REVIEW: Strawberry Shortcake Retro Soft Dolls

In 2015, The Bridge Direct began releasing retro-style Strawberry Shortcake products to celebrate her 35th anniversary. The Strawberry doll was sold for $9.99 in Target and this plush doll was available online. I had to buy mine on ebay and I'm not sure if there was a more plentiful source anywhere.

This year, the retro products have continued with multiple giftsets of dolls that I've seen in both Target an Toys R Us. Personally, I think it's worth it to buy the vintage versions, because even boxed, they're not that expensive. The new style Blueberry doll I've seen in the 2-packs has a head that's so much more yellow than her body and she's missing her hat. The hat comes with the single pack Blueberry, but it's fabric and that just doesn't capture Blueberry's hat right.

The "retro soft dolls," as they're called in their listings, though are just fabulous. I really liked Strawberry herself, but was very excited to see Lemon Meringue and Raspberry Tart show up at Toy Fair.

Lemon, Raspberry and Strawberry

Both Lemon and Raspberry have finally made it out. At the end of the post, I'll tell you where you can find them.

The Bridge Direct's dolls are about 13" tall, not including their hats. The vintage rag dolls were about 15-16", so these are a bit smaller, but the size is still really nice.

These girls are made very well. They look a lot like their vintage counterparts. Lemon has embroidered flowers on her hat and her dress is spotted like the original's. Her sleeves have little gathered cuffs, which is a nice addition, as the vintage lacks that. She has the same orange blushing, big green eyes and longer loopy yellow hair as the original. Raspberry retains her purple eyes, orange blushing and mauve curls, but her dress is improved, as it adds the gathered sleeves, a ribbon detail and lace trim at the hem. The original has none of those things. Strawberry's hair has darkened, her once orange blushing is now pink, her dress is corduroy, and she has the gathered sleeves, but otherwise, she looks like the vintage doll.

Bridge Direct's Lemon vs. Vintage Lime Chiffon

The biggest differences between the dolls are the size and the fact that the vintage dolls had removable dresses. The Bridge Direct's do not. 

I only ever got one vintage rag doll, Lime Chiffon, seen here on the left. I'm very pleased with these new dolls and I'd love to keep adding more to my collection. Blueberry Muffin never got a vintage rag doll, so I'd love her to be done by Bridge Direct. Orange Blossom is another obvious choice. She, Apricot, Cherry Cuddler, Apple Dumplin' and Mint Tulip made up the rest of the vintage line. I'd really love to see Bridge Direct keep making new retro-style dolls, even though I'm far more impressed with the soft doll line than the regular line. 

PHOTO CREDITS: All mine.

WHERE TO BUY:

Amazon has all three for $19.99 each. Don't overpay the horrible 3rd party prices. I can't believe some of the ridiculous amounts they're asking.

Strawberry:
https://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Direct-Strawberry-Shortcake-Anniversary/dp/B00WPVZTIU/

Raspberry:
https://www.amazon.com/Strawberry-Shortcake-Raspberry-Tart-Retro/dp/B01FZMOS78/

Lemon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FZMOSAA/
Lemon is currently out of stock, but they'll likely get more in. These only just came out. She's either by far the most popular or they get less of her.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/toys-games-strawberry-shortcake-retro-soft-doll-classic-lemon/29992344?ean=0885561123555
Lemon also has a listing at Barnes & Noble, but is out of stock there, too. Strawberry is there as well, but you can find that one on your own. Heh. They may be in stores, but I can't verify that. The nearest B&N is an hour away, so I obviously do not go there.