Ep. 103: Those Characters From Cleveland

Ep. 103: Those Characters From Cleveland

From Silent Generation by Silent Generation

April 28, 2026 · 1h 12m · Episode 109

About this episode

This episode explores the impact of American Greetings' character development division, Those Characters From Cleveland, on children's media in the 1980s.

Those Characters From Cleveland, which first launched in 1981, was the character development division at American Greetings. Tasked with licensing existing greeting card characters like Holly Hobbie and Strawberry Shortcake into toys and cartoons, they quickly found success by launching new IPs like the Care Bears. But how did a company based in Cleveland, OH make such a large impact on children’s media during the 1980s? On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Nathan and Sebastien detail how American Greetings and TCFC took a bottom up approach to IP development. They discuss how TCFC lost an early legal battle over Strawberry Shortcake’s copyright, how TCFC designed the Care Bears to break into the 40% of the plush market held by teddy bears, and how several TCFC franchises loosely connect to the Victorian-inspired consumer aesthetic known as Soft Countriana. Links: Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/silentgeneration/those-characters-from-cleveland/ Throughout the Decades - American Greetings History Barbi Sargent and Strawberry Shortcake Barbi Sargent’s design vs Muriel Fahrion’s design Sargent v. American Greetings Corp., 588 F. Supp. 912 (N.D. Ohio 1984) History…

People in this episode

Hosts: Nathan, Sebastien

Topics covered

  • character development
  • children's media
  • intellectual property
  • 1980s culture
  • American Greetings
  • Cleveland history

Keywords

  • American Greetings
  • Care Bears
  • Strawberry Shortcake
  • Holly Hobbie
  • children's media
  • Cleveland
  • intellectual property
  • 1980s

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: American Greetings

Products: Holly Hobbie, Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears

Books & works: The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings, The Care Bears Movie, Cleveland’s Greetings, The Bear Truth, The Rise and Fall of Care Bears: Why It Was Cancelled

Places: Cleveland, OH

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