WildBrain is reimagining the iconic Strawberry Shortcake brand with a slew of new content and products planned.

The relaunch of the property – which the Halifax-based media company acquired as part of the entertainment division of Iconix Brand Group in 2017 – will kick off on Saturday, Sept. 18 with a double-episode premiere of the new 2D-animated series Berry in the City on WildBrain Spark’s YouTube channel.

Berry in the Big City finds Strawberry Shortcake, her cat Custard and her best friends Orange Blossom, Lime Chiffon, Lemon Meringue and Blueberry Muffin heading to New York to make their big break into the baking world.

The 40 x four-minute series for three- to six-year-olds is produced by WildBrain’s Vancouver-based animation studio under the guidance of showrunner Michael Vogel (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic).

A trailer dropped on the channel yesterday (Sept. 9), and new episodes will follow every Saturday through June 2022. The show is initially available in English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese.

WildBrain Studios has already ordered a second 40-episode season and is developing a slate of CG-animated 44-minute Strawberry Shortcake family specials for a yet-to-be-announced streaming platform. And 10 original songs from the series will be also released next year as animated lyric videos on WildBrain Spark’s official Strawberry Shortcake channel.

The company is also sending Strawberry Shortcake to Roblox for the first time. New 3D interactive adventure game Baking with Strawberry Shortcake will be available on the popular digital platform starting on October 2.

On the consumer products side, WildBrain has tapped Moose Toys as Strawberry Shortcake’s master toy partner. Working with WildBrain’s franchise brands team and licensing agency WildBrain CPLG, the toyco is developing a new line of toys and playsets for 2022 that will include scented collectible dolls.

Partners already on board to launch products at retail include Naturipe, Sunkist Growers and Envy Apples (fresh fruits); Langers (juice); Zolli Candy (dentist-approved lollipops); Dippin’ Dots (ice cream); Snip-Its (kids hair salons) and Challenge Butter (butter).

WildBrain CPLG has also expanded its existing Strawberry Shortcake deal with Penguin Young Readers Licenses, which will launch a range of new Berry in the Big City story, board and sticker books in North America next year.

The franchise program will feature plenty of celebrity spotlights, social media activations, baking demonstrations and competitions as well.

To date, the Strawberry Shortcake brand has sold more than five million dolls and generated US$4 billion-plus at retail worldwide.

This story originally appeared in Kidscreen