Kids grow up so fast! So whenever I see my daughter, who is getting ready to graduate second grade in a few weeks, still enjoying herself playing with her Strawberry Shortcake dolls it always gets me smiling. It is nice to hold on to her being my little girl for as long as I can.
If there is a young girl in your life who loves Strawberry Shortcake as much as my daughter does, A Geek Daddy has a great giveaway for you! Courtesy of Fox Home Entertainment, I'm giving away the animated tale STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: DANCE BERRY DANCE on home video which is now available on Digital HD and DVD. For a chance to win follow @Geekdad248 on Twitter and retweet the embedded tweet below by
11:59 pm ET on June 4, 2017 for a chance to win. Must be a US resident
over 18 years old to participate and one winner will be randomly selected from all eligible entries.
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: DANCE BERRY DANCE
Dance along with Strawberry Shortcake and her friends' in this all new animated adventures! Apple causes “The Berry Bitty Dance Disaster” when she invents groove booties to keep up with her pals’ moves. Strawberry and Plum use the booties to teach puppies ballet, but one will become a “Doggie Dance No-Show.” And Cherry Jam must find a solution when she can’t escape the popularity of her “Dance Puppy Dance” song.
We have a tradition of popping up some popcorn and watching one of the Strawberry Shortcake DVDs from Fox Home Entertainment in our home video collection when my little girl want to spend some daddy-daughter time. DANCE BERRY DANCE is sure to make any Strawberry Shortcake fan very happy and whether your family has a shelf full of these DVDs or it is your very first one it will make a nice addition to any child's home video collection. Remember there are only so many years where your kids are going to want to spend time with you. Make the berry best of those opportunities while you can!
DISCLAIMER & GIVEAWAY RULESA Geek Daddy has not been financially compensated for this endorsement or hosting the giveaway. The prize is provided by Fox Home Entertainment. Must be a US resident over the age of 18 to participate. One entry per person and winner will be randomly selected from all eligible entries. Winner when notified by DM to their Twitter account has 48 hours to reply by providing a valid mailing address within the United States to accept the prize. Fox Home Entertainment will be responsible for shipping the DVD to the randomly selected winner. By participating in this promotion you waive any liability of any kind against the publisher of this blog as we are facilitating this free opportunity as a benefit to our readers.
** A Geek Daddy received the featured products for free to review **
My daughter always has a "berry" good time watching the Strawberry Shortcake videos that are released by Fox Home Entertainment. So when we got our hands on the newest one, "Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Hi-Tech Fashion," she couldn't wait to jump on the couch with her Lemon Meringue rag doll and a bowl of popcorn to enjoy herself watching the DVD. This 66 minute animated presentation is divided into three sweet adventures that have Strawberry Shortcake and her friends showing off their stylish sides while demonstrating the importance of always trying your best in the challenges life throws your way.
When I was a kid, all the girls in my neighborhood collected Strawberry Shortcake dolls that smelled like each character's personality -- blueberry muffin, lemon meringue, raspberry tart, and of course strawberry shortcake. These were all the rage with my sister and all her friends as we grew up in the 80's and now parents can share these same dolls that provided so manygreat playtime memories thanks to The Bridge Direct Inc. They've created special reproductions of these classic dolls from the 1980s that include all the original details -- including their berry sweet scents -- in both the vintage action figure and rag doll designs. These Strawberry Shortcake dolls are available at a variety of retail locations across the United States including Kmart, meijer, RITE AID, Spencer's, Target, Toys R Us, Walgreen's and Walmart.
The Bridge Direct's rag dolls are great for little girls to snuggle while enjoying a Strawberry Shortcake video from Fox Home Entertainment. After watching one of these videos, my daughter likes to reenact or expand upon the adventure she watched on DVD or Digital HD by playing with her classic Strawberry Shortcake dolls. These dolls with the original 1980's design also have some fun accessories available (The Berry Bake Shop, Berry House Playset & Strawberry Shortcake Scooter) which can further immerse children within the world of Strawberry Shortcake as they play.
Children can help Strawberry Shortcake create delicious cakes and pies with The Berry Bake Shop. What treats will your child want to imagine making and baking in the playset's oven with the included mix and match cakes and pies kitchen accessories? A vintage inspired sweet-scented doll is included to inspire kids imaginary baking creations.
Take Strawberry Shortcake's pet cat Custard for a spin around Berry Bitty City in the scooter created for these classic dolls. Safety first so make sure the rider is wearing the included helmet. A Custard cat figure with the strawberry themed scooter. Dolls to ride it must be purchased separately.
Party like it is 1980 with the Strawberry Shortcake Berry House playset. This retro-inspired doll house is not just great for inspiring kids to be creative in playing with their Strawberry Shortcake dolls but is a convenient way to store them as well. It includes party accessories like balloons, cakes and drinks. Plus it comes with a classic Strawberry Shortcake doll in a party dress along with a cat figure of her pet Custard.
To celebrate the release of STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: BERRY HI-TECH FASHION on Digital HD and DVD, A Geek Daddy has a berry special prize pack to giveaway to one lucky blog reader or social media follower courtesy of Fox Home Entertainment and The Bridge Direct. The prize pack includes the Digital HD version of the Berry Hi-Tech Fashion video along with a Strawberry Shortcake rag doll and Berry House Playset from The Bridge Direct Inc. To be eligible for this giveaway you must follow
@Geekdad248 on Twitter and retweet our original contest tweet
embedded below before November 13, 2016 @ 11:59 pm EST.
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: BERRY HI-TECH FASHION is now available from Fox Home Entertainment on DVD at retailers across the USA and via Digital HD Internet downloads. The hour long video features three short stories: "Berry Double Trouble," "Berry Bitty Adventure," and "High Tech Drama." When Strawberry Shortcake and her friends' favorite "berrynet" show announces a fashion tech contest, the girls put their heads together to show off their sensational style! But with the pals busy with their designs, there's "Berry Double Trouble" as two bickering twins, Sweet and Sour Grapes, try to keep the Berry Bake Shop running smoothly. The arrival of Strawberry's traveling cousin, Apple Dumplin, also throws things off-balance as everyone works to make their unexpected guest feel welcome in "Berry Bitty Adventurer." And as they prepare to unveil their berryriffic work, a little "High Tech Drama" threatens to unravel it all. Good thing these berry best friends know that sweet rewards come to those who work together!
DISCLAIMER & GIVEAWAY RULES
A Geek Daddy has not been financially compensated for this
endorsement or hosting the giveaway but has received the featured items free to review and for our family's personal use. The prize is provided by Fox Home Entertainment and The Bridge Direct Inc. A Geek Daddy is hosting the promotion as a
benefit to our readers. Must be a US
resident over the age of 18 to participate. One entry per person and
winner will be randomly selected
from all eligible entries. Winner when notified by DM to their Twitter
account has 48 hours to reply by providing a valid email and valid mailing address within the United States to accept the
prize. The provided Email address will only be utilized by A Geek Daddy for providing a digital download code for the video to the winner. The Bridge Direct Inc. will be responsible for shipping the doll portion of the prize pack to the winner. By participating in this promotion you
waive
any liability of any kind
against the publisher of this blog.
It's become an annual family tradition that we swing by the
local comic book store on the first Saturday morning in May to enjoy FREE COMIC BOOK DAY.
This is a special event hosted by comic book retailers and publishers
to entice new customers and reward existing ones for their loyalty.
Free Comic Book Day provides a selection of specially printed issues for this event that provide a sample of a publishers work or
an interesting one-shot story to promote a particular character or
series. This year there will be 50 free comic books that people can
select from and pick up from participating locations on Saturday, May 7, 2016. A nice aspect of this annual event is that there are always a variety of comics to select from that will be of interest to children, teens and adults so there is something for everyone in the family to pick up and bring home to enjoy.
Comic books catering to children this year include DC Super Hero Girls, the Pink Panther, Strawberry Shortcake, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Pokemon. Boom Studios always provides a nice comic book for youths to enjoy and this year's Summer Blast 2016, which features original stories of Dave Peterson's Mouse Guard and Jim Henson's Labyrinth, continues their streak of providing quality content on Free Comic Book Day.
Tweens and Teens will want to get their hands on Bongo Comic's Simpsons, IDW Publishing's ROM, Marvel's Avengers and Captain AmericaFree Comic Book Day editions, and Image Comic's Camp Midnight.
Adding an educational aspect to Free Comic Book Day, March provides a historical look at the 1960s civil rights movement from Congressman and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient John Lewis, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund provides a social studies lesson about the First Amendment in Defend, and Science Comics contains non-fiction stories that help explain how the world works.
The highlight of Free Comic Book Day is always picking up the special issue published for the event featuring one of my all time favorite super hero characters THE TICK. He's back again in 2016 with a 32 page full-color comic book featuring a brand new lead story that is being published for the first time in honor of Free Comic Book Day. SPOON!!!
2016 is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY'S 15th Anniversary and will be the fifth year in a row our family will be stopping by our local comic book shop to enjoy some freebies. To participate yourself, visit FreeComicBookDay.com and use the website's Store Locator to find local participating retailers in proximity to your zip code. Because of the increasing popularity of the event, you should contact participating locations in advance to confirm their hours, what their rules are (some stores let you take one of every available title while others limit peoples' selections to just 1 or 2 of the Free Comic Book Day publications), and if they are hosting any special events in conjunction with the comic books giveaway (artist signings, character appearances, costume contests, store discounts, etc.) to be prepared. Throw on your favorite sci-fi or super hero t-shirt, grab the kids and have some fun enjoying the comic book genre on Saturday, May 7, 2016.
The newest animated Strawberry Shortcake adventures are available beginning today on DVD and via Digital HD. Vacation time is sweeter than ever as Strawberry Shortcake and her pals go are featured in three berry new tales that are sure to get kids excited about their own upcoming Spring Break and Summer vacations. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: SWEET SUNSHINE ADVENTURES is an hour long culmination of three stories "The Berry Big Relay Race", "The Berry Best Treasure", and "The Berry Scary Fun Adventure" that I am sure will delight my daughter who regularly plays with these dolls and the numerous children that I am sure are out there just like her who love these fruity characters.
To share my daughter's excitement about the March 1, 2016 DVD and Digital HD release of STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: SWEET SUNSHINE ADVENTURES with our A GEEK DADDY readers we have a digital download of this set of video short stories to giveaway. To be eligible to win must be a US or Canadian resident, follow @Geekdad248 on Twitter and retweet our original contest tweet which is embedded below before March 7, 2016 @ 11:59 pm EST. Each RT will be assigned a number based on the order it was received
and we shall select our winner with random.org. Simple as that!
Vacation time is sweeter than ever with Strawberry and her pals! When a
sparkleberry accident forces the girls out of town, they find unexpected
fun in “The Berry Big Relay Race.” They then search for the “The Berry
Best Treasure,” but end up instead looking for their missing pups. And with the
power still out from the sparkleberry accident, the friends head to the woods in “The Berry Scary Fun
Adventure.” STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: SWEET SUNSHINE ADVENTURES is packed with adventures that are sure to delight kids.
FTC DISCLOSURE / DISCLAIMER:A Geek Daddy Blog will be
responsible
for selecting the winner of this contest, but Fox Home Entertainment is
responsible for fulfillment and delivery of the prize.
By participating in this contest you waive any liability towards A Geek
Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with
this promotion. Winner must be following the twitter account
@Geekdad248 at the time winner is randomly drawn to be eligible and so
he or she can be notified. Must reply to DM within 48 hours of
notification or a new winner will be selected. If you win this prize on
another blog, you will not be
eligible to win again. Must be a US or Canadian resident over 18 years
old. Winner is
subject to eligibility verification. Prize will be delivered by direct message or email in the form of a digital download code. The physical DVD is not part of the prize. A Geek Daddy
Blog did not receive any financial compensation but did receive the same gift package that is being awarded to one of
our readers for this
contest. A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this contest as a benefit to our
readers. Any opinions in this post are my own. A Geek Daddy is a member
of the Fox Home Entertainment Insiders Blogger Program receiving special
information and perks as part of its participation. #SweetSunshineInsiders
I am a member of the Fox Home Entertainment Insiders blogger program
and receive complimentary products for reviews and giveaways.
In recognition of our friends at Fox Home Entertainment releasing a new DVD of Strawberry Shortcake tales, I'm sharing some interesting trivia about the adorable red headed girl and her berry best friends plus a fun coloring page for A Geek Daddy blog readers to enjoy. Here are five interesting facts that you might not know about Strawberry Shortcake:
Strawberry Shortcake and her cat, Custard, were designed by greeting card illustrator Muriel Fahrion in 1977 and were part of a popular line of greeting cards for American Greetings' Juvenile & Humorous card department featuring the characters.
Strawberry Shortcake toys appeared in 1979 when American Greetings licensed the rights to Kenner Toys who at that time also had the rights to another brand that was growing in popularity called Star Wars. Kenner produced Strawberry Shortcake dolls that had hair that smelled like each character in the toy line,s fruit themed name until 1985, which also happens to be the same year that the toy manufacturer discontinued production of its line of Star Wars toys.
Strawberry Shortcake starred in an animated feature filmcalled The Sweet Dreams Movie that was released on October 7, 2006 and played in select theaters across the United States. Fox Home Entertainment released the movie on DVD in 2007.
From 1980 through 1985, back in the days when there were only a handful of stations you could watch on TV, Strawberry Shortcake and her gang of friends were featured in an annual television special. Plum Puddin who is one of the main characters in the current run of Strawberry Shortcake animated programming including the newly released DVD Berry Tales was first introduced in the very first TV special as a boy. The character then wasn't seen again in the television specials, toy line or any other licensed products until "he" was reintroduced as a "she" in 1984 with the introduction of a Plum Puddin doll by Kenner and inclusion in that year's annual television special.
American Greetings sold the ownership rights to Strawberry Shortcake in February of this year to Iconix Brand Group for $105 million dollars. Iconix purchases ownership of iconic brands then manages their licensing to manufacturers, retailers, and television, movie and video game producers. Some well known brands also owned by Iconix include Joe Boxer, London Fog, Ocean Pacific, The Sharper Image, Starter, and Umbro. In 2010, Iconix partnered with the Charles M. Schulz family to acquire all the assets related to the Peanuts comic strip from its longtime owner United Media creating a new company to manage this brand called Peanuts Worldwide which is 80% owned by Iconix and 20% owned by Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates. A 3D animated Peanuts Movieis being released at theaters across the USA on November 6, 2015.
On August 11, 2015, Fox Home Entertainment released on DVD some brand new animated adventures that provide a strawberry twist to some berry well know fairy tales. Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Talesfeatures some of my daughter's favorite bed time stories and if you have a little princess at home this is sure to delight her. I'm sure little boys at home would enjoy it too. This 71 minute long DVD is rated G and features three stories.featuring Strawberry Shortcake and her cast of friends. Please download and print out this fun Strawberry Shortcake coloring page from the DVD to enjoy:
In Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Tales, Plum Puddin learns to believe in herself when putting on a small
and simple play for a young audience during the tale of "Snowberry and the Seven
Berrykins". The next tale is "Berryella and
Prince Berry Charming" which focuses on guy friend Huck agreeing to act
in a production of this berry tale then quickly realizing that he'd be
happier working behind the scenes. Finally in "The Littlest Berrykin"
Strawberry, Lemon, and Raspberry star as three princesses on a quest to
rule a kingdom that realize during their adventure that they can never
succeed without kindness and generosity.
If you have a little princess in your life you'll want to check out the new Strawberry Shortcake DVD coming out on August 11, 2015 featuring animated stories putting a berry twist on some classic fairy tales. In Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Tales, Strawberry and her gang of berry best friends place themselves within some of my daughter's favorite bedtime stories featuring princes and princesses. Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Tales is rated G and is 71 minutes long featuring three stories. The DVD also features printable coloring pages you can download on your PC and a digital version of the show that can be viewed on mobile devices.
Join Strawberry Shortcake's friend Plum in "Snowberry and the Seven Berrykins" as she learns to believe in herself when putting on a small and simple play for a young audience. The next tale is "Berryella and Prince Berry Charming" which focuses on guy friend Huck agreeing to act in a production of this berry tale then quickly realizing that he'd be happier working behind the scenes. Finally in "The Littlest Berrykin" Strawberry, Lemon, and Raspberry star as three princesses on a quest to rule a kingdom that realize during their adventure that they can never succeed without kindness and generosity.
Thanks to our friends at Fox Home Entertainment we have a Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Tales DVD to provide one lucky A GEEK DADDY blog reader. For a chance to win you must be a U.S. or Canadian
resident over 18 years old and submit one or all of the
following
entry methods to earn up to 5 entries prior to 11:59 pm EST on Monday August 10, 2015. All valid entries will be assigned a number in the order
they are
received and one number will be selected to determine the winner using
random.org. E-mails will only be used to
contact the winner and deleted following the selection of a winner.
EMAIL (1 Entry) E-mail thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com your name and mailing address. Email subject line should be Berry Best Blog. FACEBOOK COMMENT (2 Entries) Visit A GEEK DADDY on Facebook and leave a comment on our contest post sharing what your favorite fairy tale is.
TWITTER POST (2 Entries) Follow @Geeky_Dad and tweet: A GEEK DADDY is the berry best blog - I want to win Strawberry Shortcake #BerryTales on DVD from @Geeky_Dad http://www.ageekdaddy.com/2015/08/strawberry-shortcake-berry-tales.html #Ad
Please download and print out the following Strawberry Shortcake coloring page from the DVD to enjoy:
DISCLAIMER:A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible
for selecting the winner of this contest, but Fox Home Entertainment is
responsible for fulfillment and delivery of the prize.
By participating in this contest you waive any liability towards A Geek
Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with
this promotion. If you win this prize on another blog, you will not be
eligible to win again. Winner is
subject to eligibility verification. Prize will be delivered by UPS or
FedEx so no P.O. Boxes are allowed as mailing addresses. A Geek Daddy
Blog did not receive any financial compensation but did receive
a review DVD for the blog and the prize that is being awarded to one of
our readers for this
contest. A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this contest as a benefit to our
readers. Any opinions in this post are my own. #BerryTales
Thanks to our friends at Fox Home Entertainment we have a fun coloring page to share and a dvd giveaway to promote the newest Strawberry Shortcake adventure to come to home video. My daughter is always thrilled whenever a new animated Strawberry Shortcake video comes out and will the excited that this adventure features stories revolving around cute little puppies. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: BERRY BEST IN SHOW will be released on dvd and for digital download on May 12, 2015. For a limited time, consumers will receive a copy of the “Perfect Puppy
Digital Story Book Download” by Cupcake Digital, Inc. with their
purchase. Hurry, supplies are limited!
Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Best in Show features Strawberry Shortcake and some new furry friends in delightful
“tails” about being yourself and encouraging others to do the same.
During his road trip to find homes for his orphan puppies, Huckleberry
Pie and his four-legged crew get stranded in Berry Bitty City. Luckily,
Strawberry and her berry best pals decide to help out with the strays in
“A Boy and His Dogs.” Blueberry Muffin and Huck become “Partners in
Crime” when they try to write a mystery story together…with surprising
results. And the fur is sure to fly when the girls try to help Huck
start a dog shelter in “The Mystery of the Disappearing Dog Show.” It’s a
howling good time with sweet doggy delights for everyone!
One lucky A GEEK DADDY blog reader will have the chance to win a free
DVD/Digital movie prize pack courtesy of our friends at Fox Home
Entertainment. For a chance to win Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Best In Show you must be a
US or Canadian resident over 18 years old and submit one or all of the
following
entry methods to earn up to 3 entries prior to 11:59 pm EST on Sunday May 10, 2015:
UPDATE: Congratulations to Laura from Clawson, Michigan who won the dvd/digital download.
E-mail thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com your name and mailing address. Email subject line should be BERRY BEST. (1 Entry)
All valid entries will be assigned a number in the order they are
received and one number will be selected to determine the winner using
random.org. E-mails will only be used to
contact the winner and deleted following the selection of a winner.
While you are waiting for Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Best In Show to arrive, have some fun with with this coloring page that highlights Strawberry playing with her new furry friends.
DISCLAIMER:A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible
for selecting the winner of this contest, but Fox Home Entertainment is
responsible for fulfillment and delivery of the prize.
By participating in this contest you waive any liability towards A Geek
Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with
this promotion. If you win this prize on another blog, you will not be
eligible to win again. Winner is
subject to eligibility verification. Prize will be delivered by UPS or
FedEx so no P.O. Boxes are allowed as mailing addresses. A Geek Daddy
Blog did not receive any financial compensation but did receive
a review DVD for the blog and the prize that is being awarded to one of
our readers for this
contest. A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this contest as a benefit to our
readers. Any opinions in this post are my own.
If you have a little girl in your life like I do then you are probably very familiar with Strawberry Shortcake the cute little sweetheart with a fruity getup that was originally created by Muriel Fahrion in greeting cards for the American Greetings company. The character was expanded to a line of dolls produced by Kenner Toys (the same company that made the Star Wars action figures in the 70s & 80s that I played with as a kid) and became a huge fad with young girls in the 1980s. I remember my sister had a number of the dolls in the Strawberry Shortcake collection and all the kids on the block were wowed by how each of the figurine's hair smelled like her fruit or desert theme. During the 80's Strawberry Shortcake was everywhere with clothing, books, stickers, television specials, even her own Atari video game from Parker Bros to go along with the toy line. Interest waned in the 90s but you wouldn't know that now as she is as popular as she has ever been with a new toy line by Hasbro that and a series of television shows and movies distributed by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. I can testify to her renewed popularity because my daughter has a bed room full of clothes, dolls, toys, books, and videos featuring the character. So Strawberry Shortcake turns 35 years old this year and during that time she has grown a little older moving from a young girl to a tween but she is still a very sweet thing that never became spoiled.
If it is too brisk to go out and play this winter, print out and enjoy the coloring page above to keep your kids entertained. It is promoting the upcoming release of a new Strawberry Shortcake feature titled SNOWBERRY DAYS that will be available on DVD and via digital download on February 10th, 2015. Additionally, in honor of Strawberry Shortcake's 35th birthday one lucky A GEEK DADDY blog reader will have the chance to win a free DVD/Digital prize pack courtesy of our friends at 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. For a chance to win this prize pack you must be a
US or Canadian resident over 18 years old and submit one or all of the
following
entry methods to earn up to 3 entries prior to 11:59 pm EST on Sunday February 1, 2015:
UPDATE: Congratulations to Homa from Vegas who won the Strawberry Shortcake dvd prize.
Entry 1: E-mail thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com your name and
mailing address. Email subject line should be Snowberry Days.
Entry 2: LIKE our facebook page and include the name of the FB account you used in your email.
Entry 3: Follow us on Twitter ( @Geeky_Dad ) and include your twitter handle in your email.
All valid entries will be assigned a number in the order they are received and one number will be selected to determine the winner using random.org. E-mails will only be used to
contact the winner and deleted following the selection of a winner.
Strawberry Shortcake: Snowberry Days
‘Tis the season for winter fun in these berry cool Strawberry
Shortcake episodes. A fun-filled playtime is interrupted when someone
notices that the squirrels are low on supplies in “The Berry Long
Winter.” Blueberry’s success with her own specially designed ice skates
have the other girls feeling left out in “The Big Freeze.” And
Raspberry’s spring fashion show plans are put “On Ice” when cold weather
and an out-of-control fountain covers the catwalk fruit-colored ice.
Join Strawberry and her berry best friends as they discover working with
others ensures a Snowberry good time for everyone.
DISCLAIMER:A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible
for selecting the winner of this contest, but Fox Home Entertainment is
responsible for fulfillment and delivery of the prize.
By participating in this contest you waive any liability towards A Geek
Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with
this promotion. If you win this prize on another blog, you will not be
eligible to win again. Winner is
subject to eligibility verification. Prize will be delivered by UPS or
FedEx so no P.O. Boxes are allowed as mailing addresses. A Geek Daddy
Blog did not receive any financial compensation but did receive
a review DVD for the blog and the prize that is being awarded to one of
our readers for this
contest. A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this contest as a benefit to our
readers. Any opinions in this post are my own.
A brand new Strawberry Shortcake adventure is coming out on DVD and via Digital Download on September 16, 2014 and thanks to our friends at Fox Home Entertainment one lucky A Geek Daddy Blog reader will get a free copy of their very own. For a chance to win a DVD/Digital Download movie prize pack you must be a US resident over 18 years old and submit one or both of the following entries prior to 11:59 pm EST on Sunday September 14, 2014:
ENTRY 1 - email thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com your name and mailing address with the subject line Strawberry Shortcake DVD.
ENTRY 2 - leave a comment on this post sharing your favorite strawberry shortcake character other than Strawberry Shortcake herself and tell us why. If you need some inspiration, print out the coloring sheet below and decorate it with your kids.
All valid entries will be assigned a number and one number will be randomly selected to determine the winner.
About the DVD
It's friends first for Strawberry Shortcake and her favorite gal pals in Berry Best Friends!When Orange Blossom's general store overflows with a new line of fruits and veggies, she tries to handle all the details without any help from others, and as a result, she's exhausted! Strawberry is excited to be building a new marketplace, but has a tough time learning how to graciously say, "no thank you." Both soon learn that talking about what you need is the best berry thing to do. Next, when the BFFs form a new band called Strawberry and the Sweet Beats, they're jazzed to head out on the road...except Orange, who is afraid to admit that she doesn't want to leave home. Once she tells her friends how she feels, she's ready to set out for a rockin' good time!
DISCLAIMER:A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible
for selecting the winner of this contest, but Fox Home Entertainment is
responsible for fulfillment and delivery of the prize.
By participating in this contest you waive any liability towards A Geek
Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with
this promotion. If you win this prize on another blog, you will not be
eligible to win again. Winner is
subject to eligibility verification. Prize will be delivered by UPS or
FedEx so no P.O. Boxes are allowed as mailing addresses. Any emails collected in this contest will only be used to contact
the winner and all those received will be deleted at the conclusion of
this contest. A Geek Daddy Blog did not receive any compensation beyond
a review DVD for the blog and the prize that is being awarded to one of our readers for this
contest. A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this contest as a benefit to our
readers.
Nickelodeon's popular Dora the Explorer franchise is getting a reboot this summer with the debut of a new television series titled DORA & FRIENDS: INTO THE CITY! Coming in August, Dora & Friends has a more grown up version of the character moving from the jungle to the city. This new tween Dora is ditching her trusted backpack for a smartphone with a map app and abandoning her monkey pal Boots for a new group of kid friends from school. Dora and Friends will air during the Nickelodeon preschool block of programming on the cable channel's week day schedule.
Nickelodeon promises new city, new friends, new adventures in its synopsis of this new series:
Together, all for one! Get ready for big adventures with Dora and Friends: Into the City! Dora's moved to a beautiful pan-Latino metropolis by the sea called Playa Verde, entered a diverse new school, and is busies than ever.
She's also found a new group of friends - Alana, Emma, Naiya, Kate, and Pablo - with a shared passion for learning and exploring who join her on new pop/rock-infused adventures in the city. But this is no ordinary city. Down side streets, in the park, even under the school there are portals to magical worlds filled with surprises, obstacles and villains waiting to test our friends with curricular challenges and exciting emotional stakes!
Armed with an ancient magical charm bracelet, a trusted Mapp App, and the strength that comes from working with bright, funny and loving friends, Dora invites preschoolers to join her in saving the day, solving problems, speaking Spanish, and giving back to the community.
This show at first glance seems like a nice effort to refresh a popular brand that has become somewhat dated and tired after a 14 year run. Now I admit not having seen the show yet and it may be that I'm just being a grumpy old troll but this new series does irk me a little bit. Children grow up fast enough as it is, do we really need to be infusing tween elements into stories aimed at preschoolers. This series looks like a nice step-up to keep Dora's fans tuned in through kindergarten and elementary school (7 - 11 years old) but should it really be marketed to a 3-7 year old preschool audience. In that vein maybe the next brand revamp could have Elmo reach out to preschoolers in a Sesame Street spin-off from a Monster High School.
Preschool now is what kindergarten was when I was a child. Kindergarten used to be a half day adventure that included a snack, playground time and a nap while learning your numbers and letters. Now children come out of full day session knowing reading and math skills. It just seems to me that this new Dora show continues a societal trend that pushes kids to act older and more mature at younger and younger ages.
Dora the Explorer has been a big part of my children's preschool years. Our house has been littered with DVDs, toys, and books featuring Dora's adventures with her friends Boots the Monkey, Tico the Squirrel, Isa the Iguana, Benny the Bull, and Swiper the Fox. Learning basic skills with a map and a backpack reinforced the elementary nature of learning. Now Boots, along with his animal buddies and the map and backpack, are getting the boot. They are being replaced with fashionable children with smart phones living in the city. Along with the valuable messages this franchise provides to children (value learning, imagination, multi-culturism) it appears it will also be throwing in themes involving fashion, shopping and make-overs that you have to ask are they really appropriate for an audience of 3-7 year old children?
Dora isn't the first cartoon character aimed at young children to get a modern tween make-over. Recently, Strawberry Shortcake did the same thing with characters who have a focus on being popular, being fashion conscious and always chatting on a cell phone....what some parents have called a "berry disturbing make-over." While as parents we may not be able to control what media and toy companies produce, we do have the power to control what we allow our children to watch and play with. To be fair, I will probably screen Dora & Friends for my kids to get a better appraisal of the show and my initial reaction to it, but as of right now I'm leaning toward having the TV turned off to this program for my 5 year old twins until they are a little bit older. Sorry Dora, but it looks like you are going to join SpongeBob Squarepants on the blocked list.
I have to admit a lot of the things that I review on the A GEEK DADDY blog really often have a more interesting connection for my son than my daughter based upon their personalities and likes. So my daughter was thrilled when the newest Strawberry Shortcake DVD movie arrived in the mail from Fox Home Entertainment for our family to review. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: FUN UNDER THE SUN with its tropical themes came at a great time as summer vacation for my kids is just beginning.
The synopsis for the DVD is: Join Strawberry Shortcake and her berry best pals on some sweet sunshine adventures! Blueberry makes a berry big blunder when she overhears Strawberry and thinks her friend is taking all the pals on a tropical vacation. After Blueberry makes some very funny attempts to make things right, Orange Blossom tries to build the girls their own fabulous resort. When they all work together to make it Berry Bitty City-style, it's perfect...so perfect, in fact that TV host Mavis Maraschino decides to do a segment on Cherry Jam right then and there! Will the girls ever get the Fun Under the Sun they've been dreaming of?
The DVD features three separate 22 minute episodes that all have a Fun Under the Sun theme. In addition to entertaining their audience the shows also have some positive messages incorporated into their stories involving topics such as the importance of honesty and telling the truth, valuing friendship, and promoting imagination and creativity. The DVD also features some special features that include a music video titled "It's a Beautiful Lovely Wonderful Day" and Strawberry Shortcake themed coloring pages that you can download on your computer and print out. Talking about coloring pages, here's one you can have your kids enjoy (click to enlarge):
In the first episode, Blueberry overhears Strawberry talking about a
tropical vacation and assumes that Strawberry is taking along all of her
friends. The secret gets out and the girls become overly excited and start big
getaway.
Blueberry discovers she heard Strawberry talk about the trip as her entry
into a contest giveaway and realized it wasn’t an actual vacation. Rather than
tell her friends the truth, she continues to make up stories about the trip,
trying to discourage the girls from going. Eventually, she tells her friends
the truth and all is forgiven.
In the next episode, Strawberry Shortcake and her friends are planning their
big vacation before the end of Summer and discover the resort is closed due to
bad weather. Orange Blossom comes up with a great idea: to create their own
resort. The girls are so busy building the resort that they lost sight of the
true meaning of the trip, spending time together.
In the final episode, the Strawberry Shortcake friends are packing their favorite belongings to
take on their vacation when TV celebrity Mavis Marichino shows up to film a segment for her new show about the girl's resort. Mavis drives the girls crazy enough that
they come up with a plan on how to get her to leave so they can enjoy their
vacation.
One thing I did notice while my children were watching this video was that there has been a significant alteration to the Strawberry Shortcake characters from their previous animated television series incarnation that my kids currently watch on Netflix. In the previous animated series, the Strawberry Shortcake characters had a more elementary school aged vibe to them and were engaged in stories similar to what you might see in episodes of shows like Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer or the Disney Channel's Doc McStuffins that were aimed at preschooler to elementary school age audience. My son and daughter both love to watch those shows. The Strawberry Shortcake characters are "grown up" in Fun Under the Sun and aimed at an older girl focused audience compared to the previous television shows.
In Fun Under the Sun, Strawberry Shortcake and her pals are portrayed more as tweens or teens. They are now very focused on being style-conscious and popular, things that are important to tweens and teens but not necessarily to younger children. These new episodes on the DVD have more of a Barbie or Disney Princess vibe to them than the tom boy portrayal on the Netflix Strawberry Shortcake shows we've seen. My son is always very interested and enjoys watching the Strawberry Shortcake animated series episodes on Netflix along with his sister, but he left the room a quarter way into the first episode of Fun Under the Sun to go play with some toys and never showed any interest to watch the rest of the DVD. On the other hand, my daughter giggled throughout all three episodes and asked to watch them again right after the last one concluded. So if you have daughters age 5 - 12, I'd recommend picking up the DVD to enjoy on a rainy summer day or to watch on a portable DVD player/laptop/tablet (digital version is also available) during a long vacation road trip or flight. If you are looking for something to entertain a combination of girls and boys or children under the age of 5 this probably wouldn't be your best bet.
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: FUN UNDER THE SUN DVD was released on May 13, 2014 and is available to purchase from retailers now. The DVD also includes a digital download (via UltraViolet) for use on computers, smart phones, laptops and so on.
DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: FUN UNDER THE SUN DVD from 20TH CENTURY/FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT to review. The views and opinions expressed are my own. I was not mandated to write a positive review to receive the product.
