Strawberry Shortcake (2003 TV series)
Strawberry Shortcake is an American direct-to-video animated series produced by DIC Entertainment Corporation and American Greetings based on the franchise of the same name that debuted in March 2003. The series consists of 44 episodes, plus one short and one movie. Part of the series was broadcast on television including by HBO and HBO Family, and in broadcast syndication. None of the voice actors from the 1980s Strawberry Shortcake animated specials returned to reprise their roles, with producers instead opting for younger and lesser known voice actors.
| Strawberry Shortcake | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Animated series, E/I |
| Created by | Those Characters From Cleveland American Greetings |
| Developed by | DIC Entertainment |
| Theme music composer | Andy Street, Judy Rothman Rofe |
| Opening theme | Straw Buh-buh-buh-buh-berry Shortcake by Peter Lurye (uncredited), Performed by Sandy Howell (Raye) (uncredited) |
| Ending theme | Straw Buh-buh-buh-buh-berry Shortcake (Instrumental) |
| Composers | Andy Street, Judy Rothman Rofe, Nick Brown, Sandy Howell |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 22 (40 segments) [1] |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Andy Heyward Michael Maliani Kathy McConaughy Mike Brown |
| Producer | Karren Brown |
| Running time | 45 Minutes[2] |
| Production companies | American Greetings DIC Entertainment Corporation[lower-alpha 1] |
| Distributor | DIC Entertainment 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Picture format | NTSC 480i |
| Audio format | Stereo sound |
| Original release | March 11, 2003 – September 11, 2008[3] |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | 1980s Strawberry Shortcake specials |
| Followed by | Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitty Adventures (2010) |
To coincide with the series' reboot in 2009, the 2003 series was succeeded by Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures in 2010.
Release information
Home Video
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment began releasing the series direct-to-video in the United States beginning in March 2003. The first few episodes were released on both DVD and VHS, and bundled with certain toys; later episodes are DVD-only. They are also available on VideoCD through various fourth party licensees in South-East Asia and in certain other markets. The first four videos contain only one story but run for twice the length of subsequent episodes.
From Season 2 onwards, the DVDs and VHS's are presented as "compilations" in which Strawberry recounts the featured adventures using her "remembering book" or for Season 4, showcases the featured stories as simple flashbacks.
22 Volumes (1 including the movie) have been released for the series overall.
United States
In the United States, although promoted as a Direct-to-Video series, the series did air on television as well.
In late-2003, Season 1 gained one-off airings on HBO and HBO Family. [4]
In September 2006, shortened Season 1 and Season 2 episodes aired on Mondays within the Program B slot (which mainly aired on The CW affiliates) of the DIC Kids Network Syndicated block. It would then gain a slot on the KEWLopolis block on CBS in September 2007, with the addition of Season 3 episodes. Season 4 has never aired on television in the United States and remains exclusively on DVD and digital download.
Internationally
In international markets, DIC pre-sold the series to GMTV in the United Kingdom and Fox Kids Europe in some European territories in 2004.[5] In 2008, DIC pre-sold the series to more broadcasters including M6, Canal J and Tiji in France, Tiny Pop in the United Kingdom and Mediaset in Italy.[6] Season 1 episodes are broadcast as two parts instead of being shortened, doubling the episode count to eight.
From Season 2 onwards, the episodes are presented individually on the TV broadcasts rather than being compilations, although this depended on the broadcaster (e.g., Disney Channel Asia aired the first four episodes as two-parters),.
Some networks, like GMTV and Minimax in CEE aired Season 1 uninterrupted as one, full-length part akin to the DVD releases, while Season 2 onwards are broadcast exactly like on the DVDs with the compilation format.
Shorts and PSAs
A five-minute Strawberry Shortcake short, "Growing Better All the Time", is available exclusively in the Care Bears: Daydreams DVD (released October 14, 2003) as a bonus feature. Numerous scenes from the short were used in the 2000s (decade) series' second opening sequence, and the song from the short was released on the "Strawberry Jams" CD.
Apart from that, a Public Service Announcement for the ASPCA was produced and aired in the US. The PSA features Strawberry Shortcake talking about the basics of pet ownership.
Cast
| Actor/Actress | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sarah Heinke | Strawberry Shortcake | |
| Rachel Ware | Angel Cake | |
| Samantha Triba | Ginger Snap | |
| Dejare Barfield | Orange Blossom | |
| Daniel Canfield | Huckleberry Pie | Seasons 1 |
| James Street | Seasons 2-4 | |
| Nils Haaland | Pupcake the Dog | |
| Sarah Kolosky | Custard the Cat | Season 1 |
| Anna Jordan | Seasons 2-4 | |
| Katie Labosky | Apple Dumplin' | |
| Hannah Koslosky | Honey Pie Pony | |
| Jerry Longe | Licorice Whip | |
| Ryle Smith | Raven | |
| Rebecca Noddle | Peppermint Fizz | |
| Pam Carter | Sea Beast | |
| Susan Collins | Papaya Parrot | |
| Abbey Leib | Seaberry Delight | |
| Melissa Deni | Coco Calypso | |
| Laura Grimm | Rainbow Sherbet | |
| Bianca Heyward | Blueberry Muffin | |
| Mark Bennett | The Singing Lounge Lizard | |
| Susie Baer Collins | Fairy Queen | |
| Caroline lliff | Crepes Suzette and Tangerina Torta | |
| Haley Hyden-Soffer | Raspberry Torte | |
| Marissa Maliani | Tea Blossom | |
| Laura Marr | Sherry Bobbleberry | |
| Theresa Sindelar | Periwinkle and Fairy #2 | |
| Cork Ramer | Purple Pie Man | |
| Bridget Robbins | Sour Grapes | |
| Mary Waltman | Lemon Meringue | |
| Andrea Ware | Margalo | |
Episodes
Game Boy Advance Video
Majesco has also released Strawberry Shortcake episodes as a Game Boy Advance Video cartridge:
- Strawberry Shortcake Volume 1
- Meet Strawberry Shortcake
- Spring for Strawberry Shortcake
- Note: The episodes released on Game Boy Advance Video are the 22-minute edited broadcast version of the episodes (some markets show these episodes as a two-part series without cutting off scenes instead), unlike the video versions which are 45 minutes in length each. Presumably this decision was made to keep the costs of producing the cartridges down (as the need for higher density memory chips would drive the cost of the cartridge up). As a result, two songs and a significant number of scenes from "Meet Strawberry Shortcake", as well as two songs and half of the scenes from "Spring for Strawberry Shortcake" were missing from the GBA Video release if compared to the other videos. Also notable is that the song Friendship Grows Like a Flower was shortened.
References
- Season 1 featured 4 single 45-minute episodes (which when aired on TV, air as two part series or are shortened to 22 minutes, which don't apply here), while Seasons 2-4 featured two related 22-minute segments which were shown in a "Compilation" format (which are also separated when aired on TV). A promotional 5-minute short episode was also made, but doesn't count as an official episode.
- The segments, when separated, air for 22 Minutes.
- The date listed is when the final episode: "Lights... Camera..." aired in Asia. In the show's home country of the United States, the final DVD for the series - Berry Brick Road, containing the last two episodes, was not released until March 6, 2012. Season 4 never aired on television in the United States
- https://web.archive.org/web/20051227022635/http://www.dicentertainment.com/press/details.php?8
- https://www.awn.com/news/natpe-news-dic-sends-shortcake-sabrina-stan-lees-super-7-natpe
- https://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/its-a-strawberry-shortcake-world-after-all/
- Animation outsourced to Hong Ying Universe Company Limited.