nostalgia is making you hate strawberry shortcake 2.0

every new day on the internet there's a fight over which version of strawberry shortcake is better. people get so mad, blood is shed, everyone is screaming: they destroyed the original design ! !!!! !

what do you mean by original design tho ? i grew up with with the 2003 version, and to me, a kid watching my favorite movie, she was the only version to ever exist, she was the original. 

then i grew up and they made a new version (2007), and of course i looked at her once and i thought: that's not ! my girl. i looked back to my strawberry shortcake with love and longing, i missed the days where she was the main it girl. and that's called: nostalgia.

the fact that you miss something that literally raised you, doesn't mean the newer shinier version of it is not good. it means its not for you ! 2007 strawberry shortcake was for the 2007 kids ! and i bet they love her. she was dressed according to the age, she was animated according to what kids liked back then. i know all the girls wanted to be her so bad, the same way i wanted to be her in 2003.

so this entry is about me, an intellectual and strawberry shortcake universe number 1 fan, telling you that every single version is pretty, age appropriate and representative of their year and era.

first generation ! our lovely 1980's strawberry shortcake, the original, everybody knows her ! she and all of her friends are adorable ! with bouncy dresses, ruffled thighs and their stuffed doll looks. they're perfect. and we have Muriel Fahrion to thank for that !

the art style is objectively gorgeous. they look like the prettiest postcard ever, which is what they were designed for. but how could something so cute not be used for a thousand things more ?? so they were soon turned into dolls, sticker albums, comics, tv shows, video games, clothing lines, etc

second generation: 1991. everyone's favorite aesthetic ! and what says 90's more than colors, dancing, movement, fancy sleepovers, shopping and cool hair accessories ?? ? she's the embodiment of: girls !! just wanna have fun !! !!

now these girls weren't out there much, they never got to be a tv show or a movie. but for what they were (a doll) i think they were really cute and a very nice modernized redesign of the original.

third generation: 2003 (my girl). PANTS !!!!! modern cool girls, masculine sporty vibes ! girls can do anything boys can ! they're all wearing these baggy comfy clothes that allow them to move around and play. 

i looove this art style, peak 2D. the type of animation that looks like a literal still drawing that moves, with very pretty backgrounds (i remember wanting to eat everything). and the girls were all very animated and fun to look at. i think a lot of love is behind the making of this movie. 

 

 

and 2007. i wouldn't call this a new gen, i think this is pretty much an updated version of 2003 but still the 3rd generation. they look very very similar, very 2000s. but we can see here the other type of cool girl: mini skirts, PINK !, feminine looks, pretty sparkly long hair, lots of accessories, cutesy poses. love her ! she's giving the fun years of disney channel.

i think the art style changes very little, but whatever did change, it made it worst. i think the faces lost a bit of personality and charisma. but it was still fun.

fourth generation: 2009. in my opinion, the most boring design, all girls look the same but in different colors. still pretty accurate ! our asses were dressing exactly like that in 2010. i think they could've put a little more love into it tho, give each the girls more personality.

this art-style is very still and not expressive at all. it reminds me of the dress up mini games we used to play in the 2000s. the point is clearly to be pretty, and i don't think that's a good approach to character design. i think we like it more when things are little bit weird and more human. i think these would be cute as bag designs or any type of merch but not as a cartoon.

 

and last (for now) fifth generation, 2021: a masterclass in character design. now i wouldn't say we've had a distinct fashion style for the 2020s, more like repeats and reboots of older aesthetics. you know like a specific generation is always saying "nothing new, we used to wear that when i was a kid". so i think this version of strawberry shortcake uses style not so much to represent an era, but to show the different personalities of the girls. and isn't this the coolest friend group you've ever seen ??? and the best lime chiffon to ever exists ?

the artstyle is giving vanellope from break it ralph: fun, different, very expressive and with lots of personality. i think every girl watching this show could identify with at least one of the girls, and i think that's the main message of these shows. friends come in every shape, color and taste. having unique people in your life would only make it better and richer.

they're obviously inspired by the 2016 reboot that got canceled before it could ever exist. you can see how they changed these girls a little to get the 2021 ones. and tho i really enjoy what we got to see of the 2016 version, i think it was for the better it got to become the better version of itself.

 

a sixth generation it's been around social media this month, the reason why people are fighting again over which strawberry shortcake is better and why is most definitely not this new one.

she is simply a 3D version of the original one. it looks very cute, very 2026. like a video game character, a little bit uncanny. makes you squint your eyes and wonder for a second if she's AI, like every single creation lately. i think they mean to release short reels type of videos, which aligns with what kids like now. nothing is out yet tho so we will have to wait a bit before we get to actually judge her !

 

to conclude this, somehow, i feel like the base of all the different versions is so so cute and perfect, it's hard to fuck it up. if you love the original design and make yours based off of it, its bound to look cute ! maybe not as cute, but i'm sure it's someone's favorite, it's gonna end up being someone's beloved childhood memory.

 

 

do you have a favorite character ? a favorite generation ? who did you relate to the most ? do you also think strawberry shortcake and orange blossom are in love ?

 

 

 

 (beloved little strawberry shortcake doll i've had since i'm a kid)