Comments on: The Rebirth Of Barbie

By: D

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:50:54 +0000

Dear Toad~
Just looking at the DVD case you post w/this article it seems that Barbie still exudes everything that is objectification. I don’t think it Utopian to offer our children toys that help give them a useful perspective for the world.
Sounds like Barbie may have taken a step in the right direction w/independence & being who she is. However, if the doll still comes w/make up applied and is limited by accessories like clothing, a mansion, a car, then she’ll always be a consumer, tied to beliefs of what should be consumed (i.e. the latest & greatest) and therefore subject to objectification.
Here’s my hopes to Barbie meeting those challenges.
D

By: Dawn

Dawn — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:23:11 +0000

I, too grew up with Barbie. My 10 year old niece is a Barbie hound too. As we sit and play with her and her friends, it struck me as funny that now, after almost 40 years, I look at Barbie as a brand and not something cool to play with.
She’s a winner. No doubt about it. The epitome of a strong brand, despite many attempts to take her down, she rises over and over again.
Alot of “grown up” brands can take a good lesson from her.

By: Olivia

Olivia — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:29:43 +0000

Barbie has always been a strong brand, it is good to see her reinvented. However whatever happened to Cindy?

By: Dusan

Dusan — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:02:27 +0000

Starting to wonder… is there any “adult” brand we could bring out of the “funeral”? Which “person” would make our generation’s hearts beat faster? Rambo? Rocky?

By: güzel sözler

güzel sözler — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:41:45 +0000

Glad to hear that Barbie is creating a buzz again!

By: Elaine Fogel

Elaine Fogel — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:34:53 +0000

I always wanted a Barbie when she was first introduced to the market, but my parents never bought one for me. All I ever got was a cheap replica called Debbie or something. Do I sound deprived?
My daughter had eight Barbies when she was young. Get that – eight of them!! And I only bought one of them for her.
As far as I’m concerned, no matter how she’s marketed, she’s still a disproportional big-boobed, tiny-waisted young lady living in a fairytale world. Feminist? How’d that happen?:)

By: Levon Guiragossian

Levon Guiragossian — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:50:52 +0000

Barbie should focus on relevant themes to her product lines. How about a “Katrina Disaster Zone Barbie” or a “Democratic Candidate Barbie”?

By: fermata

fermata — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:07:27 +0000

Yes, the American Girl dolls are incredibly expensive, not to mention the endless array of accessories and “friends.” I was just reading about a new computer game too. Then you get to the in-store experience (which, thankfully, I have not had to endure first-hand), where you can have high tea with your doll, host her birthday parties, etc. Mo’ money, mo’ money!
Frankly, I think American Girl represents the worst in marketing to kids(and the dolls are pretty creepy too). But man, they sure are successful.

By: Toad

Toad — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:58:59 +0000

@Ann– They’ve done away with that song (I think) but the movies have their own cavalcade of songs-that-stick-in-your-head-all-day-long
@fermata: I’ve been warned about American Girl dolls. Specifically that they can set you back hundreds of dollars. Barbie & Disney have the advantage of being close to disposable.

By: Toad

Toad — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:42:38 +0000

@Leigh- You ought to meet my sister-in-law. She too thought Tanner (last year- he’s been banned for lead paint or somesuch) and the Peeing Cat (this year) would make hilarious birthday presents.
So yes, I am quite familiar with them!
@Paul – I’ve been to both World and Land and I actually like DisneyLand a lot – there’s a certain old school charm to it, especially Tommorrowland and it doesn’t feel as overwhelming as DisneyWorld.
@Brick- yes. Bratz are truly disturbing.

By: fermata

fermata — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:38:19 +0000

I’ll try to ask my 6-yr-old niece about Barbie when I see her this weekend. She’s heavy into the American Girl dolls these days — and princesses, of course. This is a child who asks to be read aloud to from the Disney catalog, no kidding. Don’t blame me; I didn’t raise her. If I can get her to open up, I’ll be interested to hear how she describes the different dolls’ “personalities.”

By: Ann Handley

Ann Handley — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:32:54 +0000

So I asked my 11-year-old for her take on Barbie. She hasn’t played with her for years. But according to my kid, as Toad says, Barbie is always the one who gets everyone out of a jam (in the movies). She also could sing the refrain of Barbie’s theme song, “B-A-R-B-I-E… be who you wanna be….”
My take on it: Well, it definitely could be a lot worse! But unfortunately, I can’t get that jingle out of my head……

By: Leigh

Leigh — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:16:50 +0000

Have you seen the Barbie dog, Tanner? It literally eats and poops. Then you pick up the turds and they’re magically “food” again. It was so wrong, I had to buy one for my niece just to weird out my brother.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjxHgsdKEJk&feature=related
There’s also an abnormally large cat that you feed with a water bottle (ever tried to do this to a cat?). It will then pee (if you squeeze her). LOL.

By: Paul Barsch

Paul Barsch — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:02:57 +0000

Mattel and Disney are neck in neck in my household, but the photo finish probably goes to Disney since we live about 90 miles from Disneyland (which completes “the experience”)

By: Brick Marketing

Brick Marketing — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:53:50 +0000

Glad to hear that Barbie is creating a buzz again! With the disgusting junk like “Bratz” coming out on the market, it’s good to see that a classic company such as Mattel can keep up in the game when it comes to marketing and being successful at it!