Inspired by the original watercolour paintings by Elena Kucharik in the early ’80s, the limited edition collaboration – organised in association with Bulldog Licensing – aims to play on the nostalgia and love of colour and print that is used regularly by Cath Kidston to deliver its recognisable products.

Showcased across eight prints, each design aims to illustrate the stories that Care Bears’ audiences have enjoyed for decades. The pieces – featuring moons and stars, rainbows and flowers, love hearts and cupcakes – create a range which is suited for adults and kids alike.

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Holly, a huge thanks for taking time out for this. I have one last question: How do you fuel your creativity?

It does always differ from day to day, but I try and keep a constant, which is to continue to hand paint a print for every season. These are my most joyful days as I connect with my print team and get to think quietly about next collections and ideas while I paint. Most days start by taking my eldest daughter to the ice rink. Even though that’s at 5AM, I find it very peaceful to watch and work at the same time! Often we are shooting the collections – truly delightful days! – so from the rink I’ll run to a location house. We will shoot all categories in a week, and often the set is buzzing with children, babies, dogs, and our amazing shoot team.

Speaking of a shared vision, the Care Bears range manages to feel both very Cath Kidston and also very Care Bears. One brand doesn’t overwhelm the other. How do you navigate getting the balance right?

We use a lot of our archive artwork in collaborations so followers of each brand can recognise the heritage icons from each IP.” Great British Bake Off spoke to our British heritage as a joyful institution, our customer’s love of baking and the humour and comradery shown in the show. The vintage characters – such a Peter Rabbit and Quentin Blake’s Matilda – are drawn by legends of illustration that we work really hard to complement through our paintings. Our customer loves these original illustrations and knows how special they are. The range launches online and at the brand’s flagship store in Piccadilly on 14 November. It is offered across all Cath Kidston’s product categories from homeware to apparel and accessories, including the new teenage sizing. We responded to these by creating a print where our florals morphed into the bears with fluid painterly brush strokes, with our similar icons nestled in-between. We also created an impactful psychedelic design with pink and red large graphic clouds and stars, where the Care Bears really shone out thanks to their painterly effect. All our prints are illustrated to tell stories, so it is important to reflect these stories within the shoot.

Our aim at Cath Kidston is to bring joy with our hand-painted prints and, paired with Care Bears, this charm became unstoppable,” commented Holly Marler, creative director at Cath Kidston. “Inspired by the comforting 1980s’ watercolours of the characters and their mission to spread love, we also put their delightful belly badges into the prints. Add a little Care Bear cuteness to a tea lover's home with this limited edition mug from Cath Kidston. With a beloved bedtime bear hand-painted print, it's the perfect way to make every cup of tea (or coffee!) just that little more joyful.