Strawberry Shortcake is a cartoon character used in greeting cards published by American Greetings. Strawberry Shortcake's character was originally conceived as a mascot for a line of fruit-flavored candy before evolving into the modern character. The line was later expanded to include dolls, clothing, posters, and other products featuring the character, as well as an extended cast of friends and pets. In addition, the franchise has spawned television specials, animated television series and films. The franchise is currently owned by the Canadian children's television company WildBrain[1][2] through the holding company Shortcake IP Holdings LLC.
The character of Strawberry Shortcake was originally created by Barbi Sargent, who was then working as a freelance artist for American Greetings. The character first appeared on a Laurel Valentine's Day Greeting card in 1972–1973. At the time, the character was simply called Girl with a Daisy or Strawberry Girl and was depicted holding a daisy while wearing an orange bonnet with a strawberry print on it. Rex Conners, American Greetings' staff art director, knew this card was very popular and determined that this was due to the strawberry motif.[3] He requested Sargent to create four cards with a "strawberryish" outfit for the Mega Test Market. Sargent completed the assignment in early July 1977, sending American Greetings four full-color leader cards depicting the Strawberry Shortcake character in full color ("Leader cards" are used by American Greetings for consumer test purposes). These tests marked the first time that the public saw Strawberry Shortcake in her new design, which received a positive reception.
In the late 1970s, further Strawberry Shortcake concept art was drawn by Muriel Fahrion, an illustrator working in American Greetings' Juvenile & Humorous card department.[3] Fahrion then designed a subsequent 32 characters for Those Characters From Cleveland (American Greetings' toy and licensing design division). Later characters that were added to the line were designed by Cindy Mayer Patton and Janet Jones. Artwork for the series was done by a number of different freelancers, though the majority was painted by artist Frances Kariotakis. Lynn Edwards served as the editor of the line, helping to develop the characters and storyline.
The Strawberry Shortcake line of characters each had their own fruit or dessert-themed name with clothing to match, and they each had a fruit or dessert-named pet. Like the Strawberry Shortcake doll, all the other characters' dolls had hair scented to match their theme. The characters lived and played in a magical world known as Strawberryland.
Merchandise
The Strawberry Shortcake Bicycle was introduced in 1983; production ended in 1990. Over the bike's seven-year model run, it is estimated over 1 million of the Strawberry Shortcake Bicycles were sold, making the bike one of the most popular children's character themed bikes ever produced. Several TV specials were made featuring the characters, one each year between 1980 and 1985, by which time the characters' popularity had diminished. Kenner produced no new dolls or toys thereafter.
In May 1983, following a court case, copyrights to Strawberry Shortcake were granted to Barbi Sargent from American Greetings Corporation.[4] Later on, Sargent returned the copyrights to American Greetings so that they could continue with the success of the Strawberry Shortcake franchise.
American Greetings manufactured Strawberry Shortcake Christmas ornaments, which are included in the Clara Johnson Scroggins collection, one of the world's largest ornaments collections.[5]
In 1979, toy manufacturer Kenner Products licensed the character and released the first Strawberry Shortcake doll.[6] At the time, Strawberry Shortcake resembled a typical rag doll, complete with freckles, a mop of red yarn curls, and a bonnet with strawberry print. To reflect this, the first toy was constructed to be a rag doll, designed by Muriel Fahrion and made by Susan Trentel, Fahrion's sister.
During the 1980s, Strawberry Shortcake became popular with children throughout the United States. At the time, there were many related products, such as sticker albums, clothing, bedding, a video game by Parker Brothers entitled Strawberry Shortcake Musical Match-Ups for the Atari 2600,[7][8] and Bike's Big Wheels.
The specials were released on a single DVD by Allumination FilmWorks in March 2007;[15] this was later re-released on February 10, 2015, by Paramount Home Media Distribution.[16]
1991 relaunch
In 1991, THQ relaunched the franchise by producing an updated line of Strawberry Shortcake dolls. Strawberry and five of her classic friends each got a makeover with new clothes, hair, and eyes, but the line saw only modest success and lasted just a year. American Greetings' VP of licensing, Michael Brown, said in 2002 that the THQ relaunch failed due to being around at the wrong time, with the audience who enjoyed the franchise in the 1980s only reaching their teenage years.[17]
In 2001, American Greetings appointed DIC Entertainment as the exclusive licensing agent for the franchise. In March 2002, DIC and American Greetings officially revealed their plans to relaunch the franchise for a new generation with a series of four specials released direct-to-video through 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment beginning in 2003 and later air on television, alongside various merchandise deals including a major toy licensing deal with Bandai. Merchandising would initially focus on the classic designs, which would be released in the second half of 2002, while merchandise featuring the new look would be released in 2003 to coincide with the specials.[17]
The relaunch focused on a main core cast of characters - Strawberry Shortcake, Custard the Cat, Pupcake the Dog, Angel Cake, Orange Blossom, Huckleberry Pie, Apple Dumplin' and new character Ginger Snap. The existing characters were redesigned to look more like actual humans than toys. Custard and Pupcake also had major redesigns to look more like actual pets, of which Pupcake now belongs to Strawberry Shortcake. Apple Dumplin' would also become Strawberry Shortcake's sister. Additionally, Strawberryland was divided into "districts", such as Cakewalk, Orange Blossom Acres, Huckleberry Briar and Cookie Corners. The relaunch also introduced fillies to the series, with Honey Pie Pony being the main filly, and the only one who could talk and have a pet of her own.[citation needed]
For the second year of the relaunch, the characters each gained their own fillies and pets; several additional characters were added.[citation needed]
To coincide with the franchise's 25th anniversary, DIC revealed plans to produce three additional direct-to-video specials for release in 2006. DIC produced a feature-length computer-animated film based on the franchise entitled Strawberry Shortcake: The Sweet Dreams, which saw a limited theatrical release in 2006 before being released on DVD in 2007.[18]
An Argentine live-action TV series of the franchise was shown on El Nueve in 2005, with Laura Anders as Strawberry Shortcake, Camila Offermann as Angel Cake, Luz Luccarini as Ginger Snap and Alan Ferraro as Huckleberry Pie, produced and directed by Paula Venditti and Jonathan Hofman, with 36 episodes.[19][20]
Starting in January 2006, Playmates Toys became the franchise's master toy partner along with DIC Entertainment. Alongside that, a Baby range was also introduced.[21] Playmates' toy range was entitled "A World of Friends" and introduced several "international" characters to the recurring cast who would also appear in the series. Playmates also introduced new fillies, but the removal has not spread beyond the scope of the toy line.[citation needed]
In October 2006, The Sweet Dreams Movie was released in select cities by Kidtoon Films.[22] The series villains, the Purple Pieman and Sour Grapes, who were notably absent from the 2003 TV series, are re-introduced in the film, but Sour Grapes is re-introduced as Purple Pieman's sister in materials related to the Sweet Dreams Movie. It was released via DVD on February 6, 2007, and has also been aired on networks and released on DVD and VideoCDs worldwide.[citation needed]
In 2008, Hasbro acquired the rights to produce the new line of Strawberry Shortcake toys.[23] The extensive relaunch involved numerous large redesigns and a reboot of the franchise's universe.[citation needed]
The characters of the show are reduced to an initial lineup of six main characters: Strawberry Shortcake, Lemon Meringue, Orange Blossom, Raspberry Torte, Plum Pudding, and Blueberry Muffin. Cherry Jam, a new character made for the series, is introduced in the second season. Huckleberry Pie was reintroduced in the third season as a recurring character, while Sweet and Sour Grapes (no relation to the villainess character) debuted in Series 4, alongside the return of Apple Dumplin'.[citation needed]
In 2014, The Bridge Direct became the new master toy partner for the franchise. The product shown appeared to retain the designs of the 2009 Strawberry Shortcake relaunch and included several series of dolls featuring pets, doll furniture, and musical instruments.[citation needed]
In February 2015, Iconix Brand Group acquired the rights to Strawberry Shortcake from American Greetings for $105 million.[24][25]
In 2016, IDW Publishing began releasing an ongoing Strawberry Shortcake comic series written by Georgia Ball, with art by Amy Mebberson. Both Ball and Mebberson identified as fans of the 1980s series,[26] with Ball drawing inspiration from girls with "doubts and challenges but their friends back them up and support them".[27]
In May 2018, DHX Media and its subsidiary, WildBrain, debuted a new 2D animated series of Strawberry Shortcake on YouTube and YouTube TV produced by WildBrain Studios. The series features the return of Raisin Cane and the Purple Pieman to the series. The cast for that series features Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld as Strawberry Shortcake, Amanda Barker as Orange Blossom, Dylan Jones as the Purple Pieman, Kaylin Lee Clinton as Raisin Cane, and Laurie Hymes as Sour Grapes.
Cancelled 2018 relaunch
In 2016, Iconix Brand Group and DHX Media (now WildBrain) began to develop a new animated series.[28] The series was scheduled for three seasons, totaling 39 episodes, although no cast, crew, or release date were revealed at the time, and would have used 3D computer animation similar to the 2009 series.[29] The only known elements of this show was Strawberry possessing a magical power, and there were berrykins.
In 2017, DHX Media acquired Iconix's entertainment brands, including Strawberry Shortcake, for $345 million. This meant that DHX fully took over production of the planned revival.[1][2] It was finalized on June 30.[1] This respective reboot was soon revealed to have been an early concept of the current series—Berry in the Big City.[30]
In 2021, WildBrain began the preparations to relaunch the franchise with a new look and redesign for the characters.[31] A 2D-animated web series from WildBrain Studios titled Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City, began airing on YouTube on September 18, 2021, with 40 episodes for the first season, before expanding to television and streaming.[32][33] Two additional seasons have also been produced.[citation needed]
The central cast of this adaptation features Strawberry Shortcake, Custard, Orange Blossom, Lemon Meringue, Blueberry Muffin, and returning character Lime Chiffon. Raspberry Torte, who is renamed back to Raspberry Tart, is featured as Strawberry's arch-rival and is accompanied by Sour Grapes and new character Bread Pudding. The Purple Pieman stars as the main antagonist.[34]
A series of four holiday-themed CGI specials were also produced. The first special Strawberry Shortcake and the Beast of Berry Bog, premiered in Canada on Family Jr. on September 22, 2023, and premiered globally on Netflix on October 2. WildBrain pre-sold the four specials internationally to a selection of broadcasters, while NCircle Entertainment handles home media distribution of the series and the specials in the United States.[35]
In October 2024, WildBrain announced the production of The Care Berry Switch, a forty-four minute special that crosses over with Cloudco Entertainment's Care Bears franchise.[36]
Kid Stuff Records released albums based on Strawberry Shortcake in the early 1980s. After the 2003 revival, Koch Records issued soundtrack CDs containing music from the TV series and DVDs, as well as one for the film. A CD was also released along with a piano book.
The first Strawberry Shortcake video game was produced in 1983 for the Atari 2600. No further games based upon the franchise were produced until 20 years later, in 2003, with Strawberry Shortcake: Amazing Cookie Party for PC. Since then, games have been published for the Game Boy Advance, Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, PC, and Mac. A standalone plug-and-play game based on Konami's Dance Dance Revolution franchise was also produced. In addition, mobile apps for the iOS[37] and Android platforms have been released.[38]
In 2003, the webcomic Penny Arcade posted an "advertisement" for a fictional computer game, American McGee's Strawberry Shortcake—a parody of the actual computer game American McGee's Alice, a twisted and violent take on Lewis Carroll's works. American Greetings took offense to the parody and issued a cease-and-desist letter, to which the authors begrudgingly complied[39] (but not without making their indignation very clear).[40] A follow-up strip cites bad timing as a contributing factor to the situation;[41] according to the strip, Holkins and Krahulik were not aware that American Greetings was about to relaunch the Strawberry Shortcake line at that time.[citation needed]
Some argue that Penny Arcade's case was not covered under the fair use doctrine because the use of the characters, in this case, was for satire;[42] they claim that fair use only protects the unauthorized use of copyrighted characters in parodies of the original material, and that satire and parody are totally different concepts. Others, however, take the view that parody and satire are equally protected by law.[43]Penny Arcade did not intend to offend American Greetings in the comic, but instead American McGee and McFarlane Toys, who collaborated to create a toy line based on a twisted version of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.[citation needed]
In 2008, Cookie Jar Entertainment began the process to merge with DiC Entertainment,[44] who held the rights to the Strawberry Shortcake animated series. The merger was completed on July 23.[45] On the same day as the finalization of the merger, Cookie Jar Entertainment announced further intentions to acquire the Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears franchises from American Greetings itself.[46] The deal was expected to finalize on September 30, but up until April 2009, there was no further word on the status of the acquisition.[citation needed]
Cookie Jar delayed the acquisition that December due to difficulty in financing it. It was also revealed that Cookie Jar offered (US) $195 million for the franchise. Due to the situation, American Greetings put the franchise back on sale. French company MoonScoop expressed interest and offered (US) $95 million for the franchise, $100 million less than what was offered by Cookie Jar. Cookie Jar competed against MoonScoop's bid, having until the end of April 2009 to counter the offer.[47] This led to various lawsuits between Cookie Jar, American Greetings, and MoonScoop. American Greetings emerged as the victor of the case and retained ownership of the brands.[48] Iconix Group later bought the Strawberry Shortcake brand from American Greetings in February 2015 for (US) $105 million, $10 million more than what was offered by Moonscoop.[49]
Care Bears are multi-colored bears, painted in 1981 by artist Elena Kucharik to be used on greeting cards from American Greetings. They were turned into plush teddy bears and featured in The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings (1983) and The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine (1984) before headlining their own television series called Care Bears from 1985 to 1988. They also had multiple feature films including: The Care Bears Movie (1985), Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986), and The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland (1987).
Popples is a toy and television franchise created by Those Characters From Cleveland (TCFC), a subsidiary of American Greetings. Popples resemble brightly colored marsupial teddy bears with long tails ending in a pom-pom. Each Popple character transforms to resemble a brightly colored ball. In 2018, Popples was sold to Hasbro.
Andrea Libman is a Canadian actress. She is known for providing voice acting in various animated shows, such as voicing the characters of Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy in the Discovery Family series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and its spinoffs. She has also appeared in Little Women, Andre, and a guest role on The X-Files.
Strawberry Shortcake Meets the Berrykins is a 1985 Canadian animated television special that premiered on March 29, 1985. This is the third and final Strawberry Shortcake television special from Nelvana Limited and the last one to feature the American Greetings character up until DIC revived the franchise for a new generation in 2003. Unlike the previous two specials which were distributed by LBS Communications, the third special was distributed in syndication.
Iconix Brand Group, Inc. is an American brand management company that licenses brands to retailers and manufacturers, primarily in the apparel, footwear and apparel accessory industries.
Strawberry Shortcake: The Sweet Dreams Movie is a 2006 American animated family fantasy adventure musical film produced by DIC Entertainment Corporation and released theatrically in select cities on October 7, 2006, by Kidtoon Films. It was the first feature-length film to feature the eponymous American Greetings property, and stars the voices of Sarah Heinke, Rachel Ware, Nils Haaland, and Bridget Robbins. The film also includes the first appearance of the villain, the Peculiar Pie Man, since Nelvana's Strawberry Shortcake specials from more than twenty years earlier.
The World of Strawberry Shortcake is a 1980 animated television special written by Romeo Muller, directed by Charles Swenson, and produced by Swenson, Muller, and Fred Wolf. Starring the voices of Romeo Muller, Russi Taylor, Julie McWhirter, and Joan Gerber, it was made by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson in the United States in partnership with Toei Animation in Japan. The soundtrack was written and performed by Flo & Eddie of the rock group, The Turtles, for the opening theme of the series.
Strawberry Shortcake in Big Apple City is a 1981 animated television special written by Romeo Muller, produced by Muller and Buzz Potamkin, and directed by Hal Silvermintz. This is the second special to feature the American Greetings character Strawberry Shortcake.
Strawberry Shortcake: Pets on Parade is an animated television special from 1982, made by Romeo Muller, Robert L. Rosen and Fred Wolf, and the third featuring the American Greetings character, Strawberry Shortcake.
Muriel Norris Fahrion is an American illustrator and the original designer of the Strawberry Shortcake franchise.
Herself the Elf was a franchise line for young girls similar to Strawberry Shortcake. It was created by American Greetings. It included a series of dolls from Mattel, an animated special, books, records.
Strawberry Shortcake is an American children's direct-to-video animated series produced by DIC Entertainment Corporation and American Greetings based on the franchise of the same name that debuted in March 2003. The series consists of 45 episodes, plus one short and one movie. Part of the series was broadcast on television including by CBS, HBO, and HBO Family, and in broadcast syndication. The entire cast is totally replaced with younger and lesser known voice actors compared to the 1980s Strawberry Shortcake animated specials.
Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures is a CGI animated children's television series based on the Strawberry Shortcake franchise and functions as the third iteration of the franchise overall, following the 1980s specials, and the second television series after its 2003 relaunch. Produced by American Greetings with animation provided by Splash Entertainment, the series follows the adventures of Strawberry Shortcake and her friends who live in the fictional land of Berry Bitty City, a tiny, miniature world located beneath a strawberry patch.
WildBrain Studios is the in-house television studio arm of Canadian entertainment company WildBrain based in Vancouver, British Columbia, which was established in 2016 as DHX Studios.
Those Characters from Cleveland, LLC, officially doing business as Cloudco Entertainment and formerly known as AG Properties and American Greetings Entertainment, is an American company which formerly traded as American Greetings' former character brand division. Properties owned by the company include Care Bears, Holly Hobbie, Madballs, Buddy Thunderstruck, Tinpo, The Get Along Gang and Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese.
WildBrain Family International Limited, operating as WildBrain London, is a British multi-channel network owned by Canadian media company WildBrain. It distributes and produces preschool and children's video content for YouTube and other digital platforms. The division officially launched in 2016; it reuses trademarks associated with Wildbrain Entertainment, an animation studio that had been acquired by DHX. It maintains offices in London.
Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City is an animated children's web series based on the Strawberry Shortcake franchise, produced by WildBrain Studios and aired on YouTube on September 18, 2021 and later on Family Jr. on October 17 in Canada. The series follows an aspiring baker Strawberry who arrives in Big Apple City to get her big break and has adventures with new friends.
↑ "Television/radio Age". Television/Radio Age. 29. Television Editorial Corp.: N/A 1981. Lexington Broadcast Services is offering two half-hour animated children's specials: Strawberry Shortcake in Big Apple City, for which stations will receive compensation; and The Wonderful World of Strawberry Shortcake, on a barter basis
↑ "Television Listings: Thursday/March 31". The New York Times. March 27, 1983. p.G10.
↑ Martindale, Kirsten (August 2007). "Strawberry Shortcake: The World of Strawberry Shortcake & Strawberry Shortcake in Big Apple City". School Library Journal. 53 (8). Reed Business Information: 54–55.
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