Cherry Jam and CinnaPup

Dear Readers,

Here is the new Cherry Jam doll from Bridge Direct.  A cute dog named CinnaPup is included in the package as well as a purple comb.  But cute as it may be, the puppy does not stand up very well on its own.  It kept falling down as I tried to take photos.

I couldn't help but compare the new version with the older one from Hasbro.  Their hair color is almost the same purple shade and they wear the same dress except for the flower which is only printed on the Bridge Direct dress while it's a button for the Hasbro doll. Their shoes are almost the same as well except there is a flower printed on the new doll.   

Can you see how the new doll has more defined hands?

The new Cherry Jam comes with a headband.  She also has much bigger eyes and her face is painted with bolder colors than the Hasbro doll.

They can wear each other's shoes and dress without any problem. I swapped their outfits to show you.

Here they are without their clothes.   The Hasbro doll is a tiny teensy thinner than the Bridge Direct doll.

From behind as well!

There is really nothing much that sets them apart except for their face.  I did notice however that the hair of the older version is better than the newer version.  The Bridge Direct doll's hair falls out in clumps when I brush it.  The Hasbro doll has smoother hair and it has never fallen down in clumps like this!  Also, the bangs of the Bridge Direct doll is covered with some sort of glue that makes it stiff.

I must admit it is one of the reason why I prefer the Hasbro doll over the Bridge Direct doll.  But maybe I am just not quick to embrace change.

Which doll do you prefer?

New Strawberry Shortcake Dolls by Bridge Direct

Dear Readers,

I went to Toys R Us today go buy some diapers and I walked across the new Strawberry Shortcake dolls made by Bridge Direct!!!

A few weeks ago, I posted (here) about Strawberry Shortcake dolls getting a new look by Bridge Direct which is now producing them instead of Hasbro.  I took pictures of the 3 inches dolls and the 5 inches dolls.  There were also a much bigger doll the size of a large Lalaloopsy but I was not interested in such big dolls.

The new Mini dolls seem to be the same size as the previous one and they even are packaged in the same type of box with many outfits and handbags.  They are also annoyingly leaving out Blueberry Muffin and Plum Pudding.  I think the package was $24.99 but I don't remember for sure.

The new doll look very similar to the older version by Hasbro but their eyes are quite different.

The 5 inches dolls are $9.99 and come with a pet and a comb.  I think they look older than the previous version and their hands/fingers are more defined but I don't have a side-by-side photo to show you since I didn't buy the new version.

There are four dolls at the same cost of $9.99.  You can see their pictures on the back of the box.

The 5 inches dolls are also released in a special collection entitled "SWEET BEATS DOLLS".  Those dolls are priced at $12.99 and include a  musical instrument, a comb and a microphone.   If you are familiar with the cartoon, you will notice that the dolls are paired with the same instruments they are portrayed with in the TV series.

Here below is Plum Pudding with her drums.

  Strawberry Shortcake with her guitar.

Raspberry Torte with her keyboard.

Strawberry Shortcake and Cherry Jam are released with a stage playset.

 In addition to the dolls from the Sweet Beats Band, there are also two other playsets with 5 inches dolls.

The Berry Café Playset with Strawberry Shortcake and a stove with some cakes and pies.

And Lemon Meringue's Salon with a chair, comb, mirror, and hair accessories.  These playsets are $12.99 if I remember correctly. 

The dolls are quite pretty and looks similar to the TV series but they do look different enough from the previous version.   I really like the music band concept and it reflects the cartoon so well that it probably would be a big hit with kids.  I know my own daughter was obsessed with the stage and pressing on the button to hear Cherry Jam and Strawberry Shortcake singing.

But I left the store without buying any of the new dolls.  I have all the 3 inches and 5 inches dolls released by Hasbro (well at least one doll for each character) and I don't see the need to get a new one.  I do like the Salon Chair very much but because it does not come with an actual salon, I won't get it.  Same thing with the stove.  It's a great size for the doll but it does not come with a dollhouse so I probably won't purchase it.

I doubt the toys will ever make it to a discount store but if they do, maybe I'll buy them but not now with the actual price tag.  I wonder if I will change my mind if a dollhouse or a hair salon is released.  It will all depend on the price too and how good it will look.

Do you like the new dolls and their playsets?  Would you buy them?

I saw other new dolls that I will blog about in my next post :)

New Strawberry Shortcake Dolls!

Dear Readers,

Have you seen the new Strawberry Shortcake Dolls?  I saw a few pictures of them from the New York Toy Fair held on February 2014.  You can see their pictures from Idlehands1 Blog (click HERE).

As soon as I saw them, I knew they were from another company.  Sure enough, Bridge Direct will now produce them instead of Hasbro.  Not that I am surprised because Hasbro has not released many new items lately and I was wondering what was happening.

But I am sad because I did like the Hasbro Strawberry Shortcake dolls very much.  They did well with the mini dolls and the 5 inches dolls.  They could have created so much more dollhouses, vehicles (Cherry Jam's bus, all the mini scooters, the hot air balloon!) and characters (Hello Huckleberry Pie!!!) but they slowed down production of new items so drastically last year that I was fearing the worst.

Well it's not really the worst now since a new company is taking over and there will be more minis and cute dollies but it's still a little upsetting to see them change the Strawberry Shortcake doll's look yet again.  After the initial Kenner dolls, there has been Bandai, Playmates, Hasbro and now Bridge Direct.

I am not really crazy about the new dolls but I do like the concept of featuring them in a band.  My daughter likes to watch the cartoon precisely because of the songs and seeing the dolls with musical instruments is a great addition to the toy collection.

The photos from the fair belongs to Idlehands1 blog so I am only showing one picture here. It's my favorite one because its' showing a chair from Lemon Meringue's hair salon!  I hope there will be more dollhouses as well.  I don't know about you guys but I have seen enough of Strawberry Shortcake's house, market, café, clubhouse, etc.  How about houses for the other dolls for a change?

The dolls are.. well, cute enough but I miss the Habro's sweet faces.  Oh  I hope the new dolls will be the same size too so they can share clothes with the Hasbro dolls.

I have not seen any pictures of the actual mini dolls yet.  I am glad they will still produce the mini dolls because they are by far my favorite items but I hope they will be just as cute as the previous ones.  They will be apparently available in the fall of this year.

Do you like the new Strawberry Shortcake look?

My Strawberry Shortcake Village

Over the years I have accumulated a few houses and dolls from the Strawberry Shortcake Collection by Hasbro.  Most are used toys that I found on Ebay or in garage sales.  I recently got lucky and found three items that were missing from my collection.

The Strawberry Shortcake Scooter was a used item but it came almost complete.  Strawberry Shortcake can take her cat along with her in the little cart that she pulls behind her scooter. 

The trays in the back, which are collapsible, carry cakes, sandwiches and ice cream.  The set also came with a Strawberry Shortcake doll, a helmet, a flag, and a belt so the doll can stay in place on the scooter.  The belt is very efficient and does the job well.

The Strawberry Shortcake Berry Best Friends Playset was missing the dolls, butterflies and the other small accessories but it still works fine.  Raspberry Torte and Plum Pudding certainly don't seem to mind.  It will start twirling if you manually turn the center yellow flower around.   The dolls stay in place and don't fall out.

The Strawberry Shortcake Splash-n-Petal Pool with the Flower Shower still working (but hard to use for small children).  To activate the shower, you fill the pool with water and press the lower leaf from the flower stem.  The flower will sprinkle water down.  It's a great hit with the children but beware, the pool leaks and the flower shower makes a mess so don't put this on something that you don't want to get wet!  The top area features a table shaped like a flower and an umbrella.  Underneath is a little pool that I suppose can be used for the pets or Berrykin figures.  Included in the set is a towel with its own towel rack.

I do have a few new toys that I have not opened yet (the Clubhouse and Smoothie Maker) because I want to give them as presents to baby when she'll be older.  But for right now, I think I have enough to make a little village for my Mini dolls.

Ah! If only Hasbro would create houses for Strawberry Shortcake's friends!  Then the village would look even better (and less pink?).  One can dream.

Strawberry Shortcake Mini Dolls and Sylvanian Families

In my previous post, I wrote about how little space I have in the Strawberry Shortcake houses from Hasbro and how little furniture it had.

Well I found a solution by using dollhouses from the Sylvanian Families collection (aka Calico Critters in the USA).  I apologize in advance for the state of the houses.  I bought them used and they show wear with stained walls and scratched floors. I could easily remedy this with wallpaper, some rugs, curtains, etc, but I haven't got a chance to beautify the houses yet.  So please bear with my ugly houses for the mean time :)

 

The little cottage models (aka Starter House) fit perfectly the size of the Strawberry Shortcake Mini Dolls.  Here below is Rose Cottage furnished with Re-ment items mixed with furniture from Strawberry Shortcake collection as well.  Don't you think it is much better now?

I especially like the pink Re-ment wardrobe.  Shaped like a strawberry, with doors you can open and hangers with clothes, this item is probably my favorite in the Re-ment serie.

 

The furniture from the Sylvanian Families collection also fit the Strawberry Shortcake Mini Dolls but not all of them. I took a few pictures to illustrate this.  Below is the same Rose Cottage with furniture from a Living Room Set and a Kitchen Set.

In the kitchen, you can see the oven, sink, pantry and fridge (which came from a different kitchen set) are the right size but the teapot and cooking pot are obviously too big for little Cherry Jam!  The bowls and canisters (with the red trim) are however the right size and so are the plants.

The Living Room Set fits perfectly! Lemon Meringue and Plum Pudding can enjoy a cup of tea while sitting in pretty and comfortable chairs :) 

The bathroom is also to scale.  The bath tub is spacious without being gigantic.  There is a hole in the bath tub though so don't fill it with water until you plug the hole!  The bedroom furniture are good too but the bed that fits the Mini Dolls the best is the one for the children (bunk bed serie).

Here below is a photo showing the different size of beds in the Sylvanian Families collection.  

 

Lemon Meringue sleeps in a bed from the Country Bedroom Set which is much too big.  

Cherry Jam sleep in the Sister's Bedroom Set and the bed is a little too big for her.

Orange Marmelade sleeps in one of the Children's Bunk Bed and it fits just right.

Raspberry Torte sleeps in the Baby's Bunk Bed and it is much too small for her.

Among all the furniture sets, I think the Living Room set was the best fit.  And the print with tiny little flowers is just adorable.  The coffee table resembles more a dining table due to its height.

The Dining Room Table and Chairs were unfortunately too big for the Mini Dolls.   But since the Strawberry Shortcake houses usually come with dining table and chairs, it wasn't much of a big deal.  Plus the children didn't really care that the table was too high.  They were just happy to get more furniture ;-)

Apart from furniture, the Sylvanian Families Collection has many more items that could fit the Strawberry Shortcake Mini Dolls. For example they have a bicycle that I though was darling! Strawberry Shortcake is  a little small but you can hardly notice it.   And Custard her cat fits perfectly in the front basket.   The one in the photo below is for an adult but there is also a model for children which I think could possibly suit the Mini Dolls better.  

All in all, I think most of the Sylvanian Families are to scale with Strawberry Shortcake, especially items from the Children's collection.  They are more expensive than the toys from Hasbro but they are also better made and there is a variety that you can't find within the Hasbro line of toys for Strawberry Shortcake. 

If you want to buy Sylvanian Families, I would suggest waiting for the sales.  There are a few sales throughout the year by Amazon, Toys R Us and other toys websites.  There is also the possibility to buy used (or new) toys on Ebay.  Sometimes houses and many furniture sets are sold in a lot.  But just a word of advice : don't bid higher than you are willing to pay.  Just remember there will be other auctions and the prices may be lower. So be patient and wait if you don't want to pay full price :)

Re-ment with Strawberry Shortcake Minis

You probably know by now that I am a big fan of Hasbro Strawberry Shortcake Mini Dolls :P

 

Apart from the dolls, I also bought a few of their buildings.  I deplore the fact that Hasbro creates houses mostly for Strawberry Shortcake and not many for the other dolls. Apart from Raspberry Torte's Fashion Boutique (which I have and discussed here) and Lemon Meringue's Berry Fruity Salon (which strangely come with one Strawberry Shortcake Mini Doll only and not Raspberry Torte nor Lemon Meringue), the other buildings are all for Strawberry Shortcake.  What about Plum Pudding's Dance Studio, Blueberry Muffin's Library, etc.? 

 

Hopefully the other houses will be released in the future.  The buildings I have for now are very cute but they are however flawed because they are so small and they don't come with many furniture.

 

Then I found out about the Re-ment Merry Strawberry Miniature collection! Most of the items from that collection will fit (well most will fit) the scale of the Hasbro minis. 

 

I tried putting them in Strawberry Shortcake Berry Bitty Market so you can see how it looks. I wished the Hasbro houses were bigger because there is not much space inside.  The photos don't even show half of the Re-ment Merry Strawberry Collection but already there is no more space.

 

I will tell you in my next post about what I did to house all the collection and how I created a house for the other dolls :)