A Brief History of Strawberry Shortcake

"Smile a sunny morning. Sunny is the style. 

Even if you're yawning, you can yawn a smile." 

- Strawberry Shortcake 

Strawberry Shortcake is a female cartoon character who originally appeared in 1977 on American Greetings cards drawn by artist Muriel Fahrion. The character went on to become a beloved doll in 1980 and in that year a whole line of Strawberry Shortcake items were made that included scented dolls and so much more. She proved to be extremely popular and more than 1,200 related items were released with sales of more than 500 million dollars in the first year alone.  She went on to appear in television commercials, on fundraising programs, on television specials and in her own shows.

I love the striking image and the red, pink and mint green colors on the Strawberry Shortcake themed baby coverlet shown at the top of the page.  Unfortunately, it has been sold but you will find other vintage Strawberry Shortcake blankets here, on eBay.

It will come as no surprise to fans that there was a 40th Anniversary doll (shown above) issued in 2020 to celebrate Strawberry Shortcake's birthday. It's a reproduction of the first doll that was released in 1980.  You can look for the reproduction Strawberry Shortcake doll on Amazon by clicking right here or you can check here, on eBay.

Do you remember Strawberry Shortcake? How about her cat Custard and her friends, Blueberry Muffin, Apple Dumpling and Huckleberry Pie?

See you

in Strawberryland!

Brenda

Quick Links:

See all of the Strawberry Shortcake listings on eBay.

What's Up Moms' Taylor Swift Pinterest Parody Video

I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone created a Pinterest parody video. Yes, it has finally been done and yes, it will probably make you smile. It is a hoot, whether you are seriously addicted or not.

WHAT'S UP MOMS' PINTEREST PARODY VIDEO:

Watch the What's Up Moms' parody of Taylor Swift's Shake it Off for yourself here. It's a short two and a half minute video that will have you tapping along to Taylor Swift's familiar tune.

TAKE THE PINTEREST ADDICTION TEST

I don't know an easy test for Pinterest addition but I suppose if you find yourself encountering all of these issues you might just be addicted.

☛ You have an obsession with Mason jars. You own a dozen or two or three and you don't know what you're going to do with them.

☛ You stay up Late, LATE, late because you just cannot stop pinning.

☛ You need the craft store to be a 24-hour convenience store.

☛ You think you are MARTHA STEWART.

☛ You NEVER have enough glitter.

So how about it? Did you stay up to late pinning things you want to make?

Brenda

Treasures By Brenda

You Never Know What I

Might Have in Store For You!

Quick Links:

Subscribe to What's Up Mom Youtube channel by clicking here.
Subscribe to my blog by using the Subscribe button at the top of the page.

31 DAYS OF COFFEE MUGS: How to Use a Coffee Mug Properly

Just when you though you had seen it all here's a fabulous tongue-in-cheek vintage How To video from YouTube It's called Proper Mug Utilization for the Home and Workplace and demonstrates clearly how to use your coffee mug properly. You will want to watch carefully so that you learn and are able to remember the mnemonic device for proper mug utilization.

I offer this video and the included lesson as the 17th post in my 31 DAYS OF COFFEE MUGS series and I know that it will give you a chuckle. So without further ado, here's the video:

The video is by the Unemployed Philospher's Guild, who have created some fantastic mugs like the handsome moustaches mug, the disappearing Cheshire Cat Alice in Wonderland mug and the smart mathematical formula mug shown on this page.  They are also the folks who created the Movie quotes mug as seen on yesterday's post here. To see all of the Unemployed Philospher's Guild mugs on Amazon, click here.

As the folks from the Philosopher Guild say,

"Enjoy your mug. If you cannot enjoy your mug, what business have you owning one? 

Employ the mnemonic device and you will enjoy mugs for years to come."

Brenda
Treasures By Brenda
You Never Know What I
Might Have in Store For You!

Quick Links:

Check out the Unemployed Philosopher's Guild mugs on Amazon.

eBay Makes Christmas Wishes Come True

At Christmastime, there are lots of great stories online about people helping people. Here's a lovely story that I discovered today. A short video that shows how eBay made the Christmas wishes of a group of children come true.

It reminds me, in a way, of last year's viral video about the West Jet Christmas, which you can view here.

The eBay doesn't seem as big or as flashy as the West Jet one but it is still a lovely story that those little girls and boys will remember forever.

Watch the video yourself here:

I hope that giving in one way or another is a part of your holiday season.

Merry Christmas!
Brenda

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Video Game: Pop Culture Myth Proven True

Made for the Atari 2600, the E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial video game, unlike the movie, was a horrendous flop for Atari.

The video game was created in a short time period instead of the normal four months it took to develop a video game. It was rushed out to be ready for the Christmas market and it was a total disaster.

As a matter of fact, the game is considered to be the worst video game ever made and eventually, Atari decided to cut its losses and dumped the huge remaining stock of plastic video game cartridges in the desert in New Mexico.

That action lived on and became a pop culture myth that was only proven true this week when a Canadian studio from Ottawa named Fuel Industries quite literally (and deliberately) unearthed the stash of video games. If you are interested, you will want to stay tuned for a documentary movie on the subject.

Meanwhile, I'm wondering if the cult status of the movie or even the news of its existence in a dump in the middle of the dessert has caused it to be a good seller on eBay.

I looked and I see that there are quite a few listed...the lowest priced one a used copy listed for $3.99 plus shipping. If it is a new copy you are after, you will find a new one with an opening bid of $50 and I can see that this item, when new, has sold for up to $150. Click here to see what is available on eBay today.

The news reports say that people want to buy a video game from the dump. They want to own a piece of the legend of Atari burying E.T. in the desert. I guess we will have to wait and see if those video games make an appearance on eBay.

And now for confession time. When I was a high school-er, I saved my dollars and cents and my first big purchase was for a used Atari console. It was most likely the one associated with this game though I do not actually remember.  I do not recall owning the E.T. the Extra Terrestrial video game but I did own Space Invaders and Pac Man.

Do you have any 'vintage' video game memories?

You never know what I might
have in store for you!
Brenda

Quick Links:

See eBay's complete collection of Atari E.T. video games.

eBay Stories - Sophie Ellis-Bextor #eBayStories

I've just met Sophie Ellis-Bextor, a confessed eBay addict, via her Youtube video #eBayStories and she's a hoot.  She has been shopping on eBay for 15 years and has had so much fun doing so!

Sophie started shopping on eBay in 1998 and in this short video, which was created with eBay for their 18th birthday as a part of the eBay Stories campaign, she shares some of her favorite eBay scores.

Sophie likes to shop for vintage items and has found some amazing vintage clothing items as well as retro kitchen accessories.

Check out the video for yourself to see some of the fabulous items that she has purchased on eBay. Some of us can only wish we had Sophie's sense of style but all of us can successfully shop on eBay!

   

Hasn't Sophie had fun with eBay? How about you? Do you have any scores you are really proud of or anything you are desperately seeking? Personally, I am desperately seeking a replacement mug for the one I broke last week and I know eBay will eventually turn one up for me. It's only a matter of time!

Brenda
Treasures By Brenda
You never know what
I might have in store for you!

Quick Links:

Visit me on eBay!

Alexander Keith's Brewery Tour and Merchandise

We had the opportunity this summer to enjoy a tour of Alexander Keith's Brewery in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Note that it was the historical brewery, which was established in 1820 and which is located in downtown Halifax. It no longer produces Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale nor any other beverage.  We don't know whether or not you can actually tour a working Keith's brewery.

We were impressed by the enthusiasm of the costumed interpreters who led us from room to room and told us the story of Alexander Keith as shown in the following short video tour of the brewery. It was hard to imagine how the guides maintain such a high level of energy throughout a whole day of presentations.

Anyway, we enjoy Keith's beer occasionally and we enjoyed the tour. At the end of the tour, we were each offered two steins of Alexander Keith's beer, which was more than we could handle in the segment of the tour that we spent in the vintage-style tavern but we enjoyed the opportunity to taste test two varieties we had not had before.

We HIGHLY RECOMMEND the tour for anyone interested in the history of Halifax and/or Alexander Keith's beer.


Alexander Keith's produces a variety of merchandise items for its beer drinking fans.  If you missed out on buying a souvenir when you visited the brewery or you have never had the chance to visit but you love the brand, please check out the Alexander Keith's merchandise in my eBay store.  I usually have a few items including the Alexander Keith's Fine Beers steins as shown here.


"Those who like it,
like it a lot!" - Keiths
Brenda
Treasures By Brenda

Quick Links:

Enjoy eBay's complete collection of Alexander Keith's merchandise.