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RAISIN CANE

Real Name: Raisin Cane

Identity/Class: Normal human (extradimensional? - see comments)

Occupation: Troublemaker

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Berry Birds, Dregs, Durt, Purple Pieman, Sour Grapes

Enemies: Apricot, Berrykins, Blueberry Muffin, Gobblin' Goblin, Huckleberry Pie, Orange Blossom, Raspberry Tart, Strawberry Shortcake

Known Relatives: Sour Grapes (aunt)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Strawberryland (see comments)

First Appearance: Strawberry Shortcake#1 (April, 1985)

Powers/Abilities: Raisin Cane is a bratty child influenced by her aunt to gain pleasure in others' misfortune. She has access to magical tomes and uses them in her endeavors to upset others, particularly children her own size. Her ears/hair are adorned with grape motifs like her aunt's.

Height: 3'4"
Weight: 50 lbs.
Eyes: Black
Hair: Purple

History:

(Strawberry Shortcake#6 (fb) - BTS) - The nefarious Sour Grapes groomed her young niece Raisin Grapes to also become mean and gain pleasure in causing trouble. Part of this was giving the child "The Catalog of Things You Want with All Your Heart and Can't Have," a magical tome that would reveal a person's heartfelt desire but never have it realized.

(Strawberry Shortcake#1) - Sour Grapes and the likewise nasty Peculiar Pieman lived in a dark castle overlooking the magical Strawberryland where the ever-cheerful Strawberry Shortcake and her berry-themed friends lived in a never-ending child-like state.
   While delighting in his fiendish plan to make the berry children unhappy in a doomed pie contest, he was slapped with a pie by the newly arrived and bratty Raisin Cane accompanied by her pet worm Durt. The serpent Dregs protected Raisin Cane from Peculiar Pieman's wrath. They all agreed to work together to spoil the berry children's day with Raisin Cane acting as spy. Raisin Cane was immediately welcomed by the trusting berry children, but she used a (secretly magic) cookbook to instead direct them to the bizarre but hidden pocket dimension of Secretland. Strawberry Shortcake and Huckleberry Pie fell in; Raisin Cane managed to follow and working together they found their way home. Meanwhile, the other berry children had used Raisin Cane's magic cookbook to thwart Peculiar Pieman's dirty plan and baked a winning pie. Raisin Cane, although hoping to have made a new friend, was forced back home by the disgruntled Sour Grapes.

(Strawberry Shortcake#2) - Seeing Strawberryland threatened by the magically created and ravenous Gobblin' Goblin, Sour Grapes sent Raisin Cane to investigate. Seeing the magical creature's threat, Sour Grapes and Peculiar Pieman released an avalanche of their stale pies to help Raisin Cane, but it instead made the creature more powerful. Pursued by the Gobblin' Goblin, Raisin Cane raced back to her castle home where Sour Grapes eliminated the creature's threat with a food trap; she was praised by her niece.

(Strawberry Shortcake#3) - Hearing of Strawberry Shortcake's fun treasure map playtime, Sour Grapes and Raisin Cane dressed as vagabonds to gain the sympathy of Strawberry Shortcake, Blueberry Muffin and Huckleberry Pie. Instead, the dire disguised duo deliberately devoured the food treasure and took the jar, giving them a heavy wishing rock in compensation. Thinking herself nastily clever, she gloated later with Peculiar Pieman and Raisin Cane, only to discover that the wishing rock really worked, but only for those truly good-hearted. Peculiar Pieman chased after the rock while Sour Grapes and Raisin Cane hoped to make the castle their own, but were disappointed with Peculiar Pieman's later return.

(Strawberry Shortcake#4 (fb) - BTS) - Raisin Cane was sent to Sourpuss Finishing School, which reinforced her nasty aspects.

(Strawberry Shortcake#6) - Back at her castle home and grumpier then ever, Raisin Cane sought to end the berry children's happy playing. Raisin Cane delighted her aunt as she took her book "The Catalog of Things You Want with All Your Heart and Can't Have" with her to upset the berry children. Watched by Peculiar Pieman's Berry Bird, Raisin Cane's antics made the berry children sad. However, the small benign helpful beings called Berrykins used magic to reverse the catalog's effects; an order form was quickly completed, posted and delivered, setting the berry children on a magical adventure. Raisin Cane was greatly upset that her nasty plot was undone and ran back to her aunt. Raisin Cane and Sour Grapes returned with nets to catch Berrykins, but were unsuccessful. The dastardly duo were dismayed to later see the happy berry children reminiscing.

 

 

 

 

Comments: Created by Stan Kay, Howie Post, Roberta Edelman.

From what I can tell, Raisin Cane was created for this Marvel series. She has since appeared in IDW's 2016 Strawberry Shortcake comic and the 2021 cartoon (season 2 (2022)).

"Raisin Cane" is a play on words, deriving from "raising Cain," which means to cause trouble or behave in a disruptive manner.

I'm not quite sure how to classify Strawberry Shortcake in Marvel Comics: probably normal human? (The children have hands like mittens until issue #4 (yet the same artist throughout)). Is Strawberryland a pocket dimension or alternate reality, or simply (albeit briefly) somewhere on Earth-616?

This profile was completed 12/29/2022, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th anniversary's celebratory event.

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Raisin Cane has no known connections to:

Durt

Durt was Raisin Cane's faithful pet worm that accompanied her everywhere. It had basic speech and reminded her to be nice when she infiltrated the berry children's community in Strawberryland. Durt usually rode on Raisin Cane's shoulder or was carried in her hand. Sometimes it could wriggle fast enough to keep up with her walking pace.

 

--Strawberry Shortcake#1 (Strawberry Shortcake#2,6

Secretland

Secretland is a small pocket dimension accessed only via an invisible hollow tree in Strawberryland. Secretland has a slightly curved, multicolored square-patchwork surface that is bouncy and no other features. Bizarre-looking creatures hide underneath the surface, one under each square-like hatch. Each denizen has a secret that the individual is reluctant or too belligerent to share. However, the only means of exit for strangers is learning 100 secrets, after which the exit portal appears.

   In an effort to undermine Strawberry Shortcake's efforts in a pie-making contest, the nasty Raisin Cane deliberately misdirected Strawberry Shortcake and Huckleberry Pie to Secretland using directions from a magical tome (disguised as a cookbook). There they found an aged stranger who had been lost for a long time. Curious, Raisin Cane followed the duo and became trapped in Secretland as well. Strawberry Shortcake used kindness to have denizens reveal secrets while Raisin Cane tricked others to reveal theirs. Securing 100 secrets, the hollow tree materialized and the Strawberryland children escaped. Later an extraordinarily large pie baked by Strawberryland children, also using Unusualberries given from Secretland, lured in Secretland denizens and they all joined in eating the huge berry pie.

 

--Strawberry Shortcake#1

images: (without ads)
Strawberry Shortcake#2, p10, pan1 (main image)
Strawberry Shortcake#6, p2, pan3 (headshot)
Strawberry Shortcake#3, p4, pan5 (disguised)
Strawberry Shortcake#6, p4, pan1 (on mission)
Strawberry Shortcake#1, p15, pan4 (Durt)
Strawberry Shortcake#1, p11, pan5 (Secretland)
Strawberry Shortcake#1, p17, pan3 (Secretland's denizens)

Appearances:
Strawberry Shortcake#1 (April, 1985) - Stan Kay (writer), Howie Post (pencils), Roberta Edelman (inks), Sid Jacobson (editor)
Strawberry Shortcake#2 (June, 1985) - Stan Kay (writer), Howie Post (pencils), Roberta Edelman (inks), Sid Jacobson (editor)
Strawberry Shortcake#3 (August, 1985) - Stan Kay (writer), Howie Post (pencils), Roberta Edelman (inks), Sid Jacobson (editor)
Strawberry Shortcake#6 (February, 1986) - Stan Kay (writer), Howie Post (pencils), Roberta Edelman (inks), Sid Jacobson (editor)

First posted: 09/28/2026
Last updated: 12/29/2022

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
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