There are two things that should generally not go together (except for in extreme medical cases, of course): childhood and plastic surgery. Kids are beautiful–why on earth should they be thinking about going under the knife?! Yet, Strawberry Shortcake, Rainbow Brite, and My Little Pony–some of kids’ favorite characters–have done exactly that. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Care Bears have announced they’ll have a new look soon, too. A nip here, a tug there, and presto! Tender Heart Bear will be Slender Heart Bear! Gross.

I don’t know why so many companies think we want to see something new all the time. Sometimes sticking with what people like–especially when it comes to a familiar face we grew up with–is actually both what makes people happy.

I mean, can you imagine if you woke up tomorrow and someone told you that super-iconic Hello Kitty had been redesigned to make her sexier and more youthful? Now she’s sleek and tall–like Taylor Swift with cat ears! She’s in 3-D with sharp cheek bones and purple glittery whiskers. NO! Nobody wants a freaky post-plastic surgery Hello Kitty! And you know why Hello Kitty hasn’t gone under the knife? Because Sanrio, the company behind Hello Kitty’s brand knows that you should stick with a good thing.

Same thing with Snoopy–what if suddenly he was redesigned to look more like a pug or a corgi because those dogs are more popular than beagles right now? People wouldn’t like it–and more than that, they wouldn’t identify this new pug-corgi-whatever-dog as Snoopy, because it wouldn’t even look like him!

I just think the whole thing’s sad. Looking at the new versions of Strawberry Shortcake (she looks like she’s had lipo and got a weave) and Rainbow Brite (girlfriend definitely got a chin implant and went on a crash diet) makes me think of stars who go to extremes to “improve” their look. Do you remember how Heidi Montag used to be super cute on The Hills before she had a plastic attack? Check some of the old pics–and you’ll be bummed to realize that now she just looks like a generic-brand Barbie.

And I think whether it’s celebs or cartoon characters getting plastic surgery, it’s sending the same message–being just who you are, how you are naturally, probably isn’t good enough. You need to lose weight. You need to wear a shorter skirt. You need longer hair. You need bigger eyes. This simply isn’t a good thing–and as far as I’m concerned, it goes against the main message all those characters taught me when I was a little girl: that learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all.

Actually, I think that was Whitney Houston. But you get the idea.

What do you think about plastic surgery? Does it bug you when cartoon characters get lipo or a face lift? Do you miss the original versions of Strawberry Shortcake and Rainbow Bright, too? Tell me about it in the comments!

Celebs Who Look Like NickToons? Say WHAT?!

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