Strawberry Shortcake

I wish I knew what happened to my Strawberry Shortcake toys. While my SS love was short-lived, I have fond memories of a gaggle of big-headed dolls and a giant, wheeled strawberry for them to tool around in - all of which was scented in the most awful, plastic tainted, fake fruit scent imaginable.

I loved Strawberry Shortcake for one reason: she was a redhead. I'm a redhead, and I can attest to the annoyance of being flooded with blondes and brunettes in the doll department. Strawberry was, finally, a heroine who looked like me, albeit disproportional and faintly pink. Plus, she was named after a favorite dessert. Double win!

The love ended there, though. When it came to playtime, Strawberry was such an entity unto herself that she just didn't fit in. She was too short for the Barbie world and too big-headed for the dollhouse folk. Wherever she went she stood out like a sort thumb. And, being a proportion purist, I didn't accept her differences. The poor girl was trapped in her giant strawberry chariot with only Huckleberry Pie to keep her company (and he was no catch - the hat was a total deal breaker).

The modern manifestation of these characters is vastly different. Rather than running with the theme of quaint, county dessert people, today's Strawberry, Huckleberry, Angel Food and Orange Blossom are kind of... cool looking. But, thanks to a preschool aged niece, I've had the opportunity to watch the show, which is anything but cool. Instead, the franchise has gone the way of the Care Bears, delivering sappy, insipid moral messages mixed with horrible music and various excuses for baking. Oh, and a villain. Who's also a baker.

It seems like there's a lot of cool Strawberry Shortcake stuff to buy, though, which really is the point. I may always think wistfully of my giant, strawberry car, but at the end of the day I don't much miss Strawberry herself. I still like the dessert, though.