A Fresh Look At An Old Standby: The Question Is, Why?

by Lydia Loizides, Jun 12, 2008, 12:15 PM

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OK -- I admit it. I was one of "those" girls. The ones that didn't play much with dolls, wear makeup, or ever key into the color pink. Actually, I think wearing the color could cause me to go into anaphylactic shock -- but that is a story for another time. My point is, I was one of those girls who loved the geeky things -- I was all about the original "Battlestar Galactica." I had all the "Stars Wars" models.

I remember my mom gave me a Holly Hobby sewing machine for Christmas when I was eight. Not knowing what it was or how to use it, I promptly borrowed a screwdriver from my father's tool box, cracked the base open, pulled out the motor and tried to rig it inside my hand-modeled Death Star to see if I could get it to fly. Needless to say, I got in trouble for that.

But I guess part of the problem was that I never really got the "girly" thing. So when I opened the paper this morning to find that Strawberry Shortcake was getting a makeover for the 21st century, I almost keeled over. First of all, she was "sweet" enough as she was. Second of all, why does the update mean that she no longer has a cat but a cell phone, and a little bit of pink lipstick as opposed to pink cheeks? I am sorry, but since when did a brand aimed at pre-tweens need to have a doll with a cell phone?

Which brings me to my next observation: Is Hollywood so out of new ideas that we need to bring back old ones with a twist? I am talking about bringing back shows like "Password" and "The Dating Game" and others from my youth. Not that I mind, don't get me wrong. It's just that I would hope that somewhere, out there, in the vast abyss that is the creative genius, that someone, anyone, would be able to come up with something, well, new.

Then again, you are reading the diatribe of a girl who couldn't understand what all the fuss was about when it came to the Smurfs or "American Idol." Then again, I have been a closet Hello Kitty and "Family Feud" fan for years -- so maybe I do know a little something about franchises that last.

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