Grumpy’s Three Wishes

In the Care Bears “Grumpy’s Three Wishes” from September 1986, Grumpy has a mission to go help a small boy, Alvin.  Along the way, Grumpy finds an eight leaf clover, granting him three wishes, but Grumpy misuses his wishes and is forced to prove himself in the battle against No Heart without the magic of super powers from the lucky clover. Grumpy, along the way, teaches Alvin that although they are small and may not have any magically powers, they, too, can rise above the situation. The episode does not seem to tie in with Cross’ argument.  Grumpy and Alvin are forced to get creative and keep their hope alive until their friends return to save the situation.  They prove that no matter how small you are, you can do anything as long as you put your mind to it.  The small child, Alvin, learns the important lesson of keeping hope and trying his best, which prepares him for any future situations of this kind. The consumer culture plays very little role in this episode, focusing primarily on learning the lesson and defeating the evil forces, in this case No Heart.  Unlike Cross’ argument, the Care Bear episode seems to have a real world connection. Although it is primarily set in a fictitious “Care-A-Lot”, the lessons from fighting the evil forces can be used in any real world situation as well.  The episode also seems to use No Heart as a generic enemy, showing his evil trials against society, and enlightening children on the better ways of maintaining their society. Cross’ argument, in this episode, is invalid because the Care Bears are able to use the lessons and real world examples of carelessness to prepare children for the future.