Show How Much You Care About Care Bears(TM); Clarke American Launches New Care Bears Checks and Accessories.

SAN ANTONIO, July 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Cute, cuddly, colorful and caring -- there is a lot to like about the popular Care Bears characters, whose mission is to teach people how to care. From their star-speckled, rainbow-trimmed magical home, called Care-a-lot, Care Bears have reached across cultures, races, ages and attitudes to teach children and children-at-heart about sharing, loving, believing and befriending since 1981.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040720/DATU012 )

As a child, you may have learned some of life's most important lessons from Care Bears movies, books and songs, or you may simply appreciate the gentle messages that Care Bears teach your own children today. Whatever your reason for loving the characters, you can enjoy their charm and simplicity every time you write a check by putting them in your own checkbook. New Care Bears products from Clarke American, a leading provider of checks and check- related products, include a five-scene check series carrying colorful images of the bears, coordinating one-scene return address labels and a coordinating leather checkbook cover that features the Care Bears characters.

"Care Bears has become a household name," says Linda Roothame, Clarke American senior product marketing manager. "So many of us grew up watching the Care Bears, reading about the Care Bears and singing their songs. They are a nostalgic part of our past, and just as important, they are positive and life-affirming. The color, the whimsy and sentiments behind the characters all combine to make Care Bears an appealing design for people who want their checks to say something about who they are."

Care Bears check designs and accessories are among other new check designs and accessories available from Clarke American.

    -- I Love Lucy(TM) designs feature the zany antics of Lucy, Ricky, Ethel       and Fred from the 1950s television show that continues to be as       popular today as it was when it originally aired.  Checks, return       address labels and a coordinating leather checkbook cover are       available.    -- Kim Anderson(TM) designs feature the renowned photographer's black and       white images of children touched with subtle bursts of color to       heighten the sense of childhood gone by.  Checks and return address       labels are available.    -- Pampered Girls(TM) designs feature whimsical, girly, color drawings of       women enjoying the simple pleasures of shopping, bubble baths, spa       treatments and other feminine indulgences.  Checks, return address       labels and a coordinating leather checkbook cover are available.    -- Paw Prints(R) by Rachael Hale designs feature the photography of       internationally acclaimed photographer Rachael Hale.  Products carry       the appealing images of cats and dogs, always a favorite with check       writers.  Checks and return address labels are available.    -- Barnyard Babies by Rachael Hale designs also feature the photography       of award-winning photographer Rachael Hale.  These products carry the       photographer's charming images of young farm animals.  Checks and       return address labels are available.    -- A foil-stamped initial checkbook cover offers check writers a classy       black-leather accessory that can be personalized with an initial in       one of three colors.   

The new Clarke American products are available at participating branches beginning June 14th, and can also be ordered through a number of financial institution Internet and phone channels June 13th. To simply view the designs, visit http://www.clarkeamerican.com/ .

Clarke American provides checks and check-related products, Internet and contact center services, and direct response marketing solutions for the financial services industry. Each year, the company produces more than 10 billion personal and business checks in a variety of formats for more than 4,000 banks, credit unions and other financial institutions nationwide. The company has more than 3,200 associates and a national network of electronically linked production facilities and customer service centers located throughout the United States.

Clarke American is a recipient of the 2001 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in the manufacturing category, awarded by the U.S. Department of Commerce, and is the recipient of the 2001 Texas Award for Performance Excellence given by the Quality Texas Foundation. For more information about Clarke American, visit http://www.clarkeamerican.com/ .

    For more information, contact:    Cary Corbin   (830) 609-1932    Mike Hannan   (210) 697-1299  

CONTACT: Cary Corbin, +1-830-609-1932, or Mike Hannan, +1-210-697-1299, both for Clarke American

Web site: http://www.clarkeamerican.com/