Yesterday evening, I was wanting to post the very first 'Retro Kawaii' debate (based off of our 'Are They Kawaii?' weekly posts), and as you know, there have been a lot of personal things going on - from personal family stuff, to medical/health issues, so I am doing what I can for you sweeties :)
I appreciate you all more than you know - it's because of you guys that this blog has over 11,000 views in just over half a year! I want to make sure you stay happy & smiling ^_^
So I call these 2 that we will review, 'Retro Kawaii' because they date back to the 1980s (even before I was born, and I'm turning 29 soon). We are reviewing 2 this time around, because I was going to post one last week but life gets crazy sometimes.
We are going to start with the original Strawberry Shortcake - yes, we know there's a modern version of her for today's little girls, which is outstanding because she's one of the longest-running pop culture characters! Let's see the original version:
So the question for you: Is she technically 'kawaii'?
Okay so she wasn't invented in Japan, so the Japanese word かわいい (kawaii) wasn't intended to apply. She first appeared on greeting cards in 1979 and was met with immediate fandom, which led to dolls being made not long after. Many fans of 'cute' collect dolls. From there, she got television specials! So the creator Muriel Fahrion hit something right when she designed the cute girl.
Some aspects of her that could count as 'kawaii' are: The larger head/smaller body (like a chibi drawing), the roundness and lack of sharp points, the use of pink, with polka dots which are always in style, the addition of cute pets and cute friends, and the tying in of fruit - strawberries and most fruit is definitely kawaii! 🍓🍓 I say yes!
Here is a photo my mum took of my very first birthday cake. It's significant because now, 28 years later, my birthday is coming up this Saturday, February 25:
And now, we will look at some of my very good friend Sabrina's favorite characters: Little Twin Stars!
These adorable pastel siblings are even older than the 80s - they are even older than my husband - this brother (Kiki) and sister (Lala) debuted in 1975. That's just after Hello Kitty came out the previous year; both are created by Sanrio.
They came out on Christmas Eve (December 24) and are designed to be angelic. There is speculation they stand for Christmas Angels. Like Strawberry Shortcake, they never really lost popularity in our modern culture ^_^
This one is a much easier debate, because A) they were created in Japan and B) Sanrio definitely stands for Kawaii characters! I just think it's cool that they're immortalized chibi children and 42 years old [late this year].
I really love the creator's use of pastel colors; it gives them a very dreamy and ethereal look...
Thank you for reading this lovely-cute blog post! Now I have to go get ready for a doctor's appointment! Have the best day ever! xoxo
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