On to the first episode of the 2003 series: Meet Strawberry Shortcake!
First things first, like I said, I only saw a few episodes of this series. The first four episodes (Which are 45 minutes long without commercials I might add) do look a little odd, but only a little. Just look closely at their eyes throughout this episode, they're gonna seem off during some moments of this episode. This is most noticeable in the intro. The later episodes get better, though.
We open up in Strawberryland. Unlike in the previous version, everything is normal sized and each character lives in their own lands based on their personality and treat they represent. Strawberry Shortcake introduces this world to us with her pets, Custard and Pupcake.
"Wait!" you say. "Didn't he belong to Huckleberry Pie?" Yes he did. But now he belongs to Strawberry now. We'll see Huck's new pet in a later episode, though. Of other note, Custard talks in the version, and embodies the Cats Are Snarkers trope to a T. It's not like in the third special where you see her speak for like 30 seconds and goes back to being a Silent Snarker, she talks in just about every episode. Pupcake also tends to knock her over a lot as a Running Gag. Get used to it.
Strawberry says that this is a place you'll enjoy if you like berries, berries, and more berries. The berries can be so big to the point you can carry a single one in a wheelbarrow and the snowflakes even become berries. Okay, Strawberry, your new look is adorable and all, and Strawberryland's a nice place, but I think we get the idea.
Oh, the voice actress this time is Sarah Heinke. Like Russi Taylor before her, she does a good job of voicing the title character and stuck around for a remainder of the show's run. Sarah Kolosky voices Custard for the first four movies, but was no longer interested in playing the character, so Anna Jordan took over for the rest of the series. And then there's Huckleberry Pie. Daniel Canfield voiced him for the first four episodes as well, then got replaced by James Street, and played him again after James tragically dies in a skateboarding accident.
Custard complains about living in Strawberryland, saying that while there's strawberries, blueberries and boysenberries, there's no tunaberries. Strawberry tells her that the don't exist for berry obvious reasons, and also says that while she always looks on the bright side, Custard is more cynical. I must admit having a protagonist in a Sugar Bowl setting makes things more interesting. Just look at characters like Grumpy Bear from Care Bears or Twilight Sparkle at the beginning of Friendship is Magic. She serves her pets breakfast and Pupcake scarfs his food own while Custard refuses to eat hers, so Pupcake takes care of that, much to her disgust.
Strawberry looks out the window and sees what looks like a flower parachute coming down. From under it pops a baby and we see the new version of Apple Dumplin', who has just turned one according to Strawberry. Ain't she pretty young to be doing stuff like this? Anyway, she sees a wish berry flower on the ground and blows it, saying she wishes for a birthday party for her little sister. We then go inside her home and Pupcake just can't stop being a clumsy oaf. In the kitchen, she says she needs a list. She says she needs to following for the party; cookies, fruit, juice, party hats and a birthday cake.
Strawberry says they'll need to travel to all sorts of lands to get the things they need. Custard doesn't like the idea, and would rather meet cats similar to her. Besides, she doesn't think they'll like them and vice-versa. Strawberry tells her that differences make the world better and that everything being the same would be boring. Really, with the personality clash, I'm thinking I should keep score for those two. With that in mind:
Strawberry 1, Custard, 0.
They decide to follow the trail and come across a sign pointing toward Cookie Corners, but not before Pupcake accidentally screws up the sign. When they arrive, they hear all sorts of strange machinery to the point where they have trouble hearing it. Pupcake decides to chase butterfly and we then see a girl loading sweets onto the truck before Pupcake knocks over and makes her drop them. Strawberry apologizes, as does Pupcake by licking her face. Oh, this girl is a new character named Ginger Snap, who's actually one of my favorites in the series. She's basically an inventor and talks ridiculously fast, especially in later episodes.
She decides to show Strawberry around the factory, and it's time for a song about cookies! Many of the songs generally have a Disney Acid Sequence accompanying them throughout the series. The 80's version did this from time to time, but nowhere to the extent of what this series is doing. Of other note, look at Custard during the song. She seems pretty annoyed.
After it ends, Ginger calls her invention "The Amazing Cookie Machine". Sadly, Pupcake still has no self-control and accidentally presses one of the levers down, causing the machines to move faster than normal. What's worse is that he's trapped on the conveyor belt. Strawberry pulls one of the levers, but it goes in reverse and starts making a huge mess in the process. She then pulls both down stopping the machine and then leaving with her pets and Apple.
She scolds Pupcake, telling him to be more careful. She probably lost a friend in Ginger Snap due to his antics. Fortunately, this isn't the case and invites her back in to help get the machine working again. The machine starts working properly and starts churning out various cookie types again, including a tuna cookie for Custard, who instantly enjoys it. Pupcake does eye the treats coming off the conveyor belt, but Strawberry tells him to come back here instead and actually listens to her for once. Now that's being a repsonsible pet owner! Ginger gives them a batch of cookies and an extra one for luck. With a friend made and item #1 off the list, she goes on to get the next item, juice.
We stop by an orange orchard known as Orange Blossom Acres, and we see the new version of Orange Blossom. So she basically named this entire area after herself. A song already breaks out about friendship long before Strawberry even gets to know her. And then they perform in a duet just like in the second special, but with no... er... moments like before. As the song ends, Pupcake tumbles into a tree and he's buried in oranges. After the introductions, Orange offers them juice while they're here. Custard, being the picky cat that she is, doesn't want it. Orange says, "If you're kind to the earth, it'll give you all of the delicious food you need." So Orange is an environmentalist now? Custard still refuses so Orange offers her milk instead, which she likes.
The next item is a cake. Custard hopes for one tuna flavored. I'm getting a little sick of Custard being picky by this point...
The next area they enter is called Cake Walk. They notice the frosting on the fence and Custard finishes an Incredibly Lame Pun for Strawberry of the "This land takes the cake!" kind. We then see another re-imagined character in Angel Cake, who's nowhere near as ridiculously polite as her 80's counterpart. That, IMO, is for the best. She invites Strawberry after learning about the party she's having for her little sister. They first try a Pound Cake, which is way too heavy for Strawberry and a Sponge cake that literally leaks water. What kind of cake chef is she, anyway? Then we come across something more normal in a German Chocolate Cake. None of these interest her, so Angel hands her book on what cake she wants.
Strawberry finds an Apple Tree cake which interests her and decides to place an order for it. Angel Cake decides to get the work on it, but when she's informed that the deadline is this afternoon, she tells her that she can't make it in time for the party today. Just as they decide to leave, Strawberry gets the idea to work with Angel on making the cake for the party today. Angel says she work alone, but is willing to make an exception. Everyone participates except for Pupcake, who Strawberry says is in need of a nap. Given what happened last time, she's not taking any chances.
No songs, but an instrumental version of the intro theme plays while they're working on the cake. Custard's on clean up duty lapping up the mess and eventually the cake is finished in record time. Three down, two to go!
They head to get some party hats, and they head towards Upper Hat Rack. But as Strawberry checks the map, she notices something off about the area. They keep going, trying to find a way around the peppermint fence, but no dice. They're lost. They then hear a British accent, but with no clue as to where it's coming from. Eventually, they see a horse who is known as Honey Pie Pony. Aside from Custard, this the only other animal that talks. She says she can help them find their way through the area, but she gets distracted and proceeds to tell them all kinds of stories. They nearly fall asleep and Strawberry has to tell her they have to go to Upper Hat Rack to get some party hats. She decides to accompany them along the way there.
They still get lost and with no clue as to where they're ever going at this point. Something tells me she did this on purpose to tell them more stories. Strawberry wonders if someone is watching them and Pupcake climbs a nearby tree. We then cut to a first person view of someone looking through a spyglass, which Pupcake licks. He then drops down through a trap door and falls on top a boy, and they both tumble down the walkway. I think it's hard to count the number of times Pupcake doesn't do this to someone.
They step inside and we see Pupcake licking Huckleberry Pie, who's now into sporta and tends to speak with cringeworthy dialogue from time to time. He offers to let them look at his spyglass, and Strawberry notices a chocolate river. This is far from surprising, because we've seen a few chocolate rivers already. Huck says it's The River Fudge and invites them to check it out. On the way there, she wants to know where Upper Hat Rack is, and Huck tells them it's miles from here.
Do do do dooo waaaaaaahhhhhhhh....
Huck decides to improvise by making hats out of the nearby trees and bushes, giving them their party hats. They reach the River Fudge and Pupcake decides to smother Strawberry with kisses. In doing so, he accidentally knocks the wheelbarrow down the hill and it's head towards the river with Apple still riding it. Strawberry immediately hops on Honey Pie and hauls ass to save her sister and the equipment. Using a makeshift lasso from vines, she snags the wheelbarrow and saves everything in time before it falls in. The celebration is short lived, as while she safely takes Apple out of the wheelbarrow, the wheelbarrow starts to go downhill again and trip over a rock. Huck has a skateboard and manages to catch everything but the wheelbarrow, which does into the river. Time to build a boat!
They nearly finish it, but Pupcake decides to be The Load again by unintentionally sabotaging it by pulling the string, dismantling it. Strawberry recover the string and Pupcake and the Huck says that dog at least needs to be trained. Oh, really? But Strawberry just says he wants to have fun and has Apple Dumplin' watch him for a while by playing fetch with his favorite bone. The eventually get the boat finished and Huck sends them off. Oh, and I took the time to screencap a moment that screams Ship Tease. Just look at it! They bid them farewell, and Honey Pie promises them to tell them a few more stories with her. Actually, we've had enough of those for one day. But I think somepony would enjoy your company, though.
While they sail back home, Strawberry tells Custard that she's shown an interest in Huck's friendship despite being human, much to her complete shock.
- Custard: I guess I just thought of him as Huck.Strawberry: That's what friendship is all about! When you forget what people look like, and you like them for what they are inside!Custard: Actually, Huck has quite a few cat-like qualities inside.
Typical. Of course, doesn't bother to tell us which qualities. I'm curious has to how she puts up with Strawberry and the rest then...
Anyway, they're back home and they have everything they need. Except they forgot to invite people over! Kinda makes you wonder why she spent so much of her time alone up to this point.
They quickly decide to send in invitations to the people they just met earlier. Strawberry asks Pupcake to decorate the paper with paint while Apple makes sure that there's enough for him to dip his paws into. Custard writes the invitations with her tail and Strawberry sends them out when they're done. They also look like butterflies, making it look like they're flying when she sends them out. In invitations somehow manage to find their way to the people they met earlier and they make their way towards Strawberry's house. No sooner does everyone arrive, we're treated to a song, and a birthday song no less. The party becomes a complete success, and Custard's cynicism drops by at least 5 points in the process. Then we get another song about life in Strawberryland. Custard also doesn't feel like participating, but does so anyway near the song's end. And now for the credits!
Well, this is off to a promising start, I like the character designs and the writing is better than in the 80's specials. But another thing that I really liked was the character interaction and the amount of depth they have. Now the real question is how much? I guess we'll find out.
