June 11, 2008
The pink-clad 1980s cartoon star is ditching her bloomers and lettering her hair grow long. American Greeting's Strawberry Shortcake isn't the only fictional character to get a facelift.
It's the BPP's Ramble.
Coach lines install anti-hijacker tech / Sudoku-playing jurors make judge stop drug trial / Play nicely: safety for children and crabs / How much sleep do you really need?
I think the change with Strawberry Shortcake is pretty okay. I am not a fan of the Bratz dolls and some of the new Barbies who seem all about growing up too fast, and SS just looks like a normal young girl. I don't see the "lipstick" as more as "lipgloss" (if anything). I am glad to see she still has some freckles!
The Care Bears, on the other hand, I was not too impressed with and am curious to see. They already changed them with brighter colors and smells! My big complaint is how can you take the "belly fat" out of a toy bear? I mean, what about teddy bears? That is the whole point of teddy bears! I really don't think that it would set a bad example for kids...
I hope to have kids in the next few years and my husband and I are already wondering what we can buy "them". We go straight to the toy aisle before we leave any stores to look at Star Wars toys, I mean, for our nieces and nephew, and it is already interesting to see the changes. It makes me glad that I still have my old toys. I already share them with the kids and they seem fine with them.... and sometimes even kidnap them (and then I have to smuggle back).
I am not a fan of the new Strawberry Shortcake. When I moved, I went to my parents' house and raided all the old VHS tapes of the good, old cartoons: Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, Thunder Cats, Wuzzles, Popples. Oh, yeah. I'm also still going through old toys and am finding old Rainbow Brite dolls and small plastic Care Bears and original Star Wars figures.
I saw the new Care Bears cartoon once and it's okay. The CG movies are bad and very un-Care Bear-like. In the CG movie there was Vanity Bear. That's just wrong. I'm also annoyed that Share Bear's tummy symbol changed from a soda fountain glass with 2 straws to 2 suckers.
In the grand scheme of cartoons, I think the cartoons from the 80's are better than the ones now. There was a point but it was more about just treating everyone well. Now you get cartoons about specific real world problems and it bogs down the whole franchise. What happened to the Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak or Professor Cold Heart? They've been replaced with "my friends don't like me" and "my classmate called me chubby." Seriously, bleh. My husband and I have been collecting DVDs and VHS tapes of good, old cartoons for our hypothetical unborn child. That and I still love Care Bears.
Strangely, I find myself reminded of the "American McGee's Strawberry Shortcake" parody done by the boys at www.penny-arcade.com. The American Greetings corporation filed a lawsuit against them for copyright infringement and they had to take it down, but it was quite hilarious.
WHAT???....no more bloomers on Strawberry Shortcake???....my god this country really is going to hell in a handbasket.
I think this calls for taking the rest of the day off and having a few stiff drinks to process this tragedy....anybody want to join me?
Julie in NC -
:: raises hand :: I'll join you.
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