The Berry Bitty Great Race

Episode Information

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The Berry Bitty Great Race is an episode of Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures.

Summary[]

Not realizing that the tales told over the campfire are "tall tales", Apple tells the tale of a thrilling road race known as the "Berry Bitty Great Race" that she entered and won, which actually turns out to be a true story.

Episode Review[]

Strawberry and Blueberry compliment the twins for their story from previous episode. While Apple tries to go back to what she was doing before she came to listen to the twins' story, she claims that there is not such place as the Berry Great dark forest since she's been to many place. Sour asks with impudence if Apple has a better story. Lemon exclaims it would be hard to top the twins' story. Apple replies it would be easy, although she was hesitant at first to tell the story. Once the girls encourage Apple to join them such as her cousin encouraging her to sit with her, Cherry giving her a marshmallow, and other girls, especially Sweet and Raspberry ask her to tell the story, Apple decides to come back over. Then she begins her story, a common event that has happened to her all the time during her travel days:

Adventure, thrills and danger was her life. On this particular day, she was reporting on the Berry Bitty Great Race: it consisted of a cross-country riding, a mountain climb, a hot air balloon race and a sailboat race. She had to enter the race so she could report it.

Apple and Tea Time Turtle exited their tent, and were welcome with applause. They mounted their rabbit steed, while the other three competitors - Mr. McSnivels, Guava Guttersnipe and Cruddy Donogood - rode frogs. Apple did not know the others had no intention of behaving in a sporting way. She felt there was something sinister about the way they smiled back at her. They were envious at Apple and her turtle for winning 199 races, and were determined to stop her from reaching the finish line.

The race began. Apple's steed was slightly behind the other competitors, but they had difficulties controlling their mounts. Apple eats a marshmallow and continues the story:

The villains used the first foul trick: McSnivels and Guava spread broccoli on the ground, in a pattern that led away from the race course. Then they returned to their frog mounts, but it took them three tries to mount them. Like they intended, the rabbit stopped to eat the broccoli, strayed off the course, and Apple couldn't direct it back. Tea Time had an idea: Apple tied a carrot to a long stick, hanged it in the air in front of the rabbit, and that way she lured the rabbit back to the race. Then, the villains' trick backfired at them: a pack of rabbits appeared from nowhere, heading their direction to eat the broccoli. They ran away in fear.

The Berry girls laugh. Lemon asks if that was it for the bad guys. Sour comments rudely if this is the end of the story, they can go to sleep. Apple continues:

The bad guys continue to put obstacles on her way. At crossroads, they reversed the sign, sending Apple in the wrong direction. Soon Apple came to a place where the bad guys placed another obstacle: a large pile of logs blocked

the way. Using her knowledge of geometry and mechanical engineering, Apple found which log to move in order to clear enough of the pile for passage without making it collapse. The bad guys are in disbelief that they couldn't delay Apple and approached the obstacle. Suddenly, the remaining logs collapsed, and they ran away.

The Berry girls cheer for Apple's efforts. Sweet especially expresses how proud she was of her. Strawberry comments how big cheaters the villains were. Raspberry found the villains' behavior unbelievable and obnoxious. Before Apple can continue the story, Strawberry decides to give her cousin a marshmallow while Sweet has Apple try some hot chocolate, much to Apple's delight. While Lemon, Blueberry, and Strawberry wonder what happens next, an annoyed Sour asks if there's more. Apple declares there is and she goes on:

The bad guys' dastardliness at the cross-country race was just the beginning. She and Tea Time were on the second part of the race, walking at mountain path. Suddenly they were engulfed by a snowstorm - the handiwork of the bad guys, who dropped ice cubes from their higher position, and used a fan to make them fall on Apple. Apple found a cave. Strange voices came out of it. Apple hesitated, and the bad guys thought it was a monster and fled. Apple was scared, but she and Tea Time entered the cave, walked through a tunnel and came out at the other side of the mountain.

They met two girls (portrayed by the Grapes twins) who were yodeling. They introduced themselves as Ilsa and Elsa. They yodeled so bad that Tea Time hid in his shell. They bickered which key to sing - B flat or C. Apple played a harmonica and suggested another key - D sharp. Then they yodeled nicely. Apple used her binoculars to see the next part of the race: a balloon launch. Elsa and Ilsa advised her to hurry there, since she was currently leading. Apple said that since the tunnel was a shortcut, she decided to be fair and wait for the other competitors to catch up. Elsa sneered at that, but Apple insisted that "A race is only fun if it's fair". Ilsa and Elsa wished her good luck as she went away with Tea Time.

Sour, like her analogous character in Apple's story, sneers at Apple's above statement. Apple continues:

When Apple and Tea Time arrived at the balloon launch, Cruddy was already there. She untied three of the four balloons, then climbed into the fourth and started flying. Apple claimed it wasn't fair, and Cruddy answered "Fair-shmair, see if I care!". The other two bad guys arrived and gloated at Apple, but... Apple picked up Tea Time, grabbed a rope that dangled from Cruddy's balloon and swung herself and Tea Time into the closest of the other three balloons. The other two bad guys climbed into Cruddy's balloon. Apple thought they lost the bad guys, but they rode their balloon close to her. Guava repeatedly tried to pop Apple's balloon with a large hairpin, but Apple lowered the balloon each time. Suddenly she noticed they were heading into a mountain. She told Tea Time to help her drop the ballasts, but it did not make the balloon light enough to go above the mountain. Apple grabbed the rope and jumped out of the balloon, and that made balloon fly above the mountain peak. The bad guys tried to do the same, but ended up popping their own balloon.

When the balloon was low enough, Apple and Tea Time

jumped onto the snowy ground. They were lost at the mountain wilderness, but soon a Saint Bernard rescue dog (portrayed by Scouty) came to save them. He led them to a tropical fruit stand on the mountain.

Strawberry laughs at this unexpected turn of events and how funny it was have a tropical fruit stand in such place. Sour rudely claims how ridiculous it is. However Apple decides to continue:

The friendly seller at the chocolate fruit stand (portrayed by Lemon) introduced herself as Fern Frond. She said that she saw a real treachery going on up there in the sky. Could it be someone who was not playing nice with others? Apple said it was pretty much. Fern offered Apple a frozen banana chocolate popsicle. Apple looked around and saw huge fruit peels, in size of boats. She asked instead a banana peel. Tea Time gave Fern the binoculars, and she saw Cruddy coming, using the balloon basket as a sled. Apple dragged the banana peel into the snow and used it as a sled. Guava and McSnivels arrived and took a coconut sled without permission. Fern protested that was stealing, but they taunted her "Stealing-shmealing, after that peeling!". Cruddy arrived and snatched a popsicle from Fern, teasing her "One bad turn deserves another!".

Apple reached the last stage of the race - sailing boats. Quickly, she took Tea Time and rushed to one of the boats, hoisted the mast and sailed away. Guava and McSnivels arrived shortly later, fell to the ground from the coconut peel sled and rushed to the other boat. Cruddy lost control of her sled, bumped into Apple's banana peel sled, was thrown away and landed painfully on a branch of a strawberry tree. At first Apple was ahead of Guava and McSnivels, but then they used a fan to make their boat move faster, catching up with Apple's boat and leaving it behind. Apple shouted at them "You're cheating again!" and they teased her. It looked like the bad guys were going to win, but just then they started arguing which one of them should be the winner. They tried to push each other out of the boat, and lost control of it, going in circles, allowing Apple to catch up with them and win the race.

Apple and Tea Time reached the finish line first. The Berrykin Race Official chided the bad guys for the treachery and dastardliness they displayed that day. They asked him mockingly how could he know they cheated?

Fern, the twins and the rescue dog appeared as witnesses and confirmed that the bad guys cheated. The Race Official announced that for winning the race, and most importantly for her good sportsmanship, he awarded Apple first prize. He gave Apple a medal and a ribbon.

As the story ends, all the girls compliment Apple. Even Sour says it is the best story, and Apple won first prize for her imagination. Apple surprises everyone by claiming it was not an imaginary story, every word was true. The other girls laugh, thinking Apple is joking. Apple tells Tea Time to bring her scrapbook to show evidence. She takes from it a medal and ribbon. The girls are highly impressed, but tell Apple she should have told an imaginary story - it's their campout tradition: roasting marshmallows, hot chocolate, sitting around the campfire, telling tall-tales. Apple did not know because she was not around when Strawberry and Raspberry explained it to Sour, and was too busy with her camping video when they explained it again to Sweet two episodes ago.

Apple says that if she can make up a story, the Berry Bitty Great Race is nothing compared to what she could tell in a tall-tale! The other girls laugh. Apple says that as it stands now, Sour and Sweet win first prize for imagination. To their surprise, Apple gives them the medal and the ribbon. They are unsure if to take them, but she tells them it's okay, she won 200 of them. Then Apple asks if she ever told them about the trans-desert treasure at the lost pyramid road valley? She starts telling: "Well, there I was, in the middle of the greatest sandstorm to hit the desert in years..."

Quotes[]

Apple: And so, we were off. Ahhh, the thrill of the race. The sun in your face, the wind in your hair. The power of your noble steed leaping over every obstacle.

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Sour: (sneers) "A race is only fun if it's fair"?!

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(Cruddy releases the balloons)
Apple: Hey! You can't do that! That's not fair!
Cruddy: Fair-shmair, see if I care! (cackles)
Mr. McSnivels: (cackles) She did it!
Guava: Wait. Look!
Apple: Hold on, Teatime!
(Apple jumps, grabs a rope and swings to the closest balloon. Cruddy drops a rope ladder. Guava and Mr. McSnivels climb aboard)
Mr. McSnivels: Quick! After her!

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Apple: He [the rescue dog] led us to a tropical fruit stand on the mountain.
Strawberry: (bursts out laughing) A tropical fruit stand?! On a mountain?!
Sour: Is this not getting *a bit* ridiculous?
Apple: (sharply) May I continue?
The other girls: Oh, yes! Please!

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(Mr. McSnivels and Guava take one of Fern's sleds without permission)
Fern: Hey! Why... that's... that's stealing!
Mr. McSnivels: (teasing) Stealing-shmealing, after that peeling!
(Cruddy arrives and steals a chocolate popsicle from Fern's hand)
Fern: Hey! That's stealing too!
Cruddy: That's right! One bad turn deserves another! Hahahaha!

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Apple: Hey! You're cheating again!
Mr. McSnivels: (teasing) How else can villains win?
Guava: Win? Win? Wait a minute. Only one of us can win.
Mr. McSnivels: What are you saying?
Guava: I'm saying there's only room in this boat for one of us and that one is me.
(Guava cackles evilly and tries to push Mr. McSnivels off the boat)
Mr. McSnivels: No! No! I'm more eviler than you, I should win.
(the boat spins in circles)
Both: Whoa!

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Lessons[]

Crime does not pay: all the foul tricks the bad guys used either backfired at them, or assisted Apple to win the race. Eventually, the bad guys were humiliated when their improper conduct was exposed in public.

Trivia[]

The campout story arc, which began in "Tall Tale Trio", comes to conclusion in this episode.
Cherry, Plum, and Orange have no speaking lines, like they did two episodes ago.
It is the first time that bad guys appear on the show - not just mischievous like Kadiebug and Sadiebug or obnoxious like Mavis Maraschino - but really mean characters who are capable of maliciously causing others physical harm.
It is the only time Scouty appears in Season 4, though not as himself but as the counterpart rescue dog. It is also his last appearance in the show.

Goofs[]

Apple claims the rescue dog was a Saint Bernard. It did not look like that, most notably its ears.

External links[]

The Berry Bitty Great Race at the Internet Movie Database