CRAVING SHORTCAKE? STRAWBERRY GAL TO RETURN.Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer BURBANK - Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry Shortcake is a licensed character owned by American Greetings, originally used in greeting cards and expanded to include dolls, posters, and other products. , the scarlet-coiffed character who inspired a marketing blitz by licenser American Greetings American Greetings Corporation, Inc. NYSE: AM is the world's largest publicly-traded greeting card company. It is based in Cleveland, Ohio and sells paper greeting cards, electronic greeting cards, party products (such as wrapping papers and decorations), and electronic in the early 1980s, is coming back for seconds. DIC DIC diffuse intravascular coagulation; disseminated intravascular coagulation. DIC abbr. disseminated intravascular coagulation Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) Entertainment, the Burbank company responsible for handling all aspects of the brand's licensing, will formally unveil the moderately more hip Strawberry and her cheerily named cohorts next week at the Licensing 2002 International trade show in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . ``We launched it in 1980 and it totaled $1.2 billion - that's with a 'b' - that dominated the industry,'' said Mike Brown, American Greetings' vice president of licensing. ``Twenty years TWENTY YEARS. The lapse of twenty years raises a presumption of certain facts, and after such a time, the party against whom the presumption has been raised, will be required to prove a negative to establish his rights. 2. later, the little girls are in their late 20s, and the parents are grandparents grandparents npl → abuelos mpl grandparents grand npl → grands-parents mpl grandparents grand npl . We think we can bring this to a whole new generation of kids.'' Ms. Shortcake, along with her good pals Apple Dumplin' and Honey Pie, should tap into a nostalgia trend that has swept licensed products, said show sponsor Charles Riotto, president of the Licensing Industry Manufacturers' Association. The Care Bears, the Smurfs, Muppets and Ghostbusters will all re-debut at the show, joining other '80s stalwarts that have already found their way back into the mainstream. ALF's already pitching telephone services and Mattel will soon put He-Man and his fellow Masters of the Universe back on shelves. ``The whole mood of the country is in nostalgia,'' Riotto said. ``We're gravitating toward products that remind us of earlier days and that give a happy, warm feeling.'' As her name implies, Shortcake consciously aims to do just that. Radiating ra·di·ate v. ra·di·at·ed, ra·di·at·ing, ra·di·ates v.intr. 1. To send out rays or waves. 2. To issue or emerge in rays or waves: Heat radiated from the stove. optimism and pushing messages of friendship and good manners Noun 1. good manners - a courteous manner courtesy personal manner, manner - a way of acting or behaving niceness, politeness - a courteous manner that respects accepted social usage urbanity - polished courtesy; elegance of manner , the character still retains the appeal of her earlier incarnation, but has been polished for the '90s. Though she's cosmetically different, wearing jeans and riding a skateboard, her overall mind-set has been fixed up, as well. ``In the '80s, it was all about saccharine sac·cha·rine adj. Of, relating to, or characteristic of sugar or saccharin; sweet. and fantasy,'' Brown said. ``She had whipped cream for brains back then. Now, she's all about growing better all the time. She doesn't have yarn for hair anymore, she has real hair. She's got real clothes and she's in real situations that girls are in today.'' Banking on that combined nostalgia-modern appeal, American Greetings and DIC are coming out on all fronts. New videos of Shortcake's antics, toys, books, clothes and every imaginable marketing front will hit stores by early 2003, said Brad Brooks, DIC's president. ``We're fortunate that American Greetings didn't do much active licensing,'' Brooks said. ``We think the time's right to reintroduce her to a whole new generation. The response we're getting is phenomenal - people have a strong affinity for her. Lots of people still have the same dolls from the first time around. Now they can introduce her to their kids again. We've never felt so strong about a product.'' It's a tough gamble, LIMA's Riotto said, whether kids will be as excited about the toys their parents loved two decades ago. ``Will kids of today feel the same warm feelings to the characters that their parents did?'' he said. ``Or have times changed so much their tastes have changed? That's the big question.'' But Brooks, who commissioned heavy market research on the line before deciding to pick it up from American Greetings, thinks the gloomy news that's endured in the past year help the characters. ``With all the disconcerting dis·con·cert tr.v. dis·con·cert·ed, dis·con·cert·ing, dis·con·certs 1. To upset the self-possession of; ruffle. See Synonyms at embarrass. 2. things you read every day, people still want to feel safe among their family,'' he said. ``It's larger than a trend, it plays out subconsciously. Strawberry's generally optimistic and fun, so it's very comforting.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Strawberry Shortcake and her pals are reincarnated in somewhat hipper form. |
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