'I'm A Little Bit Of All Of Them' Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears Creator Talks About Her Iconic Characters

In 1977 Muriel Fahrion worked as an artist at a greeting card company and was asked to create a rag doll called Strawberry Shortcake. 

Strawberry Shortcake would go on to be known in the United States and across the world. Fahrion created other characters, including friends of Strawberry Shortcake, the Care Bears, and the Get-Along-Gang.

Muriel Fahrion dropped by the Arca Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverage Porch to talk about her career and her art studio in Beggs called Outta Thin Air Studio.

You designed and created dozens of characters. First though, how long have you lived in Tulsa?

Since 2016, Oklahoma since 1995.

How and when did you come up with the character Strawberry Shortcake? 

The first illustration was done for the American Greetings Card company in 1977.

What inspires you to create and draw characters? Are the Strawberry Shortcake characters based on people in your life?

I have drawn characters as far back as I can remember. I have one drawing I did when I was 8. My characters are created from pieces and parts of people I know. They may look like one and have the personality of another. The clothing is my invention.

Can you tell us about the Care Bears? How did that project come about?

I led an off-campus retreat of artists and writers to a Teddy Bear convention to inspire us. We brainstormed ideas about bears and how we could make ours different. When we got back from the retreat the TCFC (Those Characters From Cleveland, a licensing and toy think tank subsidiary of American Greetings) President suggested we take the best-selling greeting card sentiments and put them on the belly. It's actually three different artists to design a bear. He went with mine. I designed the first 12 or so. Elaine Kucharik took over the line after I created the first couple of launches.

Is it true that you are partially blind? How has that impacted you as an artist?

Born blind in my left eye (20/260) considered Legally blind. Right eye farsighted, astigmatism. It was just how it was. I often drew things larger than many artists. Tiny details were hard. Magnifying devises did not work for me. But it never stopped me. Now I can encourage artists not to let a disability get in the way of what you want to do.

Please tell us about Out of Thin Air Studios.

After my husband passed from a long fight with cancer. Our money was exhausted. I was in debt. I decided to relaunch my studio. My son suggested calling it Muriel Fahrion Studio. My daughter and I brainstormed names and landed on Outta Thin Air Studio. It is the way my ideas come to me. I use it for my online art merch store, Instagram account, and studio in Beggs where I hold creative retreats.

You can find more information about Summer Story Time on Facebook and visit OuttaThinAirStudio.com to learn more about Muriel's story.