Friday , March 29 2024
Strawberry Shortcake: Jammin with Cherry Jam is a frothy musical DVD for girls with a positive message about friendship.

DVD Review: Strawberry Shortcake: Jammin With Cherry Jam

When my daughter was a little girl, she loved Strawberry Shortcake. Now she is grown and a mom herself, and her daughter Ava and Ava’s cousin, Adeleine, will be the next generation to watch this sweet series.

But in Strawberry Shortcake: Jammin WIth Cherry Jam, this Strawberry Shortcake and her friends are not the way I remember them. For one thing, they act older, more like young teens than little girls, This is a trend in shows for little girls, it seems, and it bothers me a little bit. Is there something wrong or uninteresting about kids just being kids?

Nevertheless, there’s a lot of charm in this musical froth, in which Strawberry Shortcake and her pals, who live in Berry Bitty City and each have fruit-themed names, clothing, and even pets, meet singing superstar Cherry Jam. Most of the girls are star-struck, but it turns out Cherry only wants to be treated like a normal girl and be friends. 

Through their friendship with Cherry, the girls and all the inhabitants of Bitty Berry City get to learn about music, overcome stage fright, meet a talent agent, and one even considers moving to Berry Big City. But in the end, they learn that while fame can be exciting, friendship is even more important and more fun.

The music is very upbeat and enjoyable and very professional. Even adults will find it easy to listen to, which is good since they will probably find that their children want to play the DVD over and over.

Among the special features are a music video, a dance-along video, and downloadable coloring pages.

American Greetings owns Strawberry Shortcake and Hasbro makes the toys. The video is, of course, also a promotion for the toys, as is the case with most children’s animation these days. Nevertheless, it’s a fun video with a positive message which girls will enjoy. I imagine the hope is that it will attract not only small girls but tweens as well. I expect the ideal audience will be from around four to eight years old, though.

Strawberry Shortcake and her friends are still as sweet as their names sound, and if  you have young girls, they will probably love this harmless bit of fruity fluff.

About Rhetta Akamatsu

I am an author of non-fiction books and an online journalist. My books include Haunted Marietta, The Irish Slaves, T'ain't Nobody's Business If I Do: Blues Women Past and Present, Southern Crossroads: Georgia Bluesand Sex Sells: Women in Photography and Film.

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