Cloudco Entertainment’s Charlotte Payne on bringing Care Bears to Drayton Manor

Charlotte, it’s great to chat! The Care Bears have been at Drayton Manor for the Easter break. Talk us through what the partnership has entailed?
We have been so delighted to see Care Bears come to life at Drayton Manor this Easter. The Spring Celebration has brought such a joyful, colourful presence to the park with families meeting Cheer Bear and Funshine Bear, sharing messages of kindness on the Pledge Wall, helping paint a Care Bears mural, and enjoying stage appearances throughout the day. It really is the full brand experience.

What I am particularly proud of is how cohesive it feels. This is not just a logo on a ride. It’s a genuine escape into the world of Care-A-Lot for a day. That is what we’re always aiming for.

Terrific. And what makes Care Bears a great fit for these kinds of activations?
Care Bears naturally lends itself to real-world experiences because of how emotionally rich and visually distinctive the brand is. The belly badge iconography, the vibrant colour palette and the character archetypes all translate beautifully into physical space and immersive storytelling. There is an inherent magic to Care-A-Lot as a world, and people genuinely want to escape into it.

What also makes it particularly powerful in a theme park setting is the multigenerational appeal. You have parents who grew up with Care Bears introducing the brand to their children, and that shared emotional connection creates something really special.

How important is location-based entertainment to the brand?
Location-based entertainment is one of the most exciting areas of growth for us right now. It allows us to connect with audiences in a more immersive and meaningful way with into experiences people genuinely remember.

We have been very active in this space recently. Earlier this year, we launched our first US play area at Barton Creek Square Mall in Austin, Texas with Simon Property Group, with plans to expand that globally. We had a hugely successful live show at Global Village Dubai, our meet-and-greets at CAMP locations across major US cities have been really warmly received, and our themed stay at Hotel New Otani Tokyo sold out completely.

“Care Bears naturally lends itself to real-world experiences because of how emotionally rich and visually distinctive the brand is.”

We also have upcoming cafés and pop-ups across Asia in the pipeline which we are really excited about. Each activation teaches us something new about how fans want to engage with the brand in the real world, and Drayton Manor fits very naturally within all of that momentum.

What are some key considerations around how to ‘activate’ Care Bears in real life?
For us, it always starts with staying true to the brand’s DNA. Care Bears has a really distinctive energy of being positive, joyful, and visually bold so any activation has to genuinely feel like an extension of that rather than just borrowing the look.

We always consider how the spaces we’re creating have emotional resonance, interactivity and visual impact. We want people to feel something when they experience Care Bears in real life and that has to be earned through genuinely well-designed, immersive spaces.

We’ve seen brands like Bluey, Peppa Pig and PAW Patrol embrace theme parks across everything from rollercoasters to dedicated ‘Lands’. Would a ‘Care Bears Land’ type activation – spanning multiple touch points and attractions – appeal?
Absolutely. At the heart of Care Bears is Care-A-Lot – this beautiful, cloud-filled world that fans have always dreamed of escaping into. Giving people the chance to actually step inside that world, to really feel like they are there, is an incredibly exciting prospect and something we’d love to share with our fans.

What excites me is how distinctive it could be. We are already working with partners like Sally Dark Rides and SimEx-Iwerks on compact dark rides and 4D experiences in specific regions, so the building blocks are genuinely there. The ambition is always a fully connected experience where families can spend time together in a space that feels completely dedicated to the Care Bears universe.

Exciting times. Thanks again Charlotte!