The First Half of SSCBBA in a Nutshell

With new episodes of Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures starting up again tomorrow, here's a refresher on what went down in the first half of season two:

Berry Bitty Harvest
Strawberry Shortcake: Things sure are slow at the cafe lately.
Berrykin Bloom: Mind taking my new perfectly-sized-for-us produce to Orange Blossom's?
Strawberry Shortcake: Not at all!
Orange: Despite this sudden overload of overly popular fruits and veggies, I can handle it all on my own, thanks to my handy dandy umbrellas and fans system.  And with the addition of pneumatic tubes, distribution is a breeze!
Berrykins: These tubes make a great thrill ride!
Tubes: *get overloaded with berrykins*
Tubes: *explode, creating a huge mess all over Berry Bitty City*
Strawberry: Obviously, someone must do something about this.  Hey, Orange, I was thinking, since things are so slow everywhere, but especially at my cafe, howzabout I open up a marketplace to sell the produce?
Orange: Oh, thank you, thank you, tha-  Wait, are you just doing this because I couldn't handle all the produce on my own?
Strawberry: Actually, it's because Hasbro already came up with the playset.
Orange, Oh, okay, then.
*Construction begins*
Berrykin Bill: The marketplace will be ready in four weeks.  See you tomorrow!
Berrykin Bloom: Bad news, everyone!  The next harvest is in two weeks!
Strawberry: what.

Room at the Top
Berrykin Bill: The marketplace construction is going according to the revised schedule, Strawberry.  I just need you to finalize the blueprints for the upstairs bedroom.
Strawberry: Sure thing, I know just what I want.
Friends: As do we!  Let us handle it, Strawberry!
Strawberry: Um...sure, I guess.  Wouldn't want to disappoint my friends.
Berrykin Bloom: Oh no, the harvest is ready TODAY!  Must hide fruits so as not to disappoint anyone!
Friends: Although we are all friends, suddenly we can't agree on anything.  But surely this won't create a problem in designing Strawberry's new bedroom, especially if we get her to sign off on everything first.
Berrykin Bloom: Oh, gee, Berrykin Bill, it's too bad you can't have the marketplace finished by say, tomorrow, since that's the deadline for being featured in Better Berry Bitty Buildings Digest, and I just know you're a shoo-in for the front cover.
Bill: Who says we can't have it done by tomorrow?  Berrykins, doubletime!
Berrykins: *are glad they now have to work twice as fast*
Strawberry: Wow, who would have guessed that a bunch of suggestions made one at a time wouldn't actually work out when put all together?  This room is not what I dreamed, but I can't insult my friends by telling them I don't like it.
Floor: *shakes*
Berrykins: *futilely try to hold up first floor ceiling, only to be pummeled by kiwis*
Berrykin Bloom: The truth is out!  The produce is ready two weeks too early!
Strawberry: Well, that explains where the mystery pineapples in my closet came from.  Speaking of, Princess Berrykin, would you like some pineapple upside down cake?
Princess: Thanks for offering, but pineapples just aren't my thing.
Strawberry: *suddenly realizes you can turn something down and still be polite about it*
Berrykins: *work through the night*
Girls: *make the bedroom the way Strawberry actually wanted it*
Strawberry: Thank goodness that's done.  Oh, the girls left me a housewarming gift?  A notebook specifically for writing down ideas for the marketplace's grand opening that's now two weeks sooner than expected, how sweet.  Wait, what?

Starlight, Star Bright
Strawberry: Okay, girls, we need something really awesome for the marketplace's grand opening.  Any ideas?
Raspberry Torte: How about getting super pop star Cherry Jam?  Like she'd ever come to a bitty city like this.
Blueberry Muffin: Well, why not?  *writes an e-mail*
Cherry Jam: *agrees*
Girls: SQUEEEEEEEE!
Strawberry: *helps a mystery girl write a song*
Mystery Girl: *has an on-again-off-again southern accent*
Mystery Girl: *is obviously Cherry Jam*
Strawberry: Mind if I ask what you're doing out here?
Cherry Jam: I just always wanted to have a picnic.  It's been my dream!
Strawberry: Okay, see you later.
Cherry Jam: *drives into town under the cover of darkness*
Girls: *are dressed like groupies*
Girls: Where's your entourage?
Cherry Jam: Actually, I only took this gig because it was in such a tiny place.  I want to fulfill all my city girl dreams of what living in the country is like!  Like sleeping under the stars!
Girls: .....
Girls: We can't let a big star like you sleep on the ground!  How about we make a house look like a tent?
Cherry Jam: *sneaks out*
Girls: She hates us.
Cherry Jam: Next up, eating a sandwich in peace, with no nosy fans around, followed by a walk in the woods, picking flowers.
Girls: Strawberry, meet Cherry Jam!
Strawberry: The mystery girl?  I thought you looked familiar.
Cherry Jam: Can I be honest with you, Strawberry?  My whole persona is a complete fabrication, made up by my publicist for the magazines.  And your friends have bought into it hook, line, and sinker.
Strawberry: Oh, so that's why they're sneaking around planting roses for your flower picking excursion.
Cherry: *only picks wildflowers*
Girls: She hates us.
Orange: *kicks flower petals in spite*
Flower petals: *were Cherry's path markers*
Strawberry: Okay, girls, I have good news and bad news.  The bad news is that Cherry Jam lost her voice due to calling for help in the woods all day yesterday.  The good news is that she'll be mostly better by tonight's performance, but she needs me to sing the high notes.  And she wants you all to be the back-up singers on one condition.
Girls: What's that?
Strawberry: Forget what you read about her in the magazines and just treat her like a normal girl.
Girls: It's a deal!
Performance: *has no high notes*
Performance: *goes off without a hitch*

Practice Makes Perfect
Cherry Jam: My manager won't appreciate it, but I'm putting off planning my upcoming tour and extending my vacation in Berry Bitty City!
Girls: Yay!  But we all have to go back to work, sorry.
Cherry Jam: *feels unproductive but doesn't want to go back to the city yet*
Cherry Jam: If only there was a way for me to use my musical talent here in town.
Berrykin Bloom: *bassoon playing is earth-shakingly loud*
Cherry Jam: Strawberry, I know what I'm gonna do today!
Cherry Jam: *gives lessons in Plum's dance studio*
Berrykin Bloom: *can now play the bassoon like a normal person*
BBC residents: If she can teach Berrykin Bloom, she can teach anyone!  Teach us, Cherry Jam!
Cherry Jam:  Sure thing!  And at the end of the week, we can have a recital.
Plum Pudding: What?!
Cherry Jam: It's what music teachers do, right?  Give recitals?
Plum: Must practice!
Plum: *practices nonstop*
Plum: *sprains wrist*
Cherry Jam: Oh, that's too bad.  I guess we'll have to postpone the recital, huh?
Plum: Wait, it's that easy?  Hm....
Cherry Jam: Boy, Plum, you sure have rotten luck.  First the wrist, then your dress wasn't done, then you hurt your rear, and now your drumsticks are lost.
Strawberry: Yeah, rotten luck.
Strawberry: Okay, Plum, what's up?  You love to perform.  What about all those dance recitals you've forced us to attend?
Plum: Duh, I'm good at dancing, and I'm no good at drumming.
Strawberry: Well, you must be a little good at it, what with all this extra practice time.  How about you play for me, and I'll let you know if you're ready or not.
Plum: If it's just you, sure.
Plum: *drums, loses hold of sticks at the end*
Strawberry: Not too bad, but why don't we get Lemon's opinion?
Strawberry: *manages to sneak in all the other students*
Cherry: Since everyone's here, let's open the recital with a group number.
Plum: Okay, I can live with that.  Let in the audience.
Princess Berrykin: *is the only audience member*
Princess Berrykin: And soon I'll be a student, too.  I'm thinking of taking up the bassoon.  *winks at Berrykin Bloom*
Berrykin Bloom: Why, Princess!
Audience at home: *did not need to see that*
Recital: *goes great*

Top Talent
Cherry Jam: *is serenaded by the Berrykin-Bug Marching Band*
Cherry Jam: That's great, but y'all are aware it's six in the morning, right?
Band leader: You've inspired us, Cherry Jam!  Include us in your next recital?
Cherry Jam: Sorry, but I'm heading home.  I've put off my tour planning long enough.
Cherry Jam: *has a heartfelt goodbye with the other girls*
Cherry Jam's bus: *breaks down*
Berrykin Bruce: Your hydraulic juicer-mixer is busted, gonna take two to three weeks to get a new one.
Cherry Jam: Well, since I'm sticking around a little longer, let's throw a talent show!
BBC Residents: Yeah!
Cherry Jam: I told my manager about the show, and my publicist mentioned it in a magazine, and now a talent scout from Big Bitty City is coming to see the show.
Girls: SQUEEEEE!  Fame and fortune will be ours!
Lemon: So we said, but only one girl can take home the top prize, and that girl is going to be me!  And thanks to Berrykin Bloom's inadvertent inspiration, I have just the thing to net me first place: hair topiary (scented)!
BBC Residents: *work on a stage for the talent show*
Girls: *get help from each other for the show and their acts*
Lemon: *rejects all requests for help*
Lemon: *rejects all offers of help*
Lemon: *hears Raspberry crying*
Raspberry: My keyboard is gone!  How can I be in the show without it?
Lemon: I now see that I have been selfish in devoting all my time to practicing for the show, and will instead devote the rest of my day to finding your keyboard, Raspberry!
Raspberry's keyboard: *is not found*
Raspberry: All I have left is a recording of my piece and the dress I made especially for the talent show!
Lemon: That gives me an idea!  And no, not one that involves cheating.
Talent show: *is hosted by Berrykin Bloom*
Berrykin Bloom: *tells terrible jokes between acts*
Lemon: *gets her friends to display all her topiaries at once*
Raspberry: *wears the Berry Dazzling dress*
Raspberry: *had time to make ones for Cherry Jam and Strawberry, too*
Raspberry: *wins third place*
Lemon: *wins second place*
Berrykin Bloom: *wins first place, despite not being an actual contestant*
Talent Scout: Raspberry, here's my card.  Have your people call mine.  You could be big!
Raspberry: There are not enough Es for the squee I'm about to let out.

A Star is Fashioned
Berrykin Mechanics: It sure is a shame Cherry's gonna leave once the part for her bus is delivered.
Bees: *deliver the part*
Berrykin Mechanics: If Berrykin Bruce never finds this, he'll never fix the bus, and Cherry will stay in Berry Bitty City forever!
Berrykin Mechanics: *hide part*
Berrykin Bruce: *is none the wiser*
Raspberry: Girls, there's something I have to tell you!  After the show last night, the talent scout gave me her card!
Girls: Call her, call her!
Raspberry: But what if it's some kind of scam?  They have me head down to what I think is a fancy boutique, but really it's a warehouse and they trick me into working in a sweatshop for the rest of my life!
Girls: If you won't call her, we will!
Blueberry: *dials the number*
Raspberry: Uh huh...uh huh...uh huh...uh huh.. yes, yes, yes!  They want me to head to the city right away to start my own fashion line!
Girls: Woohoo!
Cherry Jam: ....
Girls: Let's get you packed!
Berrykin Bruce: I'm so sorry, Miss Jam, but your part isn't in yet.  I know you must want to get back to the city and start working on your tour.
Cherry Jam: Part?  City?  Tour?  Oh, right.  I keep forgetting I didn't always live in Berry Bitty City.
Raspberry: *heads off to Berry Big City*
Girls: *miss her*
Raspberry: *e-mail* They're giving me my own studio in the city!
Girls: Woohoo!
Raspberry: *e-mail* So I'm coming back to pack up my studio and move to the city.
Girls: Woohoo?
Cherry: *shakes head ominously*
Raspberry: *returns*
Raspberry: *has become an urbanite to the core*
Girls: Welcome back, Raspberry! What's Joan Rivers doing with you?
Mavis: I'm not Joan Rivers, I'm Mavis Maraschino, host of Fashion Further Forward, and I represent everything that's terrible about people from the big city!  Like stepping on the little people, barking orders into cellphones, and especially thinking anything that isn't from the big city isn't worth the time of day.
Cherry: Raspberry, do not get sucked in.  Remember all the good things about small town life.
Mavis: What do you know about small time life?  You've been here, what, a month?  Raspberry, let's get out of here.
Raspberry: What was that all about?
Mavis: She's just jealous, darling, and trying to keep you here in the sticks while she goes back to the city.
Raspberry: Really?
Mavis: Yes, really.
Cherry: *practices a touching goodbye song for Raspberry's farewell party*
Raspberry: *doesn't show up*
Lemon: What's happening to the Raspberry we know and love?
Cherry: She's been bitten by the big city bug.  There's just something about the city that brings out the worst in people.
Strawberry: So you're not jealous of her?
Cherry: Nope.
Mavis: How can there only be one restaurant in town, and it's not even open?
Berrykins: It's boat racing day!
Raspberry: Must boat race!
Mavis: Honey, you're a star now, you never step on anything smaller than a yacht.
Cherry: *is borrowing Raspberry's boat*
Cherry: We didn't think you'd show, after you blew off last night's party.
Raspberry: The party!  I completely forgot!  And I'd never miss the boat race.  Come on, Mavis, this'll be a blast!
Mavis: Mavis Maraschino does not ride around in dinghies.  And neither does the Raspberry I know.
Raspberry: Then I guess you don't really know me.  Forget Berry Big City, I'm staying right here.
Cherry: You know what?  Me, too.
Mavis: You haven't seen the last of Mavis Maraschino!
Mavis: *drives off in Cherry's tour bus in disgrace*
Tour bus: *works, despite Berrykin Bruce never discovering the other mechanics' deception*