“ | Aw, what's the matter, kiddies? Did your can spring a leak!? (pulls off his disguise and giggles) | „ |
~ The Peculiar Purple Pieman reveals that he tricked the kids into flooding the valley where they live in The World of Strawberry Shortcake. |
The Peculiar Purple Pieman, better known as The Purple Pieman, simply known as The Pieman is the main antagonist of the Strawberry Shortcake franchise. He is a mischievous baker who steals berries from others and uses them to bake pies.
Appearance[]
When the Peculiar Purple Pieman appears, he tends to be tall and thin.
In the first two generations, the Pieman had a blue shirt, a long purple trousers that blended well with his shoes, and an apron. His mustache is drawn as a black line in the 1980's generation and is outright shown to be purple in the 2003 generation. His chin is also pointed. A chef's hat surmounts his head, being white with a blue band around it in the 1980's and purple with a dark purple band around it in the 2003 version. The 1980's series depicted him at around 3 or four times Strawberry Shortcake's height and the 2003 series depicted him at around double Strawberry Shortcake's height.
The character's Berry Bitty Adventures design shows him to be younger, with a not-as-pointy chin. His outfit involves a faded red shirt, blue jeans, and brown shoes His hair is tied in a bun . and His chef's toque and apron are purple.
In Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City, the Peculiar Purple Pieman now has purple hair, and his chin is pointed again, just like in the first two generations. His outfit this time is a white shirt, black trousers, and black shoes with points that curl upwards, and he wears a purple apron. He also has blue eyes. Atop his head is a white toque.
History in the Franchise[]
1980s series[]
In the 1980s series, the Purple Pieman is shown living in a ramshackle tower of cookware dubbed The Pie Tin Palace, situated high atop Strawberryland on a cursed, abandoned, drought stricken land known Porcupine Peak. In his tower, the Pieman had a wealth of baking supplies, such as ovens, pans, and dough. The Pieman also possessed a magic pie tin, which he sometimes used to spy on the residents of Strawberryland. While he was a clever liar and cheat, and a convincing master of disguise, he was an admittedly poor baker in the '80s specials. The Purple Pieman frequently referred to himself in the third person, and always performed a quick jig after doing so. He dislikes snakes and Sour Grapes' singing, and especially hates Strawberry Shortcake's 'Berry Talk' (that is, to substitute "berry" for any word that rhymes) above all else, and Strawberry Shortcake weaponized the latter after she was driven from her home by one of his scams and came back to get back at him. Mr. Sun describes him as a "misanthropic fathead with a skinny physique" in Strawberry Shortcake in Big Apple City.
2003 series[]
The Pieman returned in the 2006 film Strawberry Shortcake: The Sweet Dreams Movie and in the tie-in game based on the film, wherein he plotted to destroy and take over the whole world and convert it into Porcupine Peak, killing everyone in the process. He was actually a good baker in this generation. He has caused World War Berry, the closest instance of him destroying the whole world. He could occasionally be convinced to be good, with encouragement from his more positive sister. Strawberry Shortcake, Angel Cake, Orange Blossom and Blueberry Muffin managed to reform him in the last episode. He now has a steady job baking pies for the movie theater's concession stand.
Berry Bitty Adventures[]
The Pieman appeared in the comics and 2D animated shorts of Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitty Adventures in a rather different way to previous incarnations. His name is Steve Piemanne, with the “Peculiar Purple Pieman” title simply being an alias. He is not an outright villain like in past series, but rather just an arrogant nuisance to Strawberry and one of her biggest rivals. Unlike his prior incarnations, Steve is much younger, being around middle-aged rather than a senior.
Steve Piemanne is a YooToobz personality who prides himself in organic-locally-sourced-vegan food, making him popular among hipsters. He runs an internet cafe in Porcupine Peak. He has an accomplice in Raisin Cane, who seems more vile than him
Berry in the Big City[]
Here, the Peculiar Purple Pieman owns a regular pie shop in the Berryworks. He has a huge Pie Factory. He is a scheming and immature man, and sees Strawberry and Raspberry as threats to his baking business even though they are just tweens. He is also the uncle of Sour Grapes in this version and begins to emotionally manipulate her into helping with his schemes as his protégée by making false claims of Strawberry and Co ignoring her. However this doesn't last long, as he blames everyone else for his failures and she sees through this. He's extremely self-absorbed and manipulative, taking pride in cheating and throwing those who trust him under the bus.
The Series also shows that the Peculiar Purple Pieman would rather plagiarize the recipes of others instead of using his own ideas in Strawberry Nightmare. A character who is referred to by the credits as "Purple Strawberry" also appears in the same episode; her stature is similar to Strawberry Shortcake, but she has the Pieman's attitude, mustache, and outfit, and she (and apparently the rest of the nightmare) was created by Strawberry Shortcake's mind struggling to comprehend the Pieman's plagiarizing methods.
Relationship[]
In the 1980s, the Purple Pieman and Sour Grapes are introduced as partners in crime. It is unknown whether they are a romantic couple, siblings, or strictly platonic partners in buisness. They seem to live together as shown in the 1980s comics. However, Sour Grapes often claims that the Peculiar Purple Pieman is at fault (regardless his role in the downfall) when their plans go south.
In 2003, they are reintroduced as siblings, but Sour Grapes has shown more of a moral compass than the Pieman has, and she once helped foil his plans and other times has tried to shoot down his plans.
In 2018, Raisin Cane is his young protégé and her father figure and mentor and could possibly have familial relationship to Raisin and Sweet and Sour Grapes.
In 2021, he is reintroduced as Sour Grapes’ Uncle, and knows the other top bakers of the area. He has shown a great jealousy of Fluffy Chiffon and Banoffee as well.
Redemptions[]
Pieman has been redeemed multiple times, though they dont last long, whether it be thrown out in the same gen or next gen.
1980[]
In the first cartoon special he's shown to reform and befriend Strawberry Shortcake, partaking in her Berry Talk and activities. This however doesn't last long, as in the next cartoon special he's back to foiling their plans and fun.
2007[]
In Lights, Camera..., when Strawberryland’s one movie theatre went out of business, Strawberry took up an idea to save it: she and her friends planned film a movie to show there and attract crowds back to the theatre.
Pie Man has his eye on the place for a Pie Shop, and he stealthily sabotages the kids’ plan for it. Angel Cake wrongly suspected Blueberry Muffin was wrecking the movie, causing tensions to grow between them, as they both stubbornly refuse to talk the problem out. Before long, the conflict destroys all hope of making the movie. With some help from Strawberry and Orange Blossom, the two sit down and talk...and soon learn that their argument was pointless. But eventually, the perpetrator is discovered, Using advice from God himself, Strawberry sits down and talks with Pie Man, even he understands he was wrong. They all get together to film the movie that eventually guaranteed success for the little theatre. The original plan to have the place converted into a Pie Shop is changed up with the idea of the pies being sold at the concession stand.
Berry Bitty Adventures[]
Pieman has been shown helping Strawberry and accepting her help multiple times, though never truly gets to her side and is still arrogant.
Trivia[]
- According to the Berry Bitty Adventure comics his name is Steve Piemanne.
- For a brief while he was infatuated with The Berry Princess, making heart eyes over her and forgetting his evil plans, but since she is pure good she isn't interested in him at all.
- In most versions of the franchise, the Purple Pieman is related to Sour Grapes in some way. In the 80s, their relationship was ambiguous but they were always together. She was officially his sister in the 2000s, then later in the 2009-2018 era Sour Grapes (Young Girl) is (implied to be) his niece. This is due to her cousin being Raisin Cane and Raisin most likely being his daughter in this era. Sour Grapes is officially his niece in the 2021 series.
- In the Berry Bitty Adventures comics, he described himself as a "Yootoobz Personality".
- He has a confirmed grandfather named "Grandpa Piecrust"
- He is shown to have a Neverending supply of stale pies in the 1980s comics
- He is also shown to have a variety of magical objects other than his pie tin, most notably, a wishing rock before it gets traded.
- In The Sweet Dreams Movie he says he never had dreams as a child.
- He is known for his catchphrase "I am the Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak, ya ta ta ta ta ta!," often with accompanying dance.