If you were a little girl (or a mum!) in the 80s you may recognise this little lady - an original Strawberry Shortcake doll, complete with enormous hat and berrylicious smell.
Recently I started obsessing after I saw these ridiculously cute hats by susyq19 on Etsy. My daughter has a couple of the recent little dolls but they do not have such over-sized heads and cheeks, or fabric clothes.
I had two Strawberry Shortcake (SSC) dolls when I was young, Strawberry Shortcake herself and Lemon Meringue, who with her big yellow curls and pretty little face was my idea of perfection. So I searched Etsy (did you know they sell vintage as well as handmade?), eBay and TradeMe looking for these relics of my childhood (I have no idea what happened to my ones...)
Now that they are 'vintage' of course, they can be pricey, but I think the fact that they have lasted so long means you can compare them to what is new in the shops now. My new SSC friend (pictured on my strawberry fabric stash, another obsession of mine!) was $18 on TradeMe, including postage, and she is in great condition, with all her clothes and only a little fading on her cheeks.
After a little research I found out she is actually a first edition, which means she was issued in 1979! You can tell by her flat hands, and she didn't have her pet cat Custard until the second edition, so she isn't missing anything. I am quite chuffed :)
My second purchase will need a bit more TLC, the seller thought it might be Angel Cake but I think it is a Lemon Meringue... hopefully she will arrive in the post today...
