Peculiar Purple Pieman

The Purple Pieman was introduced in Strawberry Shortcake's first adventure, The World of Strawberry Shortcake, where he succeeded in flooding Strawberryland and stealing all the berries in the valley. This was the closest the Pieman ever came to a decisive victory over Strawberry Shortcake. Later episodes show the Purple Pieman harassing the residents of Strawberryland. In Strawberry Shortcake in Big Apple City it is said that he has an 'evil conscience,' but he rarely does anything that is more than "mildly mischievous." He is known for doing a tap dance while saying, "Yah-tah-tah-tah-tah-tah-tah-tah, tah-tah-tah-tah! Cha!" The Purple Pieman has a flock of Berry Birds, which he uses to steal berries and eavesdrop on the denizens of Strawberryland. The largest Berry Bird was originally called Captain Cackle.

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 Porcupine Peak. In his tower, he 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. In the 2006 film Strawberry Shortcake: The Sweet Dreams Movie he even signs his name with fanfare written in. He dislikes snakes and Sour Grapes' singing, but hates Strawberry Shortcake's 'Berry Talk' (that is, to substitute "berry" for any word that rhymes) above all else. Mr. Sun describes him as a "misanthropic fathead with a skinny physique" in Strawberry Shortcake in Big Apple City.