Ever wondered how this whole trend with Strawberry Shortcake started? Well, it all started off with a
greeting card company named American Greetings, Corp. Strawberry Shortcake first appeared on a greeting card
for girls back in 1979 and 1980.
Little girls everywhere must have liked her a lot, and that's when the toy company Kenner decided to
manufacture the Strawberry Shortcake dolls back in 1980. The first set of dolls that appeared were
Strawberry Shortcake, Huckleberry Pie, Blueberry Muffin, and Apple Dumplin' with her hard shelled
friend Tea Time Turtle. These dolls all had flat hands. Later on, there would also be the addition of
Apricot with her pet Hopsalot Bunny, Lemon Meringue, Orange Blossom, Raspberry Tart, and the villain
Purple Pieman with Berry Bird. These ones had curved hands.
Then after 1981, Kenner decided to make the all dolls with pets. The second edition consists of Strawberry Shortcake
and Custard the cat, Huckleberry Pie with Pupcake the dog, Blueberry Muffin with Cheesecake the mouse, Apple Dumpling
with vinyl pet Tea Time Turtle, Apricot with Hopsalot Bunny, Lemon Meringue with Frappe the frog, Orange Blossom with
Marmalade the butterfly, Raspberry Tart with Rhubarb the monkey, and Purple Pieman with Berry Bird. Later on, there
would also be the addition of Angel Cake with Soufflé the skunk, Butter Cookie with Jelly Bear, Lime Chiffon with
Parfait the parrot, and another villain Sour Grapes with Dregs the snake. Cherry Cuddler with Gooseberry was also
introduced as a new friend.
In 1983, 5 new Internation Friends were introduced into the World of Strawberry Shortcake. Each friend
would come from a different country. Almond Tea with Marza Panda came from China, Café Olé with Burrito
the donkey came from Mexico, Crêpe Suzette with Eclair the poodle came from France, the twins Lem and Ada with
Sugar Woofer came from England, and Mint Tulip with Marsh Mallard the duck came from Holland.
Between 1980 and 1984 Strawberry Shortcake Mininiatures were also produced with over a count of over 64
minis. Other toys that were also manufactured during those times included the SSC Carry Case, SSC Butterfly,
SSC Carrousel, SSC Snail Cart, SSC Berry Bake Shoppe, SSC Berry Cycle, SSC Gazebo, SSC Berry Merry Worm,
SSC Big Berry Trolley, and also the SSC Berry Happy Home. Rag dolls were also released which included Strawberry Shortcake,
Rapsberry Tart, and Apple Dumplin'. There was a Custard and Pupcake plush. And the lists goes on...
In 1984, Party Pleasers came out which included 10 dolls with their pets: Almond Tea, Angel Cake, Apple Dumplin', Café Olé,
Cherry Cuddler, Mint Tulip, Orange Blossom, Peach Blush with Melonie Belle the lamb, Plum Pudding with Elderberry the owl,
and Strawberry Shortcake.
In 1985 the Berrrykins came out with 6 dolls which all had a Berrykin critter instead of a pet. These included Banana Twirl with
Banana Berrykin critter, Mint Tulip with Mint Berrykin critter, Orange Blossom with Orange Berrykin critter, Peach Blush with Peach
Berrykin critter, Plum Pudding with Plum Berrykin critter, and Strawberry Shortcake with Strawberrykin critter.
Kenner eventually stopped manufacturing Strawberry Shortcake dolls after the Berrykins were released. But in 1991, a company
called Toy Headquarters (THQ) started manufacturing the Strawberry Shortcake dolls again, but this time, they looked a little
different with different eyes, clothes, and hair. It seems like that was nearly the end of the Strawberry Shortcake dolls era.
And well, lately Strawberry Shortcake dolls have been repopularized again by toy collectors and those that want to relive their
childhood years by trading and purchasing those dolls and accessories. And well, the rest is pretty much history...
Some of the facts and information from this page come from the book
"Strawberry Shortcake Collectibles : An Authorized Handbook and Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors)"
by Jan Lindenberger, and websites like Strawberry Sightings
and Strawberry Shortcake Forever. If any of the above
information is incorrect or should not be listed, please do not hesitate to contact me.
