How Was Strawberry Shortcake Originally Made?

Strawberry Shortcake is an iconic animated character and franchise that originated in the late 1970s. The original Strawberry Shortcake was created in 1977 by American Greetings illustrator Muriel Fahrion as an image on greeting cards. The adorable freckle-faced girl with bright red hair, a pink bonnet and dress, and her cat Custard, captured the hearts of young girls everywhere.

By 1979, Kenner Products licensed the character and released the first Strawberry Shortcake doll. American Greetings and Kenner collaborated to expand the Strawberry Shortcake universe into a multi-media franchise, including animated TV specials, toys, dolls, clothing, and other merchandise.

Original Creation

Strawberry Shortcake was originally created in 1977 by American greeting card artist Muriel Fahrion for greetings card company American Greetings. Fahrion came up with the character while thinking of a new design for a children’s greeting card. She was inspired by her memories of making strawberry shortcakes with fresh summer strawberries as a child, and wanted to create a character that embodied the warmth, charm and sweetness of homemade strawberry shortcake. Fahrion worked with American Greetings to further develop Strawberry Shortcake into a full character and brand.

Original Character Design

The original Strawberry Shortcake character was designed by Muriel Fahrion for American Greetings in the late 1970s. She had short curly red hair with a large strawberry hat and wore a pink dress with a white pinafore. Her original look featured bright colors, simple lines, and a fruit theme to appeal to young girls.

According to the TikTok video “original strawberry shortcake design”, Fahrion’s original design was inspired by rag dolls and strawberry-picking farms in Kent, Ohio. The video says Fahrion wanted a cute, raggedy, girly character that felt “homespun” and embodied the essence of strawberries.

As noted on eBay, the original 1970s Strawberry Shortcake fabric depicts the character with orange-red hair wearing a pink bonnet and green striped dress with strawberries. She has rosy red cheeks and holds a shortcake in her hand surrounded by berries. This vintage fabric showcases the initial Strawberry Shortcake design before her iconic big fruit hat.

Original Backstory

According to Wikipedia [1], the original backstory for Strawberry Shortcake focused on a little girl with red hair and a strawberry-themed bonnet who smelled like strawberries. She lived in a place called Strawberryland with her animal friends. Her creator, Muriel Fahrion, designed Strawberry Shortcake to embody the sweet scent of strawberries and represent a loving, kind-hearted character.

When Strawberry Shortcake was introduced in greeting cards in the 1970s, she was portrayed as a young girl with a big straw hat having adventures with her cat Custard. The exact details of her backstory were not fully fleshed out yet. Over time as the brand expanded, Strawberry Shortcake’s world grew more elaborate and she was given a more defined personality and narrative.

But the core essence of a cheerful, strawberry-loving girl with lots of friends remained at the heart of Strawberry Shortcake from her earliest beginnings. Her original backstory established the traits of an endearing, fruity heroine who encouraged kindness and community.

Original Recipe

The original recipe for Strawberry Shortcake dates back to the late 1800s and consisted of just a few simple ingredients. According to the recipe on Food.com, the original recipe called for biscuit dough, heavy cream, sugar, and strawberries. The biscuit dough was made from flour, baking powder, salt, butter, and milk or cream. It was rolled out and cut into rounds then baked. The strawberries were sugared and crushed slightly. To assemble, the biscuits were split in half and filled with sugared strawberries and whipped cream.

This basic recipe allowed the flavors of fresh biscuits and ripe strawberries to shine. Over time, the recipe was adapted and changed, but this original combination of biscuits, berries, and cream formed the foundation for the classic American dessert.

Original Packaging

The original packaging for Strawberry Shortcake featured bright, colorful designs that popped off the shelf. The first Strawberry Shortcake dolls introduced in 1979 were packaged in a cardboard box with a plastic window display so kids could see the doll inside. The packaging featured Strawberry Shortcake surrounded by her fruit-themed friends like Huckleberry Pie and Blueberry Muffin against a pink and white background. The title logo was written in a whimsical cursive font and the back of the box showed photographs of the doll along with a story synopsis that introduced Strawberry Shortcake’s world.

In 1980, Kenner released a revamped packaging design for the second wave of Strawberry Shortcake dolls. The new design focused heavily on the fruit theme with each doll’s packaging featuring graphic fruit images like oranges, apples, lemons and limes. This created a colorful, eye-catching display. The doll boxes opened up to create a playset background illustrating Strawberryland. This fresh fruit-focused packaging was carried over to other Strawberry Shortcake products like playsets, activity books and bed sheets, creating cohesive branding.

Popularity Growth

Strawberry Shortcake gained popularity throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s. The character was initially introduced in greeting cards by American Greetings in 1977. However, it wasn’t until the early 1980s that Strawberry Shortcake became a sensation. This was largely thanks to the launch of the Strawberry Shortcake doll line by toy company Kenner in 1979. The colorful and sweet-smelling dolls, along with their dessert-themed friends, struck a chord with young girls who were enamored by the whimsical characters.

The popularity of the dolls and toys led to an animated television special in 1980, called “The World of Strawberry Shortcake.” This was then followed by two TV series in the 1980s, further propelling Strawberry Shortcake into stardom. Along with the shows came a massive licensing program that saw Strawberry Shortcake appear on everything from bed sheets to shampoo bottles. For several years in the 1980s, Strawberry Shortcake was one of the most successful children’s characters in the world. Her wholesome appeal and association with delicious fruit desserts made her widely beloved by children.

Expansion

The Strawberry Shortcake brand saw major expansion in the 1980s after American Greetings licensed the character to toy company Kenner. In 1979, Kenner released the first Strawberry Shortcake doll along with other character dolls and playsets. The product line was an instant hit, with Kenner selling $100 million in Strawberry Shortcake toys in the first six months (Source). By 1985, Strawberry Shortcake dolls were the second best-selling toy line behind only Barbie (Source).

The massive popularity of the toys opened the door for further licensing deals and merchandise. Strawberry Shortcake appeared on notebooks, lunchboxes, clothing, and more during the 1980s. An agreement with Atari led to Strawberry Shortcake video games. The brand also expanded into television with multiple Strawberry Shortcake specials and series airing on major networks.

Evolution

Since Strawberry Shortcake was first introduced in 1979, she has undergone several evolutions in appearance and backstory over the decades. One of the biggest changes came in 2003, when American Greetings did a major revamp of the Strawberry Shortcake brand. According to Global Toy News, Strawberry Shortcake was made “more girlie” with curly hair, make-up, and more fashion-forward clothing like capris and lace-up shoes instead of her original bloomers. Her size was also slimmed down.

Another revamp occurred in 2009 by Bandai. This version aged Strawberry Shortcake up into more of a tween, gave her straight hair with bangs, and introduced more modern clothing. The 2016 version by Iconix Brand Group returned to basics, bringing back Strawberry’s iconic bonnet and bloomers. However, updates like cell phones were incorporated to modernize the backstory. Throughout all the redesigns, Strawberry has maintained her fresh-faced freckle look and bright red hair.

Beyond appearance, Strawberry Shortcake’s story and world have expanded over time. While originally just one character in 1980s toy sets and TV specials, she later became part of an entire crew of berry-themed friends and pets. Her universe grew through various TV shows, movies, books, and games. Her personality also evolved from a more quiet, gentle character to a bold, adventurous leader of her fruity friends.

Legacy

Strawberry Shortcake has had a lasting cultural impact since her creation in the late 1970s. She was one of the first major toy characters marketed to young girls, paving the way for other iconic girl characters like Rainbow Brite and My Little Pony. Strawberry Shortcake became a phenomena in the 1980s, with dolls, toys, clothing, and other merchandise that allowed young fans to immerse themselves in the Strawberryland world. According to one analysis, “Whether through the original 1980s series or the more recent 2021 version, Strawberry Shortcake’s cultural impact remains undeniable.” (source) The Strawberry Shortcake brand has endured for over 40 years, evolving with the times but retaining the core essence of imagination, friendship, and fun. For generations of girls and women, Strawberry Shortcake has represented the joy of childhood and the power of stories. Her legacy lives on as new content and products continue to bring Strawberry Shortcake to new audiences.