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Strawberry Shortcake Stickers: A Junior Illustration Project by Bryn Kelly (2021)

I have loved stickers since I was little. For some reason, stickers have always seemed to be a precious and valuable thing to me. When I was little, I would never use the stickers I got from doctor’s appointments, school projects, Valentines cards, etc. Instead, I would save them in a drawer in my room where they would lay, safe but unused. I used to live in Ohio, and in my room there, I had my walls decorated with Strawberry Shortcake character stickers. Strawberry Shortcake was probably my favorite show growing up, and I watched four different versions at various stages of my childhood (1980, 2003, 2007, 2009). My little sister and I still pop in a DVD occasionally and watch some episodes. My brothers will watch too, but it takes a little more convincing ;).

Recently, my little cousin made me aware of a new version of Strawberry Shortcake being shown on TV now, and I was excited to discover that she was watching the same characters that I had grown up with. Unfortunately, that excitement dissipated when I saw the re-designed characters. Frankly, I found them to be an appalling departure from the cute characters I had grown up watching. For this project, I decided to combine these two loves and design new versions of some of these iconic characters (Strawberry Shortcake, Blueberry Muffin, Orange Blossom, Lemon Meringue, Plum Pudding, Huckleberry Pie, Custard, and Pupcake) in the form of stickers, similar to the ones I had grown up with on my bedroom wall.

The process of creating the stickers was genuinely so much fun. I was able to combine my love of fashion, character design, history (of the characters/TV show) and kids’ shows into a tangible product. Reviewing all of the different versions of the show, I was able to reimagine the characters in a new way while still incorporating aspects of their traditional outfits. Illustrator allowed me to include so many different patterns and details to create the best possible product, and I certainly gained an appreciation for the amount of work it takes to design a character. Though they could certainly be improved upon, I love the way the stickers turned out. I showed them to my little cousin and she wants a sheet of the stickers, so I definitely consider that a success! I look forward to introducing her to the versions of Strawberry Shortcake I grew up with when the pandemic situation calms down enough to allow us to sit down in front of a TV together. Related website
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