Strawberry Shortcake Gets A 'Fruit-Forward' Makeover

Strawberry Shortcake was having an identity crisis. The “it” doll and cartoon star of the 1980s was just not connecting with modern girls. Too candy-obsessed. Too ditzy. Too fond of wearing bloomers.

Warner Brothers struggled to make the Looney Tunes characters relevant to modern children, and introduced futuristic-looking “descendants” of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and others in a television series in 2005. But many parents hated the “Loonatics,” which had mohawks and menacing eyes.

So her owner, American Greetings Properties, worked for a year on what it calls a “fruit-forward” makeover. Strawberry Shortcake, part of a line of scented dolls, now prefers fresh fruit to gumdrops, appears to wear just a dab of lipstick (but no rouge), and spends her time chatting on a cellphone instead of brushing her calico cat, Custard. Her new look was unveiled Tuesday, along with plans for a new line of toys from Hasbro.

Strawberry Shortcake has hung up her bloomers and ditched her beloved cat, Custard, in favor of a cellphone and straightening iron. The 1980’s cartoon star received what her owner, American Greetings Properties, called a “fruit-forward” makeover in aims of connecting with today’s girls. American Greetings also plans on dusting off the Care Bears, putting the pudgy bears on a diet and extending their eyelashes for maximum modern cuteness. Word has it Jem and the Holograms have also reinvented themselves for the new millennium by donning the same 80s clothing, but picking up a few tattoos and cocaine habit.