Strawberry Shortcake - That Little Fashion Plate!
Written: Jun 01 '05
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Pros: Easy to use, quiet creative activity.
Cons: None.
The Bottom Line: Create your very own pictures to color of Strawberry Shortcake and her friends with this Strawberry Shortcake Fashion Maker set.
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| Staceys1's Full Review: Strawberry Shortcake Fashion Maker |
Sometime during the past two years, my daughter acquired the Strawberry Shortcake Fashion Maker set. I do not recall for what occasion she received it or who gave it to her, but I have a vague recollection of telling her that it was an arts and crafts toy similar to the Barbie Mix, Match and Color Fashion Designer Set which she already had and loved.
The plastic "Design Center" is the base of the Strawberry Shortcake Fashion Maker and measures about 8.5 inches wide by 11 inches long and is about an inch tall. It is primarily a deep pink color, with a bright green hinged frame on the left half, and a sticker with "Strawberry Shortcake" written next to an image of the doll. The right hand side has indentations to store the pieces you need to create your own pictures of Strawberry Shortcake and her friends.
To begin creating a picture, lift up the green frame (which hinged on the top) and choose some of the pink plastic impression plates, for example, a head, a body and an accessory piece. You can choose from two Strawberry Shortcake faces, Orange Blossom, Ginger Snap, and Angel Cake. There are also impressions of Pupcake (the dog) and Custard (the cat).
There are two sizes of the impression plates: one size is about 2 3/4" square and the other is a rectangle of about 2 3/4" by 1 1/4". The eight larger ones contain the faces with the character's name above it, the bodies and the full picture of the animals. The eight smaller pieces have words such as "Pupcake", "Custard", "Cutie Pie" and "Berry Sweet" or designs such as a row of strawberries, butterflies or oranges.
After choosing the impressions you want to use, place a piece of paper over them and close the frame. Place the unwrapped black crayon into the green plastic holder and then rub it inside the frame, over the paper sitting on the fashion impressions to transfer that image to the paper.
Once you have your image outlined in black, use the eight small colored pencils included (or whatever crayons, markers or pencils available) to color in the picture. The colors included in this set coordinate with the Strawberry Shortcake theme: brown, bright blue, lavender, yellow, peach, red, pink and green.
This Strawberry Shortcake Fashion Maker recommended for ages 4 and up, and a child younger than that might not understand the concept of rubbing the black crayon over the image with enough pressure to create a picture, while not actually coloring with that crayon. In fact, when I create a picture, I need to be careful not to press too hard or the picture comes out with smudges instead of with crisp outlines.
This set is reminiscent of the "Fashion Plates" toys of years ago in which you could create beautiful outfits by mixing and matching different tops and bottoms. A child of four or five can easily manipulate the pieces so that she can do this arts and craft activity by herself with no adult help.
We no longer have our directions and the box does not indicate how much paper was originally included, but at some point you will have to replenish the paper supply. Half of a sheet of any plain, thin paper, such as copy paper or printer paper, works just fine.
My six year old daughter loves the Strawberry Shortcake character, but for some reason enjoys her Barbie Mix, Match and Color Fashion Designer Set more than this one. With the other set, there is only one character (Barbie) and it entails choosing a face/top and a bottom. With this set, there is a little less creativity because, as my daughter said "Why would you put Orange Blossom's body with Angel Cake's head??" I do not see the difference between that and pairing a Barbie top in beachwear with a formal gown bottom, but to a six year old mind, this somehow is very logical.
The box that this set comes in is fairly sturdy and all the pieces fit easily back inside for storage. All of the pieces are plastic, making them easy to wipe clean if necessary. The impression plates are slightly flexible so that even when a less than gentle child handles them, they do not crack.
The Strawberry Shortcake Fashion Maker set is quiet, yet creative activity which does not require scissors, glue or other mess-creating items. I would recommend it for children who like to draw or those who like the Strawberry Shortcake character. Ours was a gift, but the retail price is under ten dollars.
If my daughter did not already have a Barbie version of this toy, I think that she would play with this one more, but since she has two to choose from, she tends to play with the other once since she had that one first.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): gift
Type of Toy: Arts and Crafts
Age Range of Child: Kids to Teens
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