Judging from the blogger reviews of the Strawberry Shortcake “Happily Ever After” DVD, as well as the comments left on the campaign launch post, it seems many of us remember the little red-headed doll quite fondly: “I had several Strawberry Shortcake dolls and I am pretty sure my mom still has my Strawberry Shortcake sleeping bag somewhere in her attic.”
This is the new and improved version of the classic character. As one blogger commented: “Strawberry Shortcake is now back for our daughters’ generation. She’s been given a makeover - the frilly pinafore dress is gone and hip shirts and pants are in - but her attitude has not changed. She still stands for friendship and being pretty on the inside.”
Without naming names, we parents can often find our children’s preferred cartoon characters to be quite irritating. But that’s not the case with Strawberry Shortcake. “Strawberry Shortcake is one of those cartoon characters that reminds me of when I was a kid and she’s one of the few that doesn’t annoy me,” one mother enthused. In fact, this reviewer admitted that the DVD was fun for both her and her kids: “As a parent that grew up with the berry crew, I also enjoyed it.”
The DVD includes two stories, which are each a modern twist on a classic fairy tale. “The first story, Sleeping Beauty, was my favorite, because it was about feeling left out and good communication in friendships, something I had a hard time with as a kid,” a blogger wrote. Another agreed: “I appreciated that the movie had two main messages that were both very positive: the first about not jumping to conclusions and giving your friends a chance to explain, the second about being true to yourself even when others try to change you.”
Strawberry Shortcake and her friends really do provide some good examples for kids to emulate. “The characters are likeable and spunky, and both stories have a learning lessons in friendship and following one’s own interests and dreams.“ And while one mother wasn’t thrilled with the new pre-teen look, “I was happy to find that Strawberry’s makeover was only skin-deep…The stories are sweet, and the take-home lesson is pretty easy for a 3-year-old to understand.”
The only other gripe aired by bloggers was the singing: “The one thing I didn’t like about this DVD was a faux rock tune in one of the two stories. Frankly, the singing is so bad that it made me want to stab myself in the ear.”
On the other hand, this DVD is a great improvement over previous Strawberry Shortcake cartoons. As one mother described: “The candy themes have been toned done since the good old days, as has the overuse of the word “berry” as verbal stand-in for “very,” and the animation was pretty good. And as always, Strawberry and her buddies hit hard on positive themes like friendship and caring.”
Plus, another blogger noted that with DVDs, there’s no need to worry about the content of commercials in between episodes, or even whether a particular episode of a show itself is appropriate. Given an initial screening, “with DVDs, I can watch it once and know what I’m getting. [My daughter] can watch it fifty times and still be satisfied. Strawberry Shortcake “Happily Ever After” is an example of a show we can both be okay with.”
Strawberry Shortcake “Happily Ever After” was a hit with moms, daughters, and even a son or two: “My girls loved the story lines and my 2 year old son developed a wicked crush on Strawberry Shortcake (he’s been sleeping with the case every night).“ Yep, she is pretty cute, isn’t she?
Find Strawberry Shortcake “Happily Ever After” on DVD at Amazon.com!
Thanks to our generous sponsor, we now have five copies to give away! Congratulations to our lucky randomly chosen winners:
Drop us an email at parentbloggers AT gmail DOT com to claim your copy!
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