Strawberry Shortcake, Now and Then

This is the Strawberry Shortcake that I grew up with and loved very much. Maybe it was that she was named after a baked good and her friends had similar sugary names like Lemon Meringue, Crepes Suzette, and Angel Cake, but I just couldn't get enough of them in my formative years. Along with my lovely Strawberry Shortcake doll, I had a board game, coloring books, lip gloss, and record. Look how innocent and sweet she is. She is dressed in a huge hat and she has freckles to boot! Just perfect for a little girl, right?

Well, here is the updated version of Strawberry Shortcake. Yes, she is a little more relatable with her trendy jeans and hoodie tied around her waist. She also still looks like a little girl. Her chubby cheeks are still there and her sweet freckles. Oh, let's not forget the enormous hat that smells like sweet strawberries.

Sadly, they (whoever "they" are...) have decided to update Miss Shortcake one more time. Look at her. She is pretty, yes, but she is no longer the child-like sweetie of my youth. The hat is only reasonably sized. The freckles have been replaced by small and pale colored cheeks. And is she wearing lipstick!? Thank goodness she is not wearing a belly button ring ! What happened to her awkward little tom-boy hair cut? First they changed the ringlets to tom-boy haircut and now, Hollywood hair.

I don't think I am the only grown-up out there that likes their toys simple, sweet, and innocent. True, the new Strawberry Shortcake is trendier and not that insulting, but it is just fine to keep things the way they were. I don't just say that out of nostalgia. If little girls liked them then, they will like them now. I am sure there is some marketing genius behind this one. Chances are she never played with dolls in the first place.