Thirty years out from the 1980s and everything old is new again. I honestly never thought I’d be sitting here as a parent introducing my children to the same things that I enjoyed as a kid, but flip on The Hub and there they are: CARE BEARS, MY LITTLE PONY, POUND PUPPIES, G.I. JOE, TRANSFORMERS… the Saturday Morning staples, rebooted and enhanced to modern specifications with new stories for a new generation. And then you have STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE, a character relaunched a few times, and doing great as the third season of STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE’S BERRY BITTY ADVENTURES is set to premiere this Saturday (2/23) with back-to-back episodes at 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. ET (encores Mondays, 11:30 a.m. ET).
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With the new season comes the arrival of “the new boy in town,” as Huckleberry Pie rolls into Berry Bitty City for the very first time. When I last saw Huckleberry, he was a little country bumpkin’ with a straw hat and overalls. In fact, I still remember the distinct smell of the little non-moving “Strawberryland Miniatures” figurine from the old KENNER division of HASBRO (pictured left). My sister had quite a few of those little figures, as well as the bigger, poseable dolls. In 2013, Huckleberry Pie is a pretty clean-cut young lad, updated with a t-shirt, khakis, skate shoes, and a very Justin Bieber-eque shag hairstyle. 
When Huckleberry arrives in “A Boy And His Dogs,” he’s having trouble with his van on the outskirts of town (we’ll later learn he has a habit of this) and it’s up to Strawberry and her friends to lend a helping hand to he and his canine friends. 
The good-hearted youngster has hopes for setting up a shelter/home for dogs, but in the meantime he’s placing pups with worthy companions. While he tries hard to fit in (sort of a reverse “Smurfette situation” – the only male in a city of girls) by being completely agreeable with everything, Huck learns to simply be himself after bonding with Blueberry Muffin over a love of mystery tales.
In “Partners in Crime,” Huck and Blueberry take part in a fiction-writing contest, but when Blue discounts some of Huck’s ideas, he turns to songwriting, penning a tune with local rockstar Cherry Jam instead. 
Soon, it’s Blueberry that’s trying to change herself into a more “Cherry” form through clothes, hair, and music – but learning guitar is something that you just can’t do in a day.
Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitty Adventures is a fun show that we’ve watched quite a bit. My oldest (Addie) loves it, and it captures her attention quite well. The CG animation is vibrant and colorful, and being The Rock Father, I appreciate the fact that Strawberry Shortcake and the girls rock out as a band from time-to-time. It was a pleasant surprise when UPS dropped of a scented, strawberry-shaped package here at Rock Father HQ last week containing this sneak-peek, and since then it’s already been played twice. We watched it as a family over the weekend, and just last night I played it after the girls were already off to bed. I was washing dishes (baby bottles, mainly) but wanted a more “focused” viewing before sharing some thoughts with all of you.
Our DVR is set for more Berry Bitty Goodness as Season 3 gets rolling.
For more: Check out the official Strawberry Shortcake site on The Hub.
