When you think of the Care Bears, do you think of them as nothing more than annoying characters in an overly preachy children's cartoon? Or do you find them vaguely unsettling, perhaps because your inner eye can sense some of the truth behind these chubby brightly colored 'friends' - the truth of Voodoo masquerading as children's entertainment.
One of the characteristics of the spread of Voodoo in the Western Hemisphere is the adaptability of the paradigms of Voodoo worship and magic to the host cultures and religions. This has been demonstrated in the accommodation of Voodoo to the native cultures of Brazil in the form of Macumba (Candomble and Umbanda), and in the adaptation of Catholic religious iconography to Voodoo in the practice of Santeria, where saints have been adapted to substitute for specific voodoo gods. These examples are well known and publicly recognized. The Catholic Church has even been quietly tolerant of both Voodoo and Santeria for many years.
What fewer are aware of is the introduction of Voodoo symbology and worship into the culture of the United States through the medium of children's cartoons. Voodoo has always been syncretic and adaptable, and through the work of a few Boccor/Animators and sympathetic Voodoo practitioner producers in Hollywood the Lwa have found new forms and gained unprecedented access to generations of young television viewers. While recent attention has been focused on the popularity of the Kabbalah and ritual Jewish magic in Hollywood, the Lwa and Voodoo were there first and have already permeated the culture to a depth which few suspect.
Voodoo's invasion of children's animation began in the 1950s with the tentative work of early media-voodoo pioneers such as Art Clokey whose character Gumby clearly derives from the Jamaican festival spirit Goombay or Big Bwoy, an amorphous and confused buffoonish character who heralds the start of festival season. The similarity of the exaggerated features of the two characters is hard to miss.
Another tentative effort to introduce some Voodoo elements into a children's cartoon can be found in the popular 1980s cartoon Rainbow Brite which features a horse - a traditional symbol of Legba - which has a rainbow tail - clearly symbolic of Damballah. In the enormously popular Smurfs you can also see Voodoo themes portrayed, especially in the character of Smurfette whose position as a unique and powerful female figure surrounded by male cohorts clearly echoes the role of Irzuli in Voodoo mythology.
Unquestionably the height and full-blown realization of Voodoo in children's animation was in the still enormously popular Care Bears. Never has the use of Voodoo symbology been more clear and apparent, far more so than in Candomble or Santeria. From the very name of the cartoon to the look and behavior of the characters, Voodoo permeates the Care Bears universe.
Start with the name first. Who can deny the similarity between the name Care Bears and Carefours, the district of Port au Prince which is the heart of the Voodoo world? Can the cloud city of Care-a-Lot be anything but an idealized 'holy city' of the Lwa - a divine reflection of Carefours? Then consider some of the terminology. The Care Bears constantly want to 'Share until you care', just as the Lwa want to share the bodies of their worshipers. The Care Bears are constantly trying to be children's 'friends', just as the Voodoo Lwa are often referred to by their followers as 'friendly spirits' or just 'friends'.
Voodoo is a religion uniquely rich in symbology, particular the famous Veve symbols which represent each of the Lwa or Voodoo gods. These Veve are your key to connecting the Lwa and the Care Bears. Just as each Lwa has a Veve, each Care Bear has an arcane symbol represented on his round little tummy, and as you may already suspect, those symbols are suspiciously similar to the Veve of the major Voodoo Lwa.
The first obvious connection of a major Lwa with a Care Bear is between the goddess Erzulie and Love-a-Lot Bear. Erzulie's symbol is a heart, which might lead one to associate her with Tenderheart Bear who is also represented by a heart, but Love-a-Lot is the true Care Bear form of Erzulie, because the color pink is strongly associated with Erzulie, and Love-a-Lot's twin hearts represent the dual nature of Erzulie as both a goddess of love and motherhood (Erzulie La Siren) and also a goddess of seduction and jealousy (Erzulie Dantor). Clearly in the Care Bear universe Love-a-Lot is the embodiment of Erzulie.
Another clear connection with a very important Lwa is the association of Friend Bear with Legba. Not only are their symbols similar - crossed roses in both cases, but Legba is frequently referred to as 'A Friend', because of a prohibition against speaking his actual name. Legba is one of the most commonly called upon Lwa as an intercessor, and Friend Bear occupies a similarly prominent role as a go-between among the other Care Bears.
Also quite obvious is the connection between Damballah, who is symbolized by a rainbow and Cheer Bear who also bears the rainbow symbol. Cheer Bear, more than many other Care Bears, is shown using magical or mystical powers, characteristic of Damballah.
The parallels go on. The falling star symbol of Wish Bear is clearly equivalent to of the lightning bolt of Shango, while the storm cloud of Grumpy Bear is obviously symbolic of both the storm associations and general negative attitude of Capitaine Ogu. In fact, the cloud has a rather similar shape to the ship in Ogu's most common Veve. A close viewing of the movie Return to Care-a-Lot also reveals a scene in which a distracted Grumpy Bear mutters under his breath what sounds distinctly like Ogu's trademark greeting "Gren mi Fret" or "My Balls are Cold". And of course who could deny the similarity of Birthday Bear's symbolic cupcake and the funeral altar Veve associated with Baron Samedi?
Symbolic parallels can also be found between the central character Funshine bear who watches over the welfare of all the Care Bears with the over-god or super-Lwa Orisha. There are also repeated motifs in the Care Bear television episodes and movies which are impossible to deny. For example, they travel by magical ship again and again, clearly a reference to the slave ships which brought the first Voodoo practitioners to the new world. Even more significant, many of the Care Bears, especially Grumpy Bear (Capitaine Ogu) and Birthday Bear (Baron Samedi), are seen trying on hats and other disguises, clearly a nod to the characteristic behavior of the Guede Lwa who guard the dead and are known for wearing hats and fancy dress.
We can only guess at the motivation of these Hollywood animators in going to such lengths to incorporate Voodoo symbology in the characters of the Care Bears. Is it the outcome of a religiously motivated conspiracy as some would fear, merely that they were bored or starved for inspiration and found it in an unlikely location, or some something far more sinister? We may never know. Most of the animators involved in the original design of the Care Bears characters have either died under mysterious circumstances or are missing. In the case of character animator Lester Meyers, his disappearance was accompanied by a cryptic note suggesting that the was going to go find out the "truth about where the CBs come from," and his final credit card bill showed a charge for a ticket to Haiti. Nothing was ever heard from him again.
Should you be concerned for children exposed to the Care Bears? They are probably no more dangerous than notorious Pagan propaganda icons like The Transformers, or well documented Wiccan idol Strawberry Shortcake. However, if your child begins to spontaneously speak French to her stuffed Care Bear toys or if he puts on a top hat and takes up a cane and starts to dance a jig, the services of a Houngan might be called for.
Dave
