when he's getting ready to put it on (like all villains he takes his sweet ass time to do this because he wants to savor this moment. Savoring it just costs him the victory as The Sugar Plum Fairy is able to take the magic ring and give it to the Nutcracker! HE TURNS INTO THE PRINCE! The only time in my childhood I was ever more surprised of something was when Sailor Moon turned out to be The Moon Princess. It was so shocking that I couldn't speak for a week! Anyway the Evil Vizier is ruined and sent away. The Rat King and his henchmen get Care Bear Stared. They are all sent back home. Anna meets a new friend that looks just like The Nutcracker. The Care Bears go back home. We now go to the future with kids showing that The Teacher WAS ANNA. HOLY SHIT IT ALL HAPPENED. OH MY GOD. She's also married to that kid that looked like the Nutcracker! The Care Bears were there listening all the time. She then just leaves the kids unattended and they all died. Well not really. 

FINAL VERDICT: This was a delightful Final Episode and also Christmas Special. It was full of action and adventure and for a Care Bears episode, weirdly dark. The flashback of the Toys being forced to look for the Magic Ring is messed up. They are all shackled up looking for it. Oh and the fact the Care Bears are TURNED INTO WOOD TO BE SET AFLAME IS SOME WILD FUCKING SHIT. These episodes upped the ante and were always something I had to watch during the Christmas season or hell whenever they were on. Highest recommendation.