Global rollout will reimagine Strawberry Shortcake for today’s digital-savvy kids, with original animated series, SVOD specials, a Roblox game and consumer product.
First launching over 40 years ago, Strawberry Shortcake came to be adored by generations, who cherished the little dolls with their signature strawberry scent. Now, WildBrain is pleased to announce that Strawberry Shortcake is back, with a new look and confident, savvy attitude for today’s kids in a new animated series, Berry in the Big City, plus a brand-new global franchise programme of events, toys, games, books, music, learning and experiences that kids can share with their mums and friends.
Michael Riley, chief brands officer, WildBrain, said: “While staying true to what makes Strawberry Shortcake special – her sweetness, scent and joyful strawberry motif – this new vision aims to inspire today’s girls with relevant and empowering themes of diversity, sustainability and entrepreneurship.”
WildBrain has teamed up with a selection of brand partners and has a schedule of events, social campaigns and activations lined up.
The relaunch marks the beginning of a new era for Strawberry Shortcake. In the early 1980s, the brand was licensed annually across US$ 500m worth of consumer products and went on to sell over 5m dolls, generating more than US$ 4b at retail to date.
September 18th will see the premiere of WildBrain’s original new animated series, Berry in the Big City, in an exclusive double-episode event on the official Strawberry Shortcake channel on WildBrain Spark, the company’s leading AVOD network on YouTube and YouTube Kids. Fans of Strawberry Shortcake can enjoy a sneak peek of the series in a trailer unveiled on the official channel, where new episodes will drop each Saturday following the premiere.
Produced by WildBrain’s Vancouver animation studio, Berry in the Big City finds Strawberry Shortcake traveling to Big Apple City. Along with her cat, Custard, she teams up with her new “berry besties” – Orange Blossom, Lime Chiffon, Lemon Meringue and Blueberry Muffin – as well as their lovable pets, on adventures filled with laughter and singing as they strive to “bake the world a better place.”
Michael Vogel, executive producer and showrunner on Berry in the Big City, said: “Working with WildBrain Studios to reimagine Strawberry Shortcake for Berry in the Big City has been a dream come true. This is a sweet and funny series, with modern, inclusive storytelling that I think today’s kids are going to love.”
Season one delivers 40 all-new four-minute adventures and a second 40-episode season has already been greenlit. WildBrain Studios is also in development on a slate of new, CG-animated 44-minute Strawberry Shortcake family specials for a major streaming platform.
From October, kids can enjoy WildBrain’s brand-new Roblox game, Baking with Strawberry Shortcake, which marks the brand’s debut on one of the popular 3D digital gaming platform.
WildBrain will roll out a new global franchise and licensing programme for the brand, featuring new toys, apparel, books and more, plus celebrity spotlights, social media activations, brand partnerships, baking demonstrations and competitions.
Central to the new consumer products programme, WildBrain has appointed Moose Toys as Master Toy Partner. Moose has been developing a line of new Strawberry Shortcake toys and playsets to be unveiled in the UK in A/W 2022.
Menal McGrath, vice president, Global Licensing, Moose Toys, said: “This aspirational, fun and fresh reimagining of Strawberry Shortcake gives us an incredibly exciting platform to deliver never-before-seen, ‘wow’ products that will redefine how consumers see and experience the brand.”
Visit Strawberry Shortcake at: www.strawberryshortcake.com
