a classic refreshed: Strawberry Shortcake from American Greetings

Strawberry Shortcake is one of many beloved childhood fictional characters getting a makeover for the 21st century. Along with some magenta colored hair dye, Strawberry Shortcake had a facelift and tummy tuck.

“She is not the only aging fictional star to get a facelift. An unusually large number of classic characters for children are being freshened up and reintroduced — on store shelves, on the Internet and on television screens — as their corporate owners try to cater to parents’ nostalgia and children’s YouTube-era sensibilities. Adding momentum is a retail sector hoping to find refuge from a rough economy in the tried and true…If the classic characters look less stodgy, the companies hope, they will appeal not only to parents who remember them fondly, but also to children who might automatically be suspicious of toys their parents played with.”—The New York Times

Muriel Fahrione designed the original Strawberry Shortcake (and her cat Custard) in 1977 while working for the American Greetings card company.

I’m nostalgic and find this trend of reinventing classic characters a little sad. Mickey Mouse may be next in line for some tweaking.