Strawberry Shortcake is the latest American exile

Strawberry Shortcake must be berry exited! The curly-haired icon just had a major brand makeover, and now she's moving to a whole new country. American Greetings sold both Strawberry and the Care Bears to a Canadian company, Cookie Jar Entertainment, although it retains the licensing rights to both for 10 years.

These lovable characters are just the latest American icons (at least they are in my house that is filled with little girls) to get snapped up by foreign entities. Although moving to Canada might not seem like a big deal, the list (as we have compiled) is just getting longer.

Today's Business Week delves into the issue of the foreign ownership of America, like the recent acquisition Budweiser's parent by a Belgian brewer. Foreign ownership is not necessarily a bad thing, but as the article notes, "The headlines are enough to give some Americans the queasy feeling their country is being sold out from under them."

Is there really an issue here, or is it just a matter of perception? I think the country of origin of Strawberry Shortcake actually matters very little. But the U.S. should be careful about allowing foreign countries to manage our ports, airports or other important infrastructure.