My mom is a total pack rat. This is the woman who finally threw out maternity clothes upon the arrival of her first grandchild, my daughter. I was 30 at the time. And until very recently, I was embarrassed by this little quirk of hers. I made fun of her until my three year old daughter found out that her Mommy’s cherished Strawberry Shortcake dolls had been carefully preserved in their little strawberry shaped carrying case for the last 20 odd years. The trick was to locate them among all the other assorted toys, books, dolls and clothing stored in the attic. And frankly, we’ve had a heat wave and I just didn’t feel like stirring around in a hot attic.
My daughter’s excitement grew every time we toured a toy department and found the Strawberry Shortcake dolls and accessories. Her gentle pleadings for me to find my old dolls turned into persistent, hourly reminders to plunder through the junk in our sweltering attic to find the magical strawberry case. I think she was actually excited to be able to play with something that was mine. Or at least my mom likes to think that her “organized collecting” was finally going to be a revered personality trait. So, like any other sacrificing mother would do, I did what my little girl wanted and trudged up to the attic.
To my delight, amid the mouse traps and several inches of dust, I found the carrying case. As well as my Strawberry Shortcake Snail Cart complete with the ice cream (strawberry, I assume) filled strawberry and little green leaf shaped plates! And I couldn’t believe that they still smelled like they used to! Strawberry with her green and white tights, Huckleberry in his overalls, and Blueberry in her blue, weirdly flexible hat, all brought back such strong childhood emotions and memories for me! I called and thanked my mother while I washed the dolls and accessories and prayed they would be dry by the time my daughter woke up.
The time for the big reveal finally came and as I whipped the case from behind my back to show my daughter, I was picturing her excitement and joy at finally having the elusive Strawberry Shortcake in hand. To my dismay, it didn’t quite happen like I planned. She was totally blasé and could have cared less. As she held a treasured piece of my past in her little hands, she muttered “Where’s Strawberry Shortcake, Mommy?” And then it occurred to me…she didn’t recognize them! She was picturing the dolls that she had so long yearned for from the shopping cart in Target! My nostalgia at being able to share a piece of my past with her was crushed in that one defining moment.
So herein is the crux: I understand the corporate need for re-branding but is my past going to be erased and replaced with a shinier, thinner, more plastic model? I know this has been debated in the past, but as a middle-aged mother, I’m living it! I was totally blown away to find out that Strawberry has gone through TWO makeovers since my childhood in the ’80s! And in my research, I found that Colonel Mustard no longer exists and has been replaced by “Jack Mustard, former football star”. He can now be murdered in the *gasp* SPA by a trophy!!
After coaxing and pleading, on my part this time, my daughter and I sat down in the floor to play with the dolls. Instead of pretending the dolls were picking juicy, red strawberries for a picnic lunch, we pretended they were at the mall where Blueberry got a text on her cell phone to meet Strawberry and Apricot for coffee.
What other icons from your childhood have gone through a transformation? What present day items do you think will stand the test of time and be re-branded for our children’s children?
Contributed by: Jennifer Rodden
