FAQ and other things for the collector
In talking to other
collectors of the 1991 line of Strawberry Shortcake dolls, I have found
that there are two types. The first type is the one that buys all
of the items already on the card and may or may not remove them from
the card. The second type is like myself. Buys the dolls
loose, but as complete as possible then tries to find
the missing bits and pieces. But in looking for those missing
bits and pieces, I have started to realize among with others, that
we weren't totally sure WHAT those bits and pieces were.
And so I have put together this list to help other
collectors.
Bits and Pieces for Strawberry Shortcake
Berry Best Party (outfit that comes on the doll) (Price for complete out of box: $20-35)
@*
This shows the back of card
that the dolls were on. You can see
each doll plus the Berry Bake Shoppe,
Oatsmobile and Blow Kiss.
Questions asked about 1991's
1. a. What is the difference between the 1991 original style hats and the 1980's hats?
b. What is the difference between the 1991 and
the 1980's clothes?
There were nine stages made. Four for the Strawberry Shortcake dolls, and one each for Blueberry, Lemon, Orange and Raspberry. Strawberry Shortcake herself is on each stage, but the doll that the stage goes with is NOT pictured on her stage for the other 4 dolls. And to make things even more confusing, Apple and Cherry (who were not made into 1991 dolls) are also seen on the stages however Orange Blossom is not seen on any of them!
Each stage has two sides. The front has pictures of Strawberry Shortcake and friend. The back has teenagers doing something similar to the front. I am only showing the front SSC sides of the playstages.
This stage goes with the Lemon doll. Strawberry,
Blueberry and Apple are
shopping.
This stage goes with the Berry Beauty Shop doll.
Strawberry is doing Raspberry's hair.
This stage goes with the Berry Best Sleepover doll.
Strawberry, Blueberry and Lemon are in PJ's
and looking
out a window.
This is the stage that goes with the Blueberry Muffin
doll. Lemon is tossing pizza dough and
Strawberry has a five scoop ice cream cone.
This is the stage that goes with the
Strawberry Shortcake Berry Best Party doll. Strawberry is doing a
curtsy in her party
dress. Also at the party are Blueberry, Lemon and Apple
This is the stage that goes
with the Lime doll. Lemon and Strawberry are working out.
This is the stage that goes
with the Strawberry Shortcake Berry Beach Park doll. Strawberry
is on the beach and Raspberry and Blueberry are in a rowboat.
This
is the stage that goes with the Orange Blossom Doll. Strawberry
Shortcake is in her party dress dancing. Lime and Lemon are on
this stage also.
This is the
Raspberry Tart stage. Strawberry is in her party dress playing a
tambourine. Also pictured are Blueberry Muffin, Custard, and Cherry
Cuddler
4. What items besides the regular dolls were made during this era?
At first look, the 1980's Berry Bake Shop and the 1992 version look identical, however there are some major color differences in the parts.
Maple Stirrup and the Oatsmobile are a little harder to tell the difference between the 1984 version and the 1992 version. Here is what I have found out so far
7. What about the combs?
In the 1980's every Strawberry Shortcake doll came with a red comb that had a strawberry on it. The same style of comb came with the 1991 dolls, however the colors of the combs were different. They came in a small plastic bag (see the middle two combs pictured)
8. In 1991 how much did a Strawberry Shortcake doll cost? What stores sold them?
Price tags on original packages say that they cost $7.99 for the doll. Price tags have had store names including Wal-mart, Toys R Us and K-mart on them and I remember seeing the dolls for sale at Toy Chest (I miss that place!) in 1991.
9. These dolls are so cute! Why weren't they made for very long?
I have many theories on why these dolls were not very popular. The first of which is that THQ/TCFC did not market the dolls very much. I have yet to see a magazine advertisement or hear of a commercial made to sell the 1991 dolls. I even checked a Sears Christmas catalogue from 1991 and 1992 and Strawberry Shortcake was not in there. So people didn't know these dolls were out and little girls were not interested in them. Second there was a recession going on in 1991 and people were not spending money in the earlier 1990's on toys. I have read articles about how low toy sales were from 1990-1993 and I am sure that this played a part in the slow sales of Strawberry Shortcake. It was also pointed out to me that there was never a cartoon or movie made with the new line of Strawberry Shortcake dolls. With the 1980's and the current dolls, there are movies made of the characters as well as books. And the last reason is simply it was the wrong time for Strawberry Shortcake to be re-released. The girls that grew up with the dolls in the 1980's were 13-18 in 1991 and not at the age where they would want to relive their childhood nor were they having children to buy the dolls for. So without the marketing towards a new group of younger children, the dolls just never took off. Luckily people have recently started to collect the 1991 dolls and they are becoming popular. I guess it is better late than never!
Click to return to the main page
@* From Stacey's collection and used with permission
Berry big thanks to Kris, Angela, Jennifer, Melissa, Gail and all other 1991 friends online.
2/17/07
Interesting 1991 doll
fact:
The 1991 dolls have eyebrows and the 1980's dolls do not!
Bits and Pieces for Strawberry Shortcake
Berry Best Party (outfit that comes on the doll) (Price for complete out of box: $20-35)
- doll has long crimped hair
- Wears a pink "party" dress
- Does NOT wear tights
- wears green, pink and yellow striped socks with lace on them
- wears underwear that matches her socks
- Has a big bow in her hair
- shoes are light pink with a bows on them
- CONFUSION on ebay and elsewhere: I have seen this doll listed as a Berrykin. She is NOT a berrykin. Do not pay Berrykin prices for this doll.
- dolls has long, crimped hair
- Wears the traditional style Strawberry Shortcake dress
- wears green and white striped tights
- wears original style Strawberry Shortcake hat
- Shoes are brown with four holes at the top
- doll has long straight hair
- wears a top that has a strawberry in the middle
- wear green and white striped shorts (no tights)
- wears white socks
- wears red shoes
- wears a white visor in her hair
- doll has long straight hair
- wears a white and pink jumper with small strawberries on the sleeve
- wears an original style SSC hat
- wears green and white striped tights
- shoes are light pink (dancin' SSC style)
- doll has shorter straight hair
- wears a red and white shirt with a strawberry on the green pocket
- wears a headband (green and white stripes) in her hair
- wear green and white striped shorts
- wears light pink socks
- shoes are white
- doll has shorter straight hair
- wears a pink dress with little strawberries on it. The dress has a green bow on the front
- wears green and white striped tights
- wears original style SSC hat
- shoes are brown with a strap
- doll has long hair that is pulled back into a ponytail
- wears a 2 piece red nightie
- wears a sheer headband in her hair
- has no socks or tights, just slippers with little strawberries on them
- has long hair that is pulled back into a ponytail
- wears a green and white striped long nightgown with strawberries on it and a matching hat
- wears no socks or shoes or tights, just little pink booties
- doll has hair pulled into two pigtails with purple ribbon
- wears a bandanna (also could be considered a visor) in her hair (blue and white checked)
- has a blue and white dress on
- wears green and white striped socks (similar to the Almond Tea Socks)
- wears blue shoes with purple bows on the shoes
- doll has long blue hair
- wears a traditional Blueberry Muffin blue dress
- has on green and white striped tights
- Wears a felt blueberry Muffin hat
- shoes are dark blue
with four holes in the top
- doll has tight curly hair with a green and white striped headband with a little flower on it
- wears a yellow party type dress
- wears white tights and yellow shoes
- wears traditional Lemon Meringue light yellow with dark yellow polka dots dress
- wear Lemon Meringue white hat with flower on the front
- wears green and white striped tights
- dark yellow shoes
- doll wears a pink bow in her green hair
- has on a one piece workout style outfit
- wears pink and white striped tights
- wears traditional Lime Chiffon light green dress
- hat is the traditional pink hat with ribbon
- wears green and white striped tights
- wears light purple shoes with four holes
in the top
- doll wears a green and white striped headband in her hair
- her top is 2 pieces: the first is a pink checked skirt like thing and the second is a tank top with a raspberry on it
- wears green and white striped shorts
- she wears no socks or tights...just shoes!
- Wears traditional Raspberry Tart pink shorts outfit (one piece)
- Wears traditional Raspberry Tart light pink hat with raspberry on the top
- Wears green and white striped tights
- doll has a green and white striped bow in her hair
- wears a orange flowered dress. The top part is a vellum overlay
- her tights are white with small orange flowers
- Wears traditional two piece Orange Blossom skirt outfit
- wears traditional Orange Blossom hat with a daisy on the top
- wears green and white striped tights
@*This shows the back of card
that the dolls were on. You can see
each doll plus the Berry Bake Shoppe,
Oatsmobile and Blow Kiss.
Questions asked about 1991's
1. a. What is the difference between the 1991 original style hats and the 1980's hats?
| Doll Name |
1980's hat |
1991's hat |
| Blueberry Muffin |
made out of vinyl material,
ribbons come out of the hat and tie around her neck |
made out of felt material, no
ribbons on the hat, just in the doll's hair. |
| Strawberry Shortcake |
Smaller Strawberry Emblem |
Larger Strawberry Emblem than
the 1980's hat; also you can frequently see small holes in these hats
from where they were attached to the paper dolls. |
| Lime Chiffon |
Small checks on the materials;
lighter pink in color |
Bigger checks on material than
the 1980's hat, darker pink color |
| Orange Blossom |
the
hat is a darker orange |
the
hat is a lighter orange than the 1980's version and seems to be
bigger in size |
| Lemon Meringue |
has
two flowers |
Has
one flower and is a light yellow color |
| Doll Name |
1980's Dress |
1991 Dress |
| Strawberry Shortcake |
Ties
in the back |
Velcro in the back |
| Raspberry Tart |
buttons in the back |
Velcro in the back |
| Orange Blossom |
button on top half of dress |
Velcro on top half. Bottom
half looks the same |
| Lemon Merangine |
dress has button on back |
Velcro in the back |
| Blueberry Muffin |
dress has button on back,
sleeves have a checked pattern |
velcro on back, sleaves are a
darker blue |
| Lime Chiffon |
Some have been found
with button on the back other with velcro |
velcro on back |
- Lime's shoes seem to have the biggest difference in variation. Some were purple with four holes and others were purple with a dancin' SSC style. The other shoes were pink with four holes or light pink with the dancin' SSC style
- Berry Beauty Salon white shoes come both with and without straps
- Raspberry Tart's purple shoes LOOK identical to the 1980's Angel Cake shoes, however, the 1991 shoes are made out of a harder plastic than the 1980's shoes.
- Raspberry Tart's pink shoes look similar to the 1980's party pleaser Cafe Ole shoes (pink with a strap) however the 1991 shoes are a brighter pink.
- All 1991 shoes have a hole in the sole
There were nine stages made. Four for the Strawberry Shortcake dolls, and one each for Blueberry, Lemon, Orange and Raspberry. Strawberry Shortcake herself is on each stage, but the doll that the stage goes with is NOT pictured on her stage for the other 4 dolls. And to make things even more confusing, Apple and Cherry (who were not made into 1991 dolls) are also seen on the stages however Orange Blossom is not seen on any of them!
Each stage has two sides. The front has pictures of Strawberry Shortcake and friend. The back has teenagers doing something similar to the front. I am only showing the front SSC sides of the playstages.
This stage goes with the Lemon doll. Strawberry,
Blueberry and Apple are
shopping.
This stage goes with the Berry Beauty Shop doll.
Strawberry is doing Raspberry's hair.
This stage goes with the Berry Best Sleepover doll.
Strawberry, Blueberry and Lemon are in PJ's
and looking
out a window.
This is the stage that goes with the Blueberry Muffin
doll. Lemon is tossing pizza dough and
Strawberry has a five scoop ice cream cone.
This is the stage that goes with the
Strawberry Shortcake Berry Best Party doll. Strawberry is doing a
curtsy in her party
dress. Also at the party are Blueberry, Lemon and Apple
This is the stage that goes
with the Lime doll. Lemon and Strawberry are working out.
This is the stage that goes
with the Strawberry Shortcake Berry Beach Park doll. Strawberry
is on the beach and Raspberry and Blueberry are in a rowboat. This
is the stage that goes with the Orange Blossom Doll. Strawberry
Shortcake is in her party dress dancing. Lime and Lemon are on
this stage also. This is the
Raspberry Tart stage. Strawberry is in her party dress playing a
tambourine. Also pictured are Blueberry Muffin, Custard, and Cherry
Cuddler4. What items besides the regular dolls were made during this era?
- Blow kiss doll
- rag doll (Berry Best Party)
- box puzzles (have playstage pictures on them)
- tray puzzles
- board game
- coloring books (activity books)
- colorforms
- wallets
- a coin purse
- purse (pink and white)
- bicycle
- Berry Bake Shop
- Maple Stirrup and Oatsmobile
- A child sized bicycle
- gift wrapping paper
- child's hat
- child's pajamas
- children's clothing
- "caboodles" case
- purse (blue)
- pencil bags
- bedsheets
- powder and perfume gift set
- washcloth
At first look, the 1980's Berry Bake Shop and the 1992 version look identical, however there are some major color differences in the parts.
| Name of part |
Color of 1980's Berry Bake
Shop |
Color of 1992 Berry Bake
Shop |
| stove |
white |
white (different stickers????) |
| counter |
brown |
white |
| watering can |
white |
pink |
| rake |
tan |
yellow |
| spade |
tan |
yellow |
| spoon |
tan |
yellow |
| basket |
tan |
pink |
| cauldron |
tan |
pink |
| strawberries (4) |
red |
red |
| pie crusts (2) |
tan |
pink |
| strawberry layers (2) |
red |
red |
| whip cream layers (2) |
white |
white |
Maple Stirrup and the Oatsmobile are a little harder to tell the difference between the 1984 version and the 1992 version. Here is what I have found out so far
| Part |
1984 |
1992 |
| Maple Stirrup (the horse) |
On bottom of hoof reads:
1984 |
On bottom of hoof reads:
1992 |
| Oatsmobile |
No lace on top of the surry |
Has hot pink lace on top
of surry |
| saddle |
same?? |
same??? |
| blanket |
doesn't have one |
green and white stripes with
berries |
| basket |
same??? |
same?? |
| "cap" for basket |
doesn't have one |
green and white stripes with
berries |
| brush |
small rounnd brush |
red comb (like 1980's SSC) or
larger brush |
6. What is the deal with the tights?
It has been decided that the light colored
green and white striped tights that go on the 1991 dolls do
not fit properly. No matter how much you pull on them,
they just don't fit correctly. So if you are having problem
getting the tights on your dolls, do not worry, they have not
shrunk. They were just made smaller than they should have been
made. Also the 1991 tights are a lighter green than the 1980's
version (however, when the 1990's tights get on my nerves, I have
switched to the 1980's ones that actually fit and they still look
great!)7. What about the combs?
In the 1980's every Strawberry Shortcake doll came with a red comb that had a strawberry on it. The same style of comb came with the 1991 dolls, however the colors of the combs were different. They came in a small plastic bag (see the middle two combs pictured)
| Name of doll |
Color of Comb |
| Strawberry Shortcake (all four
of them) |
light pink  |
| Blueberry Muffin |
light blue  |
| Lime Chiffon |
lime green |
| Raspberry Tart |
dark pink  |
| Orange Blossom |
light orange |
| Lemon Meringue |
light pink |
8. In 1991 how much did a Strawberry Shortcake doll cost? What stores sold them?
Price tags on original packages say that they cost $7.99 for the doll. Price tags have had store names including Wal-mart, Toys R Us and K-mart on them and I remember seeing the dolls for sale at Toy Chest (I miss that place!) in 1991.
9. These dolls are so cute! Why weren't they made for very long?
I have many theories on why these dolls were not very popular. The first of which is that THQ/TCFC did not market the dolls very much. I have yet to see a magazine advertisement or hear of a commercial made to sell the 1991 dolls. I even checked a Sears Christmas catalogue from 1991 and 1992 and Strawberry Shortcake was not in there. So people didn't know these dolls were out and little girls were not interested in them. Second there was a recession going on in 1991 and people were not spending money in the earlier 1990's on toys. I have read articles about how low toy sales were from 1990-1993 and I am sure that this played a part in the slow sales of Strawberry Shortcake. It was also pointed out to me that there was never a cartoon or movie made with the new line of Strawberry Shortcake dolls. With the 1980's and the current dolls, there are movies made of the characters as well as books. And the last reason is simply it was the wrong time for Strawberry Shortcake to be re-released. The girls that grew up with the dolls in the 1980's were 13-18 in 1991 and not at the age where they would want to relive their childhood nor were they having children to buy the dolls for. So without the marketing towards a new group of younger children, the dolls just never took off. Luckily people have recently started to collect the 1991 dolls and they are becoming popular. I guess it is better late than never!
10. It seems like a lot of the items from
1991-1992 were from Australia. What exactly was from "Downunder?"
This is a question I have been asking myself a lot lately. The reason why I am having a difficult time finding the items I need might be because they were only made in Australia. Here are the item I know for sure were only made in Australia
This is a question I have been asking myself a lot lately. The reason why I am having a difficult time finding the items I need might be because they were only made in Australia. Here are the item I know for sure were only made in Australia
- Blow Kiss Doll
- Strawberry Shortcake Berry Best Party in box
- 1991 Bed sheets
- tray puzzles
- talc and cologne box set
- purses/wallets
- clothing/hats
Click to return to the main page
@* From Stacey's collection and used with permission
Berry big thanks to Kris, Angela, Jennifer, Melissa, Gail and all other 1991 friends online.
2/17/07