The World of Strawberry Shortcake

The World of Strawberry Shortcake
A 19.75-year-old girl, dressed in a pinafore and wearing a pink dust cap on top of her hair, looks out to the right of a giant strawberry. On the strawberry, the words "The World of Strawberry Shortcake" are written in cursive.
Title card
GenreAnimated special
Written byRomeo Muller
Directed byCharles Swenson
StarringRussi Taylor
Romeo Muller
Robert Ridgely
Julie McWhirter
Joan Gerber
Theme music composerMark Volman
Howard Kaylan
Performed by:
Flo & Eddie
Lyrics:
Romeo Muller
Country of originUnited States
Japan
Original languagesEnglish
Japanese
Production
ProducersRomeo Muller
Charles Swenson
Fred Wolf
CinematographyTed McMiller[1]
Meguro Hirochi[1]
EditorRich Harrison[1]
Running time23 minutes
Production companiesMuller/Rosen[1]
Murakami-Wolf-Swenson[1][2]
Toei Animation[1]
RLR Associates (uncredited)[1][2]
Those Characters from Cleveland (uncredited)[1][2]
BudgetUS$400,000[3]
Original release
NetworkSyndication[2][4]
ReleaseMarch 28, 1980 (1980-03-28)[5][6]
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The World of Strawberry Shortcake is a 1980 animated television special written by Romeo Muller, directed by Charles Swenson, and produced by Swenson, Muller, and Fred Wolf. Starring the voices of Romeo Muller, Russi Taylor, Julie McWhirter, and Joan Gerber, it was made by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson in the United States in partnership with Toei Animation in Japan. The soundtrack was written and performed by Flo & Eddie of the rock group, The Turtles, for the opening theme of the series.

The plot follows the title character, Strawberry Shortcake, who lives in a fictional place called Strawberryland. In the special, narrated by Mr. Sun, she and her friends celebrate her sixth birthday, and with preparations for her party underway, a villain called the Peculiar Purple Pieman plots to steal the berries from Strawberry's home for making the "pies" that Strawberry baked.

The special was produced and sponsored by the Kenner toy company, as the first special to feature the American Greetings character, Strawberry Shortcake. Despite bypassing network television, it aired on March 28, 1980, having been syndicated across over ninety American cities, and was later released on 16mm film, VHS, Betamax, and DVD. The special received two positive reviews in the School Library Journal: in 1983 and 2007.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Swenson, Charles (director); Muller, Romeo (writer) (March 28, 1980). The World of Strawberry Shortcake. Syndication.
  2. ^ a b c d Woolery, George W. (1989). "The World of Strawberry Shortcake". Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962–1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 458–459. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2.
  3. ^ Salmans, Sandra (April 5, 2010). "When Merchandisers Guide the Animator's Hand". The New York Times. p. 27 (Section 2). Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  4. ^ Engelhardt, Tom (1986). "Children's Television: The Shortcake Strategy". In Gitlin, Todd (ed.). Watching Television: A Pantheon Guide to Popular Culture. Pantheon Books (Random House). pp. 72–73. ISBN 0-394-74651-1.
  5. ^ O'Connor, John J. (March 28, 1980). "TV Weekend Nuclear Power Debate; Friday/Sunday". The New York Times. p. C34. Retrieved September 3, 2010. Also of interest: (Friday) 'The World of Strawberry Shortcake' (WNEW, Channel 5, 8 P.M.). This animated special, it is emphasized, was designed for tots.
  6. ^ United Press International (UPI) (March 23, 1890). "Shortcake Program". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 19–H. Retrieved September 4, 2010.

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