adidas and Care Bears are teaming up for a new take on the Adilette Slide, and the result is a pink, plush release that turns one of the brand’s most recognizable casual silhouettes into a full character moment. The collaboration swaps out the traditional Adilette strap for an oversized plush Care Bears figure rendered in pink, complete with embroidered facial features, small arms and ears, and a raised white snout that adds real dimension to the upper. It is a significant departure from the Adilette’s usual understated construction, and that contrast is exactly the point.
adidas has been one of the most consistent forces in sneaker and sportswear culture for decades. Founded in Germany, the brand built its reputation across football, basketball, running, and lifestyle categories, and it has long been a go-to for collaborations that reach outside the traditional sneaker world. Its roster of partnerships spans high fashion, music, art, and now nostalgia-driven licensed properties, with Care Bears landing firmly in that last category.
The Adilette Slide itself is one of adidas’s longest-running silhouettes. Originally developed as a practical recovery and poolside sandal, it has grown into a year-round casual staple worn far beyond locker rooms and pool decks. The design is intentionally minimal, built around a contoured footbed and a single wide strap, which is precisely what makes collaborations like this one so visually striking. When a silhouette has almost no surface area to work with, replacing the strap entirely with a plush three-dimensional character is a bold move.
Care Bears began as an American greeting card property in the early 1980s before expanding into toys, animated television, and film. The characters, each representing a different emotion or value, became a defining piece of 1980s pop culture and have maintained a consistent presence in licensing and nostalgia-driven consumer products ever since. Pairing that kind of recognizable, feel-good imagery with an adidas classic makes sense for a brand that has never been shy about stepping outside sports.
The Care Bears x adidas Adilette Slide in pink is set to release in Summer 2026 through adidas.com and select retailers. No price has been confirmed at this time. If this one speaks to you, it is worth browsing more of the adidas Adilette family or keeping an eye on what else the brand has planned in the collaboration space.
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Source: Sneaker Bar Detroit
