Strawberry Shortcake: Bright Lights, Big Dreams

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Strawberry and friends learn etiquette and teamwork.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this collection of three episodes from Strawberry's Berry Bitty Adventures is filled with entertaining and valuable lessons shown through example. Strawberry and her friends are polite, considerate, and eager to work together to solve problems, and the characters who act selfish, obnoxious, and overly competitive learn through direct experience the error of their ways. The series is part of a longstanding product line of toys, books, games, and accessories.

  • Each episode demonstrates the importance of using kindness and respect when working with others. Each story centers on its own set of social themes and has positive lessons for kids about getting along with others and being the best person you can be.
  • Strawberry Shortcake and her friends learn valuable lessons on proper manners and etiquette, sharing, working together, and having fun. When dealing with rude houseguests, Strawberry always does her best to take the high road, and her friends show that it's better to be honest with guests like these instead of making things worse by lying. When Plum Pudding pushes the girls too far in her zeal to win the big dance competition, everyone learns important lessons on doing your best, but not overworking yourself and everyone around you to the point of exhaustion, potential injuries, and at the sacrifice of any enjoyment that could be had from the experience. 
  • Strawberry Shortcake is always striving to be "berry nice." She shares her ideas as well as her possessions and encourages others to do the same, she always helps her friends, and even when those around her are being difficult, she never sinks to their level. Strawberry is also seen playing guitar and learning to write her own songs. 
  • Sadiebug and Kadiebug get a little out of hand in their selfishness and obnoxiousness as they fight over objects they each claim as their own. They destroy Strawberry's kitchen through rambunctious behavior. 
  • Not applicable.
  • Not applicable.
  • The series is part of a longstanding product line of toys, books, games, and accessories. The beginning of the DVD has commercials for other Strawberry Shortcake DVDs, as well as a commercial for Strawberry Shortcake figurines.

What's the story?

This DVD is a collection of three of Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures. In the first episode, Strawberry (voiced by Anna Cummer) learns how to entertain guests, but her manners are put to the test when Kadiebug and Sadiebug arrive and act spoiled and obnoxious. In the second episode, Strawberry and her friends enter a magazine contest and try to break world records at various endeavors in order to benefit their friend Berrykin Bloom. In the third episode, Plum Pudding (Ashleigh Ball) enters the girls in the annual dance contest, and since they lost the year before, she tries to overwork them to the point of exhaustion in order to win this year's competition. 


Is it any good?

 

While young kids will almost certainly be entertained by the occasionally silly behavior of Strawberry Shortcake's friends, what should appeal to both kids and parents is how Strawberry upholds positive values through example. As anyone who knows anything about Strawberry Shortcake will tell you, she often speaks of the importance of being polite, of sharing, and of working together to solve problems. She also shows why such values are necessary -- both in her world and in ours -- through her actions. 

And as these values are being shown through Strawberry's actions, behavior that isn't nice -- selfishness, obnoxiousness, not sharing -- is shown through other characters, and these characters learn from the negative consequences of these actions and grow toward being kinder to those around them. How Strawberry deals with Kadiebug and Sadiebug especially -- two bugs who act bratty and self-centered -- provides a strong positive example for kids and adults who deal with similar characters in real life. The DVD should also trigger constructive discussions on the differences between doing your best and times when trying too hard can be unhealthy.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about being polite when being a guest in others' homes. Why is it important to be nice and respectful of other people's houses and their possessions? 

  • Have you ever been around people who were selfish and rude in public? How did it make you feel? How did you react to them? 

  • While it's good to always do your best, what might happen if you try so hard that you don't sleep and never take a break?


This review was written by Brian Costello

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This review was written by Brian Costello
Topics:friendship, great girl role models
Studio:Twentieth Century Fox
Director:Bob Hathcock
Cast:Anna Cummer, Ashleigh Ball, Ingrid Nilson
Genre:Family and Kids
Run time:66 minutes
DVD release date:November 1, 2011
MPAA rating:G

This review was written by Brian Costello
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

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