discussion guide - ChristianCinema.com

Strawberry Shortcake’s friend Coco
Calypso and her animal friends have a
happy life on Seaberry Island, but
someone keeps stealing Coco Calypso’s
seaberry harvest! As Strawberry Shortcake
and Coco Calypso try to find the thief, they
discover a shy girl named Seaberry Delight who soon becomes a new friend. Then,
Strawberry Shortcake, Rainbow Sherbet, Blueberry Muffin, Coco Calypso, and Seaberry
Delight go on an adventure far away where mermaids play, but their friendship is
threatened when they discover gold and greed. Ultimately they learn that their real
treasure is their friends and the life they enjoy together.
This discussion guide touches on topics that children
often deal with at a young age – how to find
solutions to problems, the importance of looking
at another perspective, and why material things
don’t necessarily bring happiness. Each topic
is complete with thought-provoking
questions, related scriptures, and helpful
lessons. To supplement the lessons, clips
from the movie have been chosen and are
offered as a visual aid. These clips are available
for download at www.foxfaith.com or may be shown
through a specially made DVD that you can request
at the same website. These clips and the guide,
used in Sunday school classes, other small groups
or by parents, will provide you with the opportunity
to discuss situations that a child may experience
as they journey towards adulthood.
For more information and additional Church resource
material, go to www.foxfaith.com.
© 2005 TCFHE. All rights reserved.
© 2005 DIC Entertainment Corp. Strawberry ShortcakeTM. Those Characters form Cleveland, Inc.
Strawberry Shortcake Designs © Those Characters form Cleveland, Inc.
Used under license. All rights reserved.
DISCUSSION GUIDE
ABOUT THE FILM
The Strawberry Shortcake video series
brings home lessons of love, friendship,
and fun to kids and families. The series
has received eight dove awards from The
Dove Foundation and is approved by
KidsFirst! and iParenting. It is the recipient
of the National Parenting Seal of Approval.
Strawberry Shortcake Seaberry Beach
Party consists of two adventures that center
around a very special girl named Strawberry
Shortcake, and her friends. Strawberry
Shortcake is sweet like her name, “berry”
cool, and always a best friend. Her
reputation is that she has a special touch
with others. Everyone who knows her loves
her very much.
Strawberry Shortcake’s motto is “friends
help friends.” So, it isn’t surprising in the
first story when Strawberry Shortcake and
her friends Rainbow Sherbet and Blueberry
Muffin come to the rescue of Coco Calypso.
Coco Calypso lives alone on Seaberry Island,
except for her animal friends. In this happy
place she harvests seaberries from the
Seaberry Lagoon.
But something has gone wrong. Someone –
or something – is stealing her seaberries!
It takes teamwork and a plan to find the
answer to Coco Calypso’s problem. When
the mystery is solved, the girls discover
that the “sea thief” is a shy girl named
Seaberry Delight – and one who quickly
becomes a brand new friend.
In this meaningful experience, Coco Calypso
discovers that there are two sides to every
story; that our own actions may not always
take into consideration the feelings or needs
of others. And Strawberry Shortcake,
Rainbow Sherbet and Blueberry Muffin
learn it’s “berry” important to listen to a
friend’s heart even when their words say
something else.
money to help others in need. God expects
us to use our assets wisely and to give
some of our money back to Him.
Unfortunately, when greed gains control,
our focus is on ourselves which can lead
to discontent with things we already have.
This first story touches on topics that
children often deal with at a young age –
how to find solutions to problems, the
importance of looking at another
perspective, and why material things
don’t necessarily bring happiness.
Giving Up the Gold
Strawberry Shortcake and her friends devise
a plan to rescue Blueberry Muffin and
Rainbow Delight. By enticing the guards to
follow her, Strawberry Shortcake leads
them into a cave where the others
successfully trap them. While celebrating
their success, there is a seaquake. The
ocean floor opens and begins to swallow
all the Sea Serpent’s treasures. The serpent
is devastated and follows the gold as it
disappears into the depths. With the Sea
Serpent’s life in danger, all the mermaids
create a human chain to rescue her. But,
she doesn’t want to let go of her gold to
grab the hand that can save her. Finally,
at the last minute she lets go and is lifted
to safety.
The second adventure takes place far away
and very deep in the water where the Sea
Sweeties swim; a place where mermaids
play. They sing about the wonderful treasure
that exists where they live – beautiful sights
and underwater creatures. All they have to
do is pause for a moment to enjoy all that
they have in their undersea world.
But, Strawberry Shortcake, Rainbow
Sherbet, Blueberry Muffin, Coco Calypso
and Seaberry Delight find that their
contentment and friendship is threatened
in this underwater world when they discover
gold and greed. But ultimately, they learn
that their real treasure is their friends and
the life that they enjoy together.
About the Leadership Guide
With the Leadership Guide, parents and
teachers can lead their group in discussion
subjects that touch a child’s life. The lessons
are supplemented by clips from the movie
you’ve either received or downloaded
online. These scenes were specifically
selected to help you set the tone and furnish
context for your discussions, whether it’s
in the home-setting, or the Sunday School
FRIENDS MAKE MISTAKES
Questions:
After the mermaids rescue Blueberry
Muffin and Rainbow Sherbet, there is a
seaquake. The Sea Serpent tries to save
her gold by following it into the open crack
in the sea floor. Why isn’t she thinking
about her safety instead of her treasure?
If you were in a similar situation, what
would you be thinking about?
Even though the Sea Serpent has wronged
Blueberry Muffin and Seaberry Delight by
holding them captive, all the girls still reach
out a helping hand. Why do you think they
form a human chain to save the serpent?
Should we always forgive others who treat
us poorly? Read Matthew 18:21-22 and
Luke 6:32-36.
The mermaids risk their lives to save the
Sea Serpent, but the Sea Serpent doesn‘t
reach for their hand at first. What does she
say is her reason? What has happened to
her priorities? Is it possible that we might
do the same thing with our possessions?
For instance, if you have a test in school
that you need to study for, do you think you
might decide to watch TV or play with your
toys instead of studying? What are you
risking?
What do the mermaids and the Sea
Serpent learn from their experience with the
treasures? Are the best treasures things you
can buy? Why not? Read Colossians 3:1-4.
Lesson to Learn:
Our culture places a lot of emphasis on
material things – how much money we
have, what kind of car we drive, how big
and expensive our home is. But these things
aren’t important in God’s eyes. What is
important is how we touch other people’s
lives. Our relationships are truly our treasure
and no amount of money or possessions
can compare.
It’s easy to get our priorities mixed up and
think that riches and material things will
make us happy, but it’s only temporary.
What makes us the happiest is our ties to
our friends, family and others. What lasts
forever is our relationship with God. There’s
a saying that goes something like this,
“Only one life will soon be past. Only what’s
done for Christ will last.” Encourage your
group to discover the greatest treasure of
all – a relationship with God.
Debt can be a monster that traps us.
When we borrow money, we are forced to
work to get out of debt and give up some
of our freedom to do other things; for
example spending time with friends. What
would be a better way to get something
that we want? Have you ever saved money
in a piggy bank or at a regular bank? How
did you feel when you were able to buy
something special with the money you
saved?
FRIENDS FORGIVE
Trapped
It isn’t long before Blueberry Muffin and
Rainbow Sherbet, weighted from all the
gold sand dollars they’ve found, hear the
other girls calling for them. But, instead of
thinking that Strawberry Shortcake, Coco
Calypso, and Seaberry Delight are worried
about them, they suspect that the girls are
looking to take their treasure. Then, without
warning, Blueberry Muffin and Seaberry
Delight are trapped in a net and carried to
the home of a Sea Serpent who owns a
huge pile of gold sand dollars. She puts
them to work gathering more treasures.
Questions:
Blueberry Muffin and Rainbow Sherbet
are too busy gathering gold to notice they’re
in danger. Once they realize it, they are
trapped. Do you think our greed can really
trap us? Have you ever borrowed money
so you could have something you wanted
immediately? How did you feel when you
thought about paying back the money?
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The Sea Serpent has a lot of gold, but
she doesn’t think it is enough. As a result,
she forces Sea Sweeties and now, Blueberry
Muffin and Seaberry Delight to find more
sand dollars. When you get something you
want, do you stop wanting more things?
Why not?
Read Malachi 3:10. Whatever amount
of money we have, God tells us to give some
of it back to Him. Why do you think God
wants us to give up some of our money? Is
tithing easy? What else can we do with our
money that will benefit other people?
Lesson to Learn:
Children need to learn at an early age about
the pitfalls of greed and debt. In this lesson,
we explore the feelings and problems that
result from immediate gratification.
Seaberry Delight and Blueberry Muffin learn
a painful lesson from this experience. They
isolate themselves from their friends, put
their freedom in jeopardy and are trapped
into an existence that has no way out.
Greed causes us to extend ourselves beyond
our means. The result is that we are
required to pay back the debt at a terrible
price. That price may include jeopardizing
important relationships, giving up time with
those we love, or not being able to use our
class. There are also suggested scriptures
for your group to read. Plus, we’ve offered
several questions based on the different
scenes. The video clips, Bible reading and
questions should initiate conversation.
We suggest that you show the video to your
class or study group in two segments. For
example, watch the story about Coco Calypso
and the theft of the seaberries, followed by
discussion, video clips, and Bible reading.
Use the leadership booklet as your guide.
Remember, this study can extend over
several learning sessions, if you choose.
Then, repeat the process with the second
story that focuses on the girls’ search for
hidden treasure. You’ll find that this process
will provide you with the opportunity to
discuss situations that a child may experience
as they journey towards adulthood.
Discussions:
Once your group has watched one of the
stories on Strawberry Shortcake Seaberry
Beach Party, you can reinforce the themes
and messages of the story by showing
them the video clips. These clips can be
downloaded online at foxfaith.com or shown
through a specially made DVD that you can
request at the same website. You might
start the study time by saying something
like this: “We’ve watched the story about
Strawberry Shortcake and her friends. Now
we’re going to watch a video clip that will
help us discover some ideas that we can
use in our own lives.” Then, after they have
watched the clip, read the questions and
scriptures that will jump-start discussion.
Remember, the amount of time you spend
on this process is entirely up to you. Don’t
feel like you have to hurry through a good
conversation to finish all the scenes. The
goal is to allow the group time to understand
the principles that are set forth in the story.
FRIENDS HELP FRIENDS
Friends to the Rescue!
Papaya Parrot arrives to tell Strawberry
Shortcake about her friend Coco Calypso
who has been robbed. He explains that Coco
Calypso lives alone except for her animal
friends and there is no one around for miles
and miles. But there must be someone close
by because her seaberries have disappeared.
Papaya Parrot tells Strawberry Shortcake
that Coco Calypso needs help to solve the
mystery. Of course, Strawberry Shortcake
says, “Friends help friends.”
Questions:
When Strawberry Shortcake hears that
Coco Calypso needs help because she has
been robbed of her seaberries, she takes
action right away. Why does Strawberry
Shortcake say she will help Coco Calypso?
Is it because she will get to eat seaberry
treats or is there a deeper reason? Read
James 2:8.
There are times in life when we need
someone else to help us. Think about a
time when you asked a friend to help you
with a problem. How did it make you feel
when they said yes?
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Not everyone thinks like Strawberry
Shortcake – that friends always help
friends. Sometimes friends don’t help each
other. What are some reasons that someone
might say they can’t help a friend?
What does God say about helping
others? Read Luke 3:11.
Lesson to Learn:
It’s easy to say you’re a friend, but a real
friend puts their friendship into action. As
soon as the news comes that Coco Calypso
is in trouble, Strawberry Shortcake,
Blueberry Muffin and Rainbow Sherbet go
to Seaberry Island. The girls want to do
whatever it takes to help Coco Calypso.
Even though Strawberry Shortcake,
Rainbow Sherbet and Blueberry Muffin
were busy with their lives, they stopped
what they were doing to make their friend
a top priority. It’s important to remember
that we are supposed to love other people
just like we love ourselves. This isn’t always
easy, but it’s the right thing to do.
FRIENDS ARE POSITIVE
A Plan is Foiled!
Strawberry Shortcake, Rainbow Sherbet,
and Blueberry Muffin tell Coco Calypso
that they can find out who the “sea
thief” is if they stay up all night. They
plan to keep watch in their beach
hideaway. But they all fall asleep.
When they awake, the seaberries are
gone! Coco Calypso cries that she’ll
never be able to make treats again.
And that “no one will ever come see
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me with this creature around!!!” Strawberry
Shortcake and Rainbow Sherbet remind her
to be hopeful, that it might be a nice “very
happy to see you ‘sea creature’.”
Read 1st Timothy 6:10. What does the
Bible say about loving money? What do
you think can happen to your heart and
mind when you love money?
Questions:
Lesson to Learn:
When Coco Calypso realizes that they
missed seeing the “sea thief” she gets very
upset, but she doesn’t blame her friends
for falling asleep. When things go wrong,
do you ever find yourself blaming someone
else? Why do we do that instead of taking
some of the responsibility for what happened?
When we love material possessions such as
money, beautiful jewelry, or expensive clothes
and toys, we begin to focus on those “trinkets
and baubles” instead of being thankful for
what is more important – good health, special
friendships, a happy environment.
In the morning when the girls wake up
and realize that the seaberries are gone,
Coco Calypso worries that she’ll never be
able to make seaberry treats again. And,
worse than that, she fears that no one will
ever come see her because of the “creature.”
Have you ever been afraid that a terrible
thing would happen and then it never did;
or it wasn’t anything like you imagined?
Read Luke 12:22-26. What does God
say about worrying? Does it change
anything? Read Phillipians 4:8.
There are Biblical warnings about loving
money or treasuring “things” more than
our relationship with God. When we
disregard these warnings we may find our
attitudes taking a wrong direction. Also,
when everyone around us thinks loving
material things is okay, it takes courage to
take a stand and not go along with the
crowd. A friend sets a good example for
friends to follow. A true friend makes an
effort to warn others of actions that could
lead to potential problems.
FRIENDS INTERVENE
A Bigger Find
Strawberry Shortcake, Coco Calypso and
Seaberry Delight find a wonderful place to
play, but they realize their friends are missing.
When they find them, Blueberry Muffin and
Rainbow Sherbet are fighting over a huge
pile of gold sand dollars. Strawberry
Shortcake reminds them that they are all
friends and that the gold doesn’t mean
anything. She asks, “You aren’t getting
greedy, are you?” Blueberry Muffin and
Rainbow Sherbet ignore their friends’ plea
to come play and leave the treasure hunt
behind. Even when a wall of Sea Sweeties
block their path to warn them of impending
danger, they disregard their advice.
When Strawberry Shortcake, Coco
Calypso and Seaberry Delight find Blueberry
Muffin and Rainbow Sherbet, they are
fighting over a huge pile of gold. Isn’t there
enough gold for both of them? Does getting
more money, cool toys, or fancy clothes
ever satisfy a person? Why or why not?
When Strawberry Shortcake asks
Blueberry Muffin and Rainbow Sherbet if
they are getting greedy, they ignore her.
What actions do Blueberry Muffin and
Rainbow Sherbet demonstrate that show
they are becoming more and more greedy?
Strawberry Shortcake, Coco Calypso
and Seaberry Delight beg Blueberry Muffin
and Rainbow Sherbet to leave the treasure
and come play with them, but Rainbow
Sherbet and Blueberry Muffin don’t want
to discontinue their search. What does
Strawberry Shortcake say about friendship
and how it compares to gold? Which is the
greater treasure?
Read Matthew 6:19-21. What should
we focus on everyday? How can we
demonstrate that loving others is more
important than getting more “stuff?”
Lesson to Learn:
When we center our affection on material
things we may forget or close our eyes
to all the blessings we have in our lives.
Instead, we can become greedy and
disregard the best treasures we have already
– family, and friends. God tells us in the
Bible that we should be storing up treasure
in heaven. Our lives should reflect His love,
reaching out to help others. One way we
can help others is to get involved when we
see they are doing something where they
might hurt themselves. A good friend
intervenes to save a friend.
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Lesson to Learn:
Before we accuse others of wrongdoing,
we should try to find out if we are at fault
too. In Coco Calypso’s case, she was
trespassing and taking something that didn’t
belong to her. Even though she didn’t realize
she was doing wrong, she needed to look
at what may have caused the problem in
the first place. Often times, if we can solve
a situation peacefully, then there is a positive
outcome. For Coco Calypso, she gained a
new friend and didn’t have to be lonely
anymore, besides having enough seaberries
to make treats. For Seaberry Delight, she
now had a friend that she didn’t have to
feel shy around. Plus, by sharing what she
had, Seaberry Delight and the Sea Sweeties
could enjoy Coco Calypso’s delicious
seaberry treats.
FRIENDS PROTECT
A Trail of Treasure
Strawberry Shortcake mermaid finds a pure
gold sand dollar. This discovery entices the
rest of the mermaids to search for the
mountain of gold sand dollars that have
been reported to be somewhere near.
Seaberry Delight warns her friends
that this kind of treasure can bring
unhappiness, but no one listens.
The mermaids search and one by
one they find more gold sand
dollars. Seaberry Delight refuses
to hunt for them or accept any
when they are offered to her.
As the search progresses, it’s not
long before the mood changes.
Blueberry Muffin and Rainbow
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Sherbet become secretive, even to the
point of lying to each other. The hunt for
the treasure has taken on increased
importance – enough for these two to
separate from the group and go into
dangerous territory.
Questions:
Strawberry Shortcake finds a pure gold
sand dollar and excitedly shows the other
girls. When Seaberry Delight warns her
friends about the treasure, is it because
she wants to keep it for herself? What is
the real reason?
Seaberry Delight tells her friends that
the treasure brings unhappiness. Why do
you think that no one will listen to her?
Why does Seaberry Delight refuse to take
any of the gold sand dollars? Can you think
of a time when you decided to not follow
the group? Was it easy? Difficult?
Coco Calypso starts to whine when
she can’t find any gold sand dollars, but
Strawberry Shortcake offers her one of her
own. But what happens to Blueberry Muffin
and Rainbow Sherbet as they gather more
of the sand dollars? Why is their attitude
changing?
When Coco Calypso thinks of the “sea
thief,” she pictures a “creature.” But,
Strawberry Shortcake and Rainbow Sherbet
remind her to be hopeful, that it might be
a nice “very happy to see you ‘sea
creature’.” As friends, they try to encourage
Coco Calypso to see another point of view.
Why do you think it’s important to help a
friend look at a problem differently?
Lesson to Learn:
Our emotions can sometimes get in the
way of seeing a situation clearly. For
instance, we worry about things that may
never happen, or we picture a problem as
being horrible – like the “creature” in the
story. But, if we would look at our dilemma
in a different way, it might not seem so
bad. Strawberry Shortcake and her friends
try to help Coco Calypso think differently;
to see the difficulty in a more positive light.
Another lesson to think about is how we
sometimes blame others for outcomes that
we may have had some responsibility for
ourselves. It’s important to not blame others
when life doesn’t happen exactly the way
we want it to turn out. Coco Calypso was
a good example of how she didn’t place
blame on her friends when all of the girls
fell asleep and didn’t see the “sea thief.”
Friends really can make a difference!
FRIENDS SEE THE HEART
Please Hear What I’m Not Saying!
Coco Calypso and the island monkeys
entertain Strawberry Shortcake, Rainbow
Sherbet and Blueberry Muffin with a
Calypso-style concert. Coco Calypso sings
a song that tells about her wonderful life
on the island, “With all that I’ve got and all
that I’ve found., it’s
o.k. by me if there’s
no one around.” Her
song describes being
alone, but not lonely. But,
when Strawberry
Shortcake says to Coco
Calypso that it must be
“berry” fun to have
this whole
beautiful beach
island to herself, there is hesitation in Coco
Calypso’s voice. And when the girls rave
about Coco Calypso’s concert, she excitedly
tells them that she can do one every night –
and the girls can even move in with her
too! Later Blueberry Muffin and Strawberry
Shortcake agree that Coco Calypso seems
lonely.
Questions:
Coco Calypso sings about all that she
has on Seaberry Island and that she is very
happy living alone. Describe the things on
the island that Coco Calypso says make
her very happy.
From outside appearances, Coco
Calypso seems to have everything that a
girl could want in life. But when she talks
to her friends after the concert, what does
she say that makes Strawberry Shortcake
and Blueberry Muffin think that she’s not
totally happy?
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Have you ever felt that if you were able
to buy something that you wanted, or go
to a special event or place, then you would
be “berry” happy? What happened when
you got it? Or when you went there? Did
that feeling of happiness last for a short or
long time? Read Mathew 6:19-21. What
does God say about happiness and material
things?
Coco Calypso was lonely on Seaberry
Island, but she pretended that everything
was wonderful. She even sang about how
she was “alone, but not lonely.” Still,
Strawberry Shortcake and Blueberry Muffin
knew that she was lonely. When you care
about someone and you can see that they
are hurting, should you always believe what
they say? Or should you listen to what they’re
saying behind the words? What can a friend
do to help someone who may be lonely?
Lesson to Learn:
Often times we see someone who appears
to have everything – pretty clothes, a
beautiful house, or lots of fabulous things
with which to play. But “things” don’t
always guarantee happiness. What human
beings need most of all, besides food and
shelter, are loving relationships. When a
loving connection with another person is
missing – with a parent or another child –
no toy or object can take its place. It’s
important for friends to reach out to others
who may be missing that relationship; one
that says “I love you just the way you are.”
FRIENDS FIND ANSWERS
The Mystery is Solved!
Strawberry Shortcake, Rainbow Sherbet,
Blueberry Muffin and Coco Calypso set a
trap again to catch the “creature.” When
the alarm sounds, they find a surprise. The
“sea thief” is a girl just like them who
introduces herself as Seaberry Delight. She
admits to taking the baskets of seaberries
because the seaberries where she lives
have been disappearing. Seaberry Delight
has always used them to feed herself and
her underwater sea friends, the Sea Sweeties.
At this moment, Coco Calypso realizes what
she has done. “I thought you were stealing
them from me, but I was stealing them
from you.” But now, it looks like Coco
Calypso may not be able to make Seaberry
Delight treats anymore! Then, Strawberry
Shortcake suggests that the way to solve
the problem is for Coco Calypso to take a
few berries less and share her seaberry
treats with the Sea Sweeties. Even better,
Seaberry Delight can now be a friend to
Coco Calypso!
Questions:
When the girls meet Seaberry Delight
and hear her story, Coco Calypso realizes
that she has made a big mistake. What
should Coco Calypso have done before
taking the seaberries that weren’t in her
own backyard? Have you ever had
something stolen? How did it feel?
Coco Calypso was very upset when her
seaberries were missing. But, Seaberry
Delight was equally upset that her
seaberries were disappearing. Instead of
sneaking into Coco Calypso’s home at night
to take the seaberries, what should
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Seaberry Delight have done? What was her
reason for not talking to Coco Calypso? Did
that make her action right?
When Coco Calypso found that she had
been “robbed” by someone, she called
them a “creature” and a “sea thief.” Yet,
at the same time, she had actually been
taking seaberries that didn’t belong to her.
What does the Bible say about finding fault
in others? Read Luke 6:42.
Both Coco Calypso and Seaberry Delight
need the seaberries, each for a different
reason. How does Strawberry Shortcake
solve the problem? What are the results of
solving a situation peacefully? What would
have happened if Seaberry Delight and
Coco Calypso had decided to fight over
the seaberries?
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