Cloudco Entertainment has signed a licensing deal with DIY plush company Teddy Mountain to expand the Care Bears’ presence in the leisure market. 

Starting at the end of June, kids in the UK and UAE will be able to stuff their own Care Bears, and then dress them up in different outfits and accessories. Similar to Build-A-Bear, Teddy Mountain’s Make-A-Bear experience will be available in onsite areas at theme parks and family entertainment centres run by partners including Center Parcs, Selfridges, Merlin Entertainments, Parkdean Resorts, P&O Cruises and Miral Experiences. 

The 22-year-old company started out as a retailer, but is now operating as a wholesaler, selling pre-stuffed plush toys, DIY plush-making kits and licensed apparel & accessories. It’s building momentum in the kids industry, inking new deals in the US for Zoonicorn (August 2024) and Canticos (November 2024) on the heels of rolling out a Shaun the Sheep range across the UK last year with Aardman. And a follow-up Gromit collection is due out on April 25. 

For Cloudco, the value of this deal is in being able to give kids & families another meaningful way to interact with the Care Bears IP, says Cloudco Entertainment president Sean Gorman. “Constructing one’s own Care Bear is an experiential, creative and memory-creating moment, and that’s amplified by the fact that they will occur during wonderful leisure and vacation moments.” He also adds that “it’s not competitive with our mass retail business, or anything our toy partners—Basic Fun! in the UK and Simba in Europe—are doing.”

Teddy Mountain is currently showcasing its model and products at the Dubai Entertainment Amusement & Leisure Show (April 8 to 10), and the company will also be at Licensing Expo in May looking to meet more brand owners, says Ryan Davies, head of Teddy Mountain UK.