September 24, 2016

SABRINA: SECRETS OF A TEENAGE WITCH

SABRINA: SECRETS OF A TEENAGE WITCH
(The Hub, October 12, 2013-June 7, 2014)

Archie Comics, MoonScoop, DSK Group India, Laughing Lion, Telegael Teoranta

MAIN CAST:
Ashley Tisdale – Sabrina Spellman
Tabitha St. Germain – Hilda Spellman, Veralupa
Erin Mathews – Zelda Spellman, Jessie
Kathleen Barr – Enchantra, Tiffany Titan, Zandra
James Higuchi – Shinji Yagami
Matthew Erickson – Harvey Kinkle
Ian James Corlett – Salem, Professor Geist
Maryke Hendrikse –Amy, Londa
David Kaye - Jim
Andrew Francis – Ambrose

For the history of Sabrina, check out the post here.

Sabrina #38 where the series underwent a soft reboot to bring the teenage version back.

Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch was the sixth series based on Archie Comics’ teenage witch, and the first to be rendered in CGI with characters designed by Trevor Wall. Developed by the veteran writing team of Pamela Hickey and Dennys McCoy, Secrets took the majority of its inspiration from the third ongoing series of Sabrina comics in the early 2000s after it changed formats from adapting Sabrina: the Animated Series back to the classic teenaged version with issue #38.


Sabrina with Enchantra, Zandra, Londa and Veralupa.

Secrets focused on the life of teenager Sabrina Spellman (Ashley Tisdale) who lived in the town of Greendale. Because she was a half-witch, she spent half of her time in the Witch World learning about her magic in witch school. To extend the day, Sabrina utilized the Hourglass of Horus which slowed down time in the mortal realm to an hour for every eight she spent in Witch World. Unlike other versions of Sabrina, this one was prophesized to be a witch princess destined to rule Witch World. As a result, her headmistress, Enchantra (Kathleen Barr), took whatever underhanded steps were necessary to try and steal Sabrina’s powers in order to become queen herself.


Sabrina with aunts Hilda and Zelda about to drive into her kitchen portal to Witch World.

Sabrina lived with her two witch aunts, Hilda (Tabitha St. Germain) and Zelda (Erin Mathews). Although they kept their more human-like appearances from the later Sabrina comics rather than their initial traditional witch looks, they were given their original physical attributes: Hilda was tall and slender while Zelda was short and chunky with glasses. Unlike other versions of Sabrina, the Spellmans resided above a bakery they owned and operated. Living with the Spellmans was a black cat named Salem (Ian James Corlett, doing a Paul Lynde impression). Salem was different from previous versions in that the Spellmans didn’t know his origins as a wizard and that he served as a reluctant spy for Enchantra, with designs to make Sabrina’s life in the mortal world as miserable as possible.


Harvey at Greendale High.

Following the core Sabrina characters was Harvey Kinkle (Matthew Erickson). Usually depicted as athletic and Sabrina’s main romantic interest, Harvey instead was nerdy and just one of her very good friends. Harvey’s normal attributes, and Sabrina’s interest, was switched over to the new character of Jim (David Kaye). Sabrina’s mortal best friend was another new character, Jessie (Mathews), who knew of Sabrina’s double life. Her chief rival was the spoiled brat Amy (Maryke Hendrikse), who always tried to one-up Sabrina whenever possible.


Shinji and Professor Geist.

Over in Witch World, Sabrina’s classmates consisted of her cousin Ambrose (Andrew Francis), who had appeared previously in other shows but for the first time was depicted as being relatively close to Sabrina’s age; Veralupa (St. Germain), a half-werewolf half-witch who was Sabrina’s best friend in Witch World; and twins Zanda (Barr) and Londa (Hendrikse). Shinji Yagami (James Higuchi) was Enchantra’s son and often aided her in her schemes against Sabrina. Shinji was a braggart who took every chance to show off his magic and belittle his classmates, which usually ended up in some magical trouble. Their primary teacher at witch school was Professor Geist (Corlett, using a Scottish accent), a powerful witch whose lower half resembled that of a ghost.


Sabrina surfs away from Witch School.

Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch was initially planned for a summer 2013 debut, but was delayed until October 12, 2013 on The Hub. The series was produced in cooperation with Archie Comics, MoonScoop Group, DSK Group India, Laughing Lion and Telegael Teoranta. Writers included Sylvie Barro Morincome, Dean Batali, Benoit Grenier, Jimmy Hibbert, Darren Jones, Sandrine Laprevotte, Peter Lawrence, Maud Loisillier, Christopher Panzner, Robin Stein, Alastair Swinnerton, Dan Wicksman and Nuria Wicksman, along with Hickey and McCoy. Veteran voice actor Charlie Adler served as the U.S. voice director. Noam Kaniel and Nicholas Varley composed the series’ music, with the theme performed by Bridgette Hammers with backing from Kaniel. 


Sabrina DVD cover.

After a single season of 26 episodes, the show was quietly cancelled during the transition period when The Hub became Discovery Family after Discovery Communications took back a controlling interest in the network from the financially-struggling Hasbro. Lionsgate released two three-episode compilations on DVD in 2014 and 2015 called A Witch and the Werewolf and Magic of the Red Rose.



EPISODE GUIDE:
“Dances with Werewolves” (10/12/13) – Magic escapes from Witch World and turns Harvey into a werewolf.

“Scream It with Flowers!” (10/19/13) – Veralupa helps Sabrina round up the roses she gave out on Valentine’s Day that have been cursed by Enchantra.

“Ice Giant for Tea” (10/26/13) – Sabrina has to juggle helping Jessie with the school play and battling an ice giant with Ambrose at the same time.

“Shock Rock” (11/2/13) – Shinji puts together his own band to make Sabrina’s task of finding one for a benefit in Greendale difficult.

“No Time” (11/9/13) – Sabrina accidentally loses her hourglass, causing the human world to freeze in time.

“Faking Up is Hard to Do!” (11/16/13) – Enchantra forces Sabrina to cancel her date with Jim to have a romantic dinner with Shinji.

“Hic! Hic! Boom!” (11/23/13) – Sabrina has to find a baby dragon Shinji accidentally let loose in the human world before its mother destroys the witch school.

“Best Friends Fighting” (11/30/13) – Enchantra hides fighting sprites in Sabrina and Jessie’s bracelets, turning them into mortal enemies.

“Return of the Werewolf” (12/7/13) – Sabrina and Veralupa have to wrangle Harvey who has transformed into a werewolf again.

“Creatures and Caves” (12/14/13) – Sabrina’s friends accidentally enter a portal in the woods to Witch World.

“See No Sabrina, Hear No Sabrina!” (12/28/13) – Salem wants to turn Jim invisible so Sabrina will pay attention to him, but casts the spell on her instead.

“Hurry Scurry” (1/4/14) – Salem accidentally turns her teacher and aunts into a chicken and mice, and Salem is hungry.

“Ultra-Stitious” (1/11/14) – Sabrina must make humans superstitious to charge up their magical wands, but she does too good a job and opens a dangerous vortex in Witch World.

“Sabrina the Troll Princess” (3/15/14) – When trolls convince an amnesiac Sabrina she’s their princess, she leads them in an attack on the witch school.

“Baby-Witching” (3/22/14) – Sabrina offers to babysit Jessie’s cousin, but the task is made difficult by the super-strength spell Enchantra puts on the kid.

“Night Pests” (3/29/14) – Sabrina discovers all her friends are sharing the same nightmare with her.

“A Renewed Sense of Magic” (4/5/14) – Sabrina’s in charge when her aunts are turned into teenagers.

“Super-Brina” (4/12/14) – Harvey believes Sabrina is a superhero when he sees her use her powers.

“Home Sweet Home” (4/19/14) – Sabrina needs help from Witch World to keep her home from being torn down.

“Now You See It…” (4/26/14) – Harvey finds Sabrina’s wand and uses it for his magic act in the school talent show.

“No More Magic” (5/3/14) – Sabrina and Shinji must race to find a cure for a magic-stealing illness before the trolls attack the witch school.

“What a Ride!” (5/10/14) – Sabrina makes deliveries for her aunts, and Shinji ends up trapped inside her scooter.

“Who Let the Cat Out?” (5/17/14) – Salem escapes Enchantra’s employ by running away and taking human form.

“Chariots of Fear” (5/24/14) – Hilda covers for Sabrina at school while she and Shinji go on a dangerous journey.

“Careful What You Witch For!” (5/31/14) – Sabrina frees a genie who not only grants her wishes, but the wishes of everyone in town.

“Spella!” (6/7/14) – Spella bans Sabrina and Enchantra from Witch World and the two must work together to return and defeat her.


Originally posted in 2016. Updated in 2018.

HISTORY OF SABRINA, THE TEENAGE WITCH

Sabrina and Salem's introductory panel.

            Sabrina Spellman is just your average teenage girl with average teenage problems. Boys. Homework. Oh, and she’s a witch.

Head Witch Della pops in.

            Created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, Sabrina first appeared in the 22nd issue of the humor anthology Archie’s Mad House in 1962. Originally intended as a one-off, fan response prompted the pair to continue producing new stories with her for Mad House. Sabrina eventually became a feature in Archie’s TV Laugh-Out, which featured stories based on Archie Comics characters currently appearing on TV at the time, before gaining several self-titled series of her own beginning with Sabrina, the Teenage Witch in 1971.


Sabrina with aunts Hilda and Zelda.

            Sabrina, whom Gladir incorrectly named after a former junior high classmate (the girl’s name was actually Sabra) feeling it had a nice New England ring to it, was a half-witch on her father’s side. Sabrina attended mortal school but was also actively studying the use of her witchcraft (usually independently, but some story lines saw her attending a witch school). She frequently dated mortal Harvey Kinkle (Archie’s TV Laugh-Out #1, 1969), a kind and loyal boy prone to moments of klutziness. Sabrina often used her magic in secret to try and help others despite the witch’s code of causing mischief (although she would sometimes inadvertently cause mischief when her good deeds backfired). This often annoyed her overseer for the Witch’s Council, Della (debuting with Sabrina, albeit with only one “L” in her name), who had a short temper and often intervened in order to get Sabrina to act more like a real witch. Sabrina resided with her two aunts in Greendale: Hilda and Zelda, both responsible for her continued training.


Hilda, Zelda and Salem's first modern make-over.

            Hilda actually appeared before Sabrina in Mad House #19 (1962). She was an ugly witch in both her own stories and occasionally as host for the book before becoming Sabrina’s aunt. She gained less-witchy features and red hair but maintained a witch’s appearance right down to her long, black dress and pointed hat. Hilda was short-tempered and shown to enjoy casting evil spells; particularly against mortals whom she despised (namely Harvey). When Sabrina gained a live-action sitcom in the 1990s, Hilda’s personality was softened and her look updated into a slender, attractive red-headed woman with contemporary clothing.


Zelda and Hilda's second modern makeover.

            Zelda first appeared in Mad House #65 (1968) and was the complete opposite of Hilda. She was short and stout with green hair and glasses, and had a relatively good-natured personality while also wearing traditional witch’s garb. Around the time of the 1990s sitcom, she became taller and slender with short green hair and an updated wardrobe.


Salem gets his own prequel spotlight.

            The Spellman’s also resided with Salem Saberhagen (originally Plotsworth, first appearing in Mad House #22), a warlock cursed to be a cat as punishment by the Witch’s Council for one of three reasons: plotting world domination; standing up Queen Witch Enchantra (replacing Della, now her assistant), who first appeared in Sabrina vol. 3 #15 (1998) at the altar; or for using magic to entice a mortal to kiss him (depending on the continuity). Named for the Salem Witch Trials, Salem originally appeared as an ordinary cat before gaining some limited magical abilities. With the success of the 1990s live-action sitcom, Salem was altered in the comics to be able to talk.

Ambrose bringing the family drama.

            Additionally, various other relatives would pop in and out. Most frequently was Cousin Ambrose (Laugh-Out #1). Ambrose presented an adult figure not in a position of authority that Sabrina could turn to at times. Depending on the story, he could be a bit mischievous and, in later years, something of a womanizer, as well as alternating from a heavyset older gentleman to a younger warlock.


Sabrina and the Archie crew animated.

            As her fellow Archie creations from Riverdale were doing well on Saturday mornings, it wasn’t long until Sabrina joined them.

September 17, 2016

EON KID

EON KID
(KBS2, April 6-September 28, 2006 KOR,
CW, September 22, 2007-March 1, 2008 US)


Daewon Media, Design Storm, BRB Internacional

MAIN CAST:
Jeong Ah Son (Korean) & Aidan Drummond – Marty
Lee In-Sung (Korean) & Andrew Toth – Buttons
Bak Seon Yeong (Korean) & Claire Renaud – Ally
Wan -Gyeong Seong (Korean) & Ron Halder – Gaff
Kim Il (Korean) & Lee Tockar - Och
Nicole Oliver – Black Beauty
Garry Chalk – Duke Von Rhymer, Narrator

Iron Kid was a joint South Korean/Spanish CGI animated series with strong Japanese anime influences. It was produced by Daewon Media and Design Storm in Korean and BRB Internacional in Spain. The series was set in a post-apocalyptic future resulting from countless wars. The greatest one was against the ultimate robot called The General who believed that robots should rule over humanity. He instigated the Second Robot War and was only stopped by Eon and his powerful fist.

Marty and Buttons.

100 years later, 11-year-old scavenger Marty (Aidan Drummond) had come to discover he was actually the descendant of Eon when he found the Fist of Eon in a cave. At the same time, a former scientist from the Central Defence Federation (CDF), the world police force, named Dr. Chen stole The General’s heart from storage and spearheaded his reconstruction. He was aided in this endeavor by industrialist Duke Von Rhymer, who was also working on his own ends to resurrect The Gigantor: a giant robotic war creature. Other threats included The Four Invincible Lords Lightning, Rain, Wind and Cloud who were The General’s most powerful allies; Black Beauty (Nicole Oliver), robotic rival to Gaff whose mission was to take the Fist from Marty; Steeljaw Jack, a robot created by Chen who operated as a hired mercenary; and Eiger, an enormous robot and The General’s most powerful warrior.

Graff charges into battle.

Aiding Marty’s quest to stop The General was Buttons (Andrew Toth), Marty’s robotic talking dog who served as the series’ comic relief; Ally (Claire Renaud), the stepdaughter of Von Rhymer who could read and decipher computer code; Gaff (Ron Halder), an ancient robot who watched over the Eon family and the Fist for over 100 years; Master Zhang, a martial arts master who trained Marty how to properly wield the Fist; Charlie, a friend and servant of the family who raised Marty as his own per his real father’s instructions; Violet, a member of the CDF who was embedded in Von Rhymer’s Iron Tower who became Ally’s tutor and surrogate big sister; Shadow, a rehabilitated criminal that worked for the CDF; and Chief Gibson, leader of the CDF.

Eon Kid and his allies prepare for battle.

The series debuted on April 6, 2006 on South Korea’s KBS2 and TVE in Spain. The series ran for a single season of 26 episodes, telling a complete story arc that followed Marty’s acquisition of the Fist and his training on how to use it and defeat The General upon his resurrection. Javier Mellado composed the series’ music. Manga Entertainment acquired the international broadcast rights to the series and translated it for English-speaking countries. Renaming it Eon Kid to avoid any copyright issues with Marvel ComicsIron Man franchise, the series aired on The CW’s Kids WB! Saturday morning programming block beginning on September 22, 2007. However, not every episode was aired; “Strength Isn’t Everything” was merged with “Ally’s Secret”, and “Orange Mama” and the final two episodes were never broadcast. In Australia, 25 of the 26 episodes aired.

Eon Kid on DVD.

In 2007, Playmates produced a line of action figures based on characters from the series. In 2008, Anchor Bay Entertainment released the entire series in two sets in Australia. In 2009, they released two DVDs containing five episodes each in the United States. Between 2008 and 2009, Tribanda Pictures released the entire series across four DVDs in non-English speaking territories. 

EPISODE GUIDE:
“The Legendary Fist” (4/6/06 KOR, 9/22/07 US) – A journey into the forbidden area leads Marty to find Ally escaping sinister forces and the legendary Iron Fist of his ancestor.

“The Heir to the Fist” (4/13/06 KOR, 9/29/07 US) – Marty’s father realizes that the General will soon return while Marty needs to quickly learn to use the fist to save Ally from her father.

“The Journey Begins” (4/20/06 KOR, 10/6/07 US) – Marty, Ally and Buttons make way for the Crystal City but have to evade capture as a price has now been put on their heads.

“Strength Isn’t Everything” (4/27/06 KOR) – Marty quickly learns the importance of skill as he has to take on various groups of robots and bounty hunters.

“Ally’s Secret” (5/4/06 KOR, 10/13/07 US) – Everyone wonders why Ally is so important to her father’s plans as a biker gang plans to capture them for the reward and payback.

“Orange Mama” (5/11/06 KOR) – Marty and his friends encounter the elderly, yet fiendish, Orange Mama.

“The Grand Wrestling Tournament” (5/18/06 KOR, 10/20/07 US) – Marty is forced to compete in the Orange Valley Wrestling championship.

“The Fight Goes On” (5/25/06 KOR, 10/27/07 US) – Ally and Buttons try to escape Orange Mama, but their plans are foiled when Jenny wants to play with them.

“Escape From the Orange Valley” (6/1/06 KOR, 11/3/07 US) – Marty learns Orange Mama plans to take the fist and turn them in, hastening his search for Ally and Buttons so they can escape.

“The Maxes Attack” (6/8/06 KOR, 11/10/07 US) – The escape from Orange Valley is met with resistance from Orange Mamma, Duke Von Rhymer and some other old foes.

“Confronting Fate” (6/15/06 KOR, 11/17/07 US) – After Ally is captured, Gaff appears and teaches Marty about the history of his family.

“The 10 Woodenmen” (6/22/06 KOR, 11/24/07 US) – Marty begins training under the Grandmaster to strengthen his chi to master the fist.

“A Warrior is Born” (6/29/06 KOR, 12/1/07 US) – After Marty finally masters the fist, Master Zhang bestows upon him the chi he has been holding for 100 years.

“To the Iron Tower” (7/6/06 KOR, 12/8/07 US) – Marty begins his destiny by setting out to rescue Ally from the Iron Tower.

“Ally’s Escape” (7/13/06 KOR, 12/15/07 US) – Steeljaw Jack prevents Marty from successfully rescuing Ally.

“Fall of the Tower” (7/20/06 KOR, 1/5/08 US) – Marty, Ally and Violet try to escape from Kahn while the General’s forces seize the Iron Tower.

“Nightmares” (7/27/06 KOR, 1/12/08 US) – Marty begins having nightmares about his real father when one of the General’s elite warriors appears to fight him.

“Out of Control” (8/3/06 KOR, 1/19/08 US) – The fist takes control of Marty’s Mind, putting Chief Gibson in the position of having to stop him.

“To the Mystic Glacier” (8/10/06 KOR, 1/26/08 US) – Grandmaster leads Marty to the Temple of the Iron Soul to seek a way to repair the fist.

“The White Monks” (8/17/06 KOR, 2/2/08 US) – Marty, Buttons and Shadow are ambushed by the Four Invincible Lords on the way to the temple.

“The General Awakes” (8/24/06 KOR, 2/9/08 US) – While Marty finally enters the temple, the General has awaken.

“Eiger the Patient” (8/31/06 KOR, 2/16/08 US) – Marty faces Eiger the Patient while Dr. Chen revives Gigantor and sets him against the CDF.

“The Revolt of Kahn” (9/7/06 KOR, 2/23/08 US) – Kahn begins to question the General’s orders and plans to rebel.

“To the Iron Tower! Charge!” (9/14/06 KOR, 3/1/08 US) – Marty fights his way into the Iron Tower while Ally discovers a way to defeat Gigantor.

“The Last Battle, I” (9/21/06 KOR) – Ally tries to stop Gigantor while Marty has to face the Four Invincible Lords to get to the General.

“The Last Battle, II” (9/28/06 KOR) – Marty faces the General with Gaff, Shadow and Captain Magnum while Ally and Buttons discover the transcoder needed to stop Gigantor is gone.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE'S BERRY BITTY ADVENTURES

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE’S BERRY BITTY ADVENTURES
(Family Channel, The Hub/Discovery Family, October 10, 2010-September 12, 2015)


MoonScoop Group (2010-13), Iconix Brand Group (2015), American Greetings

MAIN CAST:
Ingrid NilsonRaspberry Torte, Kadiebug, Ladybug Doris, various
Shannon Chan-KentCherry Jam (season 2-4), Berrykin Bonnie, various
Victoria Duffield – Cherry Jam (singing, season 2-4)
Diana KaarinaSour Grapes (season 4)
Rebecca ShoichetApple Dumplin' (season 4), Postal Bee

Strawberry Shortcake was a character designed for American Greetings by Muriel Fahrion in 1977. The character was a bright and energetic six-year-old girl with a cat named Custard who was always ready to help her friends, which were created by Fahrion, Cindy Moyer Patton and Janet Jones. Each character in the series had a fruit or dessert-themed name with clothing and a pet to match, as well as lived in a pastry house in Strawberry Land. The story and personality of each character was developed by line editor Lynn Edwards. In 1979, Strawberry and her friends made their debut on a series of greeting cards and posters through American Greetings’ Those Characters From Cleveland division.


The original line of Strawberry Shortcake dolls.

When the character proved popular, Kenner licensed her and released the first doll; a rag doll designed by Fahrion and created by her sister, Susan Trentel. The doll’s signature feature was the fact that it smelled like strawberries. Each doll in the line would have its own scent representative of their name. Strawberry Shortcake quickly became a hit with young girls, sending American Greetings into full promotion of the line expanding beyond greeting cards and posters into video games, comic books and more.




Starting in early 1980 and running through 1985, an annual half-hour animated special featuring Strawberry and her friends was produced and released on television in first-run syndication. Murakami-Wolf-Swenson and Toei Doga animated the first and third, Perpetual Motion Pictures the second, and Nelvana the final three. Russi Taylor voiced Strawberry throughout all of them. 



Like all fads, the Strawberry Shortcake one ran its course by 1985. In 1991, Toy Head-Quarters (better known as video game developer THQ) tried to revive it by updating five of the dolls and releasing them. The dolls resembled the Kenner line and came with two outfits: one from Strawberry Land, and a more realistic one to symbolize the characters being able to cross over into the real world. The line was only moderately successful and lasted just a single year. Another revival came about in 2002 with Bandai assuming the manufacturing rights to create new dolls and other merchandise. In 2003, a new animated series was produced by DiC Entertainment and 20th Century Fox featuring the changes Bandai made to the line. Sarah Heinke assumed the Strawberry role, and the show ran for four seasons.


Strawberry Shortcake's evolution.

In 2006, Strawberry changed hands as Playmates Toys picked up the licensing rights to the franchise. They introduced a new character, Frosty Puff, and shuffled around all the pets between the characters. That same year, DiC released their fourth theatrical film, The Sweet Dreams Movie, which brought the character into 3D computer animation with Heinke reprising her role. 


Hasbro's Strawberry Shortcake with pilot DVD.

The Playmates toy line proved unsuccessful both with fans of the franchise and the general public. American Greetings transferred the rights over to Hasbro in 2009 and they began a complete reboot of the franchise. All of the characters were reimagined and redesigned, as was the world that surrounded them. To promote the new toys, Hasbro authorized the production of Strawberry’s third animated incarnation by the MoonScoop Group to be broadcast on their new network, The Hub.


Lemon Meringue, Orange Blossom, Plum Pudding, Raspberry Torte, Strawberry Shortcake, Blueberry Muffin and Cherry Jam.

The CGI series was set in the small town of Berry Bitty City. The town, like its residents, were smaller than a bed of flowers and had buildings whose color schemes matched their respective owners. Amongst those residents were Strawberry Shortcake (Anna Cummer for speaking, Tracey Moore for singing), the owner of Berry Bitty Café who tried to help her friends when she could and brought enthusiastic optimism to various situations; Orange Blossom (Janyse Jaud), owner of Orange Mart who was sporty and adventurous; Lemon Meringue (Andrea Libman), owner of Lemon Beauty Salon and a very quick-thinker in sticky situations; Blueberry Muffin (Britt McKillip), owner of Blueberry Bookstore which fed her bookworm habits; Raspberry Torte (Ingrid Nilson), owner of Raspberry Boutique and incredibly fashion-forward; and Plum Pudding (Ashleigh Ball), quirky owner of Plum Dance Studio who believed there was always something to dance about. Each girl had a pet puppy, while Strawberry also had her traditional cat, Custard.


Princess Berrykin and two of her Berrykin subjects.

Other residents included the Berrykins; even smaller people who had berry-like heads and came in a variety of colors. The Berrykins were responsible for the creation and maintenance of Berry Bitty City, with the exception of the city’s ruler Princess Berrykin (Libman using a British accent). Notable Berrykins included Berrykin Bloom (Paul Dobson), the eldest Berrykin who enjoyed gardening and inventing; Berrykin Ed (Scott McNeil) and Berrykin Earl (Sam Vincent), two maintenance Berrykins that often worked together; and Berrykin Bruce (Vincent), who specialized in mechanism engineering and inventing complex apparatuses. Other residents included Postmaster Bumblebee (McNeil), a bumblebee who ran the post office; Mr. Longface (Dobson), a caterpillar who ran the Berry Bitty Mini Golf Course; Jadeybug (Nicole Oliver), a ladybug who worked at the post office; and Doctor Hazel Nutby (Oliver), a squirrel doctor who traveled between Berry Bitty City and the neighboring Berry Big City.



Lemon's attempt at a new hairstyle goes a bit wrong.

A 15-minute pilot episode was produced, introducing Strawberry and her world as she opened her café. The episode, titled “A Berry Grand Opening”, was never aired on TV; rather, it was made available for viewing on American Greetings’ website and later included on a DVD with a Strawberry Shortcake doll. Shortly after that, a direct-to-video movie called The Sky’s The Limit was released, showcasing the first full adventure and widely introducing the series to general audiences. Finally, in 2010, Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitty Adventures made its debut as one of the launch programs on The Hub on October 10, 2010 after airing a few months earlier on Canada’s Family Channel


Kitchen accident.

The series largely followed the daily lives of Strawberry and her friends as they, and the audience, learned important life lessons as they dealt with the various problems or situations that would arise. One of the quirks of the show was the use of “berry” as a replacement for “very” whenever characters would speak. The series’ theme was composed by Chip Whitewood and Ashley Saunig, while Whitewood and Marco Luciani composed the series’ music. 


Sweet and Sour Grapes.

As the series progressed, improvements in technology allowed animators to update the designs of the show and introduce more fluid movements and renderings. New characters were also introduced, including musician Cherry Jam (Shannon Chan-Kent speaking, Victoria Duffield singing), Huckleberry Pie (Aidan Drummond) who ran a pet adoption service, Strawberry’s adventurous cousin Apple Dumplin’ (Rebecca Shoichet) and perennially arguing sisters Sweet (Libman) and Sour (Diana Kaarina) Grapes. 


Blueberry attempts to juggle the legalities of their franchise.

While the show was in production, Hasbro lost the manufacturing rights to the franchise to The Bridge Direct (now Basic Fun!) in 2014. The Bridge Direct continued on with the designs from the 2009 reboot for their own series of toys, as well as resurrected the classic designs. American Greetings had previously attempted to sell off the franchise back in 2008, with Cookie Jar Entertainment, the successor to DiC, and MoonScoop competing against each other for the property. American Greetings ultimately retained the rights until putting the franchise up for sale once again, with Iconix Brand Group acquiring the rights in 2015. As a result of these changes, after Berry Bitty Adventures reached four seasons and the 65 episodes needed for syndication rights, the show came to an end on September 12, 2015. Iconix announced in 2016 that it will oversee production of a new series with DHX Media (now WildBrain), the successor to Cookie Jar and production company behind several other Hasbro properties. 


Strawberry on DVD.

20th Century Fox released a series of DVD collections featuring several episodes put together, as well as two-packs collecting the individual releases. No complete season sets have yet been made available. In 2011, Ape Entertainment began publication of a Strawberry Shortcake comic based on Berry Bitty Adventures. The series ran for two volumes and were direct adaptations of episodes. In 2016, IDW Publishing picked up the publication rights and began an all-new series, this time focusing on original adventures picking up from the show’s 4th season. Each issue is typically comprised of one long adventure and a shorter, unrelated back-up story. The comics also introduced classic characters that hadn’t made it onto the show, including villains The Purple Pie Man and Raisin Cane.

 


EPISODE GUIDE:
Pilot:
“A Berry Grand Opening” (2009) – Strawberry Shortcake is about to open her new café and she sends the Berrykins to gather all her friends.

Season 1:
“Fish Out of Water” (10/10/10) – Orange Blossom ends up adopting a tadpole that causes a lot of problems.

“A Stitch in Time” (10/12/10) – Plum Pudding secretly tries to help Raspberry Torte decide how to stitch Strawberry Shortcake’s new dress.

“Vanishing Violets” (10/13/10) – Lemon Meringue suspects Berrykin Bloom of stealing the flowers she grew for a festival.

“Babysitter Blues” (10/14/10) – After Baby Berrykin causes some trouble, Strawberry offers to babysit him and discovers what a difficult task it is.

“Hair Today Gone Tomorrow” (10/15/10) – Lemon’s new hair-styling machine makes her feel like her job is in peril.

“Pop Goes the Garden” (10/18/10) – Blueberry’s daisy seeds turn out to actually be for explosive corn stalks instead.

“The Berry Best You Can Bee” (10/19/10) – Strawberry offers to help Postmaster Bumble-Bee deliver a special birthday package to Bitty Dale when a bee gets sick.

“Strawberry’s House Pest” (10/20/10) – Strawberry struggles to be a good hostess despite her lousy house guest.

“Berry Bitty World Record” (10/21/10) – Her friends try to help Orange figure out how to win a holiday trip for Berrykin Bloom.

“Too Cool for Rules” (10/22/10) – Plum starts making up weird rules at her dance studio.

“Berry Best BerryFest Princess” (10/25/10) – In Princess Berrykin’s absence the town holds an election for a replacement.

“Strawberry’s Berry Big Parade” (10/26/10) – Strawberry asks her friends to help her put on the BerryFest parade.

“The Berry Best Choice” (10/27/10) – Strawberry learns how to overcome obstacles in order to make the BerryFest a success.

“Nothing to Fear but Berries Themselves” (10/28/10) – Orange makes her friends believe a monster is after them when the power goes out in Lemon’s salon.

“Where Oh Where Has My Blueberry Gone?” (10/29/10) – Blueberry gets so engrossed in a series of mystery novels she forgets to live her life.

“Manners Meltdown” (11/1/10) – To avoid future embarrassment, Blueberry reads up on manners and strictly enforces them during the Berry Derby Party.

“Trading Sizes” (11/2/10) – Raspberry finds a way to make the Berrykins her size.

“Different Waltz for Different Faults” (11/3/10) – Plum tries to win a dance-off by having her friends imitate the style of a rival team.

“Happy First Frost” (11/4/10) – Blueberry’s First Frost Day gift seems more suited for her than the recipient.

“A Circle of Friends” (11/5/10) – Raspberry believes her friends are copying her lantern design for the GlimmerBerry Gathering.

“GlimmerBerry Ball” (11/8/10) – Plum finds the best location for the ball, but two chipmunks keep causing trouble.

“Nice as Nails” (11/9/10) – Lemon develops a manicure that’s like a miniature party, but the novelty quickly wears off.

“How You Play the Game” (11/10/10) – A new game in town quickly overshadows the other town activities.

“Good Citizens Club” (11/11/10) – Plum would do anything to be part of Sadiebug and Kadiebug’s new club.

“Team for Two” (11/12/10) – Lemon and Raspberry work together to create a day care center for the baby Berrykins.

“Lost and Found” (11/15/10) – Strawberry’s friends help her look for her missing pets.

Season 2:
“The Berry Big Harvest” (11/5/11) – Orange has to deal with massive overstock at her store.

“Room at the Top” (11/12/11) – Strawberry’s friends help her add on a new bedroom over her new produce marketplace.

“Starlight, Star Bright” (11/19/11) – Strawberry’s friends invite her favorite singer, Cherry Jam, to town to perform at her marketplace’s grand opening.

“Practice Makes Perfect” (11/26/11) – When Cherry holds a recital, Plum gets stage fright.

“Top Talent” (12/3/11) – Lemon refuses any help from her friends in trying to win the talent show.

“A Star is Fashioned” (12/10/11) – Raspberry considers a move to the city in order to have access to the top fashion designers.

“No Blueberry is an Island” (1/28/12) – Blueberry overhears Strawberry talking about a dream vacation and misinterprets it as her planning the trip for all of them.

“Where the Berry Breeze Blows” (2/11/12) – Strawberry and friends head out for a vacation, but the resort ends up cancelling on them.

“The Berry Best Vacation” (3/1/12) – The vacation is interrupted when a reporter wants to interview Cherry.

“The Berry Long Winter” (3/8/12) – Winter runs longer than expected, resulting in the town to wonder how to handle their supplies.

“The Big Freeze” (3/15/12) – Blueberry invents parasol-powered ice skates that lands her her own musical commercial.

“On Ice” (3/22/12) – Strawberry helps Raspberry and Berrykin Bruce come to a compromise over spring-themed events they want to hold at the same place at the same time.

“On the Road” (3/29/12) – The girls train the Berrykins to do their jobs so that they can enjoy a concert tour.

Season 3:
“A Boy and His Dogs” (2/23/13) – When Huckleberry Pie’s van breaks down in town, the girls offer to babysit the puppies he has in tow.

“Partners in Crime” (2/23/13) – Blueberry invites Huckleberry to join her in writing a mystery story for an online magazine.

“The Mystery of the Disappearing Dog Show” (3/2/13) – Plum attempts to turn Strawberry’s dog show into an extravagant performance.

“Snowberry and the Seven Berrykins” (3/9/13) – Plum’s direction of a play becomes too elaborate, turning it into a comical disaster.

“Berryella and Prince Charming” (3/16/13) – Huck is drafted to play Prince Charming in a new play.

“The Littlest Berrykin” (3/23/13) – The girls’ imaginations take over as Blueberry and Huckleberry narrate their new play.

“The Berry Big Relay Race” (3/30/13) – To pass the time waiting for the sparkleberry juice system to be fixed, the girls decide to have a relay race.

“The Berry Best Treasure” (4/6/13) – The girls go on a treasure hunt for their missing puppies.

“The Berry Scary Fun Adventure” (4/13/13) – The girls become scared on a camping trip and decide to protect their site with a series of traps.

“The Berry Lucky Day” (4/20/13) – Huck finds Cherry’s good luck charm and Strawberry helps them realize where their luck really comes from.

“All Dogs Allowed” (4/27/13) – The girls try to figure out what’s scaring their dogs away from the inaugural dog park tea party.

“A Basket of Blue Berries” (5/4/13) – Blueberry takes ill after inviting Huck to the masquerade ball.

“The Berry Biggest, Berry Baddest Bakeoff” (5/11/13) – Competition runs wild as the girls try to outdo each other in Berrykin Bloom’s bakeoff.

Season 4:
“Berry Double Trouble” (6/20/15) – Raspberry and Lemon recruit the Grapes to run Strawberry’s café while she participates in an internet fashion show.

“Berry Bitty Adventurer” (6/27/15) – Strawberry’s cousin Apple Dumplin comes for a visit, but it ends up being anything but quiet.

“High Tech Drama” (7/4/15) – Sweet and Sour Grapes’ latest argument is caught on camera and broadcast across the net as part of Lemon and Raspberry’s fashion podcast.

“A Berry Merry Birthday” (7/11/15) – The Grapes decide to separate their birthday parties but soon end up missing each other.

“Tell Tale Trio” (7/18/15) – The festivities begin early as Orange, Plum and Cherry make up tall-tales about why they were late to the campout.

“Berry Big Tale-Teller” (7/25/15) – Sour tries to get Sweet involved in the tall tale of their adventure in the forest, but Sweet can’t keep up.

“The Berry Bitty Great Race” (8/1/15) – Unaware of the tall tale tradition, Apple regales her friends with the story of a road rally she really entered.

“The Berry Best Taste Test” (8/8/15) – Strawberry’s stuffed-up nose leads her to bake a bad cake for the Queen of Berryvania, whose delivery Apple must now try to stop.

“The Berry Best Biscuit” (8/15/15) – Sour and Apple are sentenced to camp alone together for a weekend after they erupt into a prank war.

“Hot Sauce Cook Off” (8/22/15) – Sour and Apple deicide to help Berrykin Bloom beat his brother in the hot sauce competition.

“The Berry Bitty Dance Disaster” (8/29/15) – Tired of being left out, Apple invents dancing boots to help her dance like a pro—unfortunately, they end up going out of control.

“The Doggie Dance No-Show” (9/5/15) – Apple uses her boots to teach the dogs to dance in a show, and Huck tries to get the frightened Tom Tom to join in.

“Dance Puppy Dance” (9/12/15) – Cherry can’t escape her new song and it drives her nuts.

Film:
“Sky’s the Limit” (2009) – When the water supply is blocked by a giant rock, the town must work together to find a new source before they’re forced to evacuate forever.


Originally posted in 2016. Updated in 2021.