My thoughts on…Barbie’s possible demise
You know her. You love her. You’ve spent countless hours of your youth undressing her, stroking her hair and engaging in role play, sometimes inviting a friend or two to join the fun. Oh, get your minds out of the gutter people! I’m talkin’ ‘bout Barbie! Barbie, the doll that girls love and defined the standards that guys set, is undoubtedly the world’s most popular doll, raking in $30 billion in merchandise and entertainment yearly. Here’s an interesting fact: two Barbie dolls are sold every second somewhere around the world! Not bad for a nearly 50 year old doll.
But not all is well with good ol’ Babs. Newer, more edgier dolls such as the Bratz are challenging her dominion of the world’s dollhouses. And they’re succeeding. Sales of Barbie are slumping, despite her and her boyfriend’s numerous makeovers. The situation is so bad that people have suggested that Mattel kill off Barbie. I can see it now. Ken comes home drunk, and immediately accuses Barbie of cheating on him with that G.I Joe next door. Barbie denies it. Ken, convinced she’s lying, attacks her in a drunken rage. Barbie tries to escape, but Ken has her cornered, and, armed with a baseball bat, bludgeons her to death.
People say killing her off will increase her demand, making her more of a collector’s item. I disagree with this suggestion, and I applaud Mattel for standing by Barbie. It’s not all about the money, it’s about the fun. Sure this generation may be different, but when that little girl locks herself in her room to escape the sound of her dysfunctional parents yelling at each other, her doll becomes more than just plastic. It becomes a friend, and her dollhouse and all its accessories become a world, a world where she can make things the way she wants them to be. And it’s not only girls. Guys play with Barbie too. Admit it. Remember that day when no one was looking, when you combed Barbie’s hair? How relaxing it felt, and how you were disgusted at yourself for enjoying it? And if Barbie becomes a collector’s item, she’ll lose her magic, and spend the rest of her days on the shelves of nostalgic fanboys. May you live long and prosper Barbie.
Lol,love the scenario where ken kills barbie.Not sure I had a Barbie though
I could see Mattel putting out a limited edition “final” Barbie to generate interest only to bring her back again 5 years later. Just seems like something a toy company would do…
Has Matel taken a good long hard look at Ken lately? Ken couldn’t kill a fly with a fly swatter, a can of Raid, and Napalm.
And you’re right about boys playing with Barbie too. My daughter always took her Barbie stuff outside in the summer time and had bunches of kids come and play Barbies with her. Whenever the boys showed up the play really got interesting. Once they hung Barbie by her neck from the washline. It was one of her finest moments as she was impeccably dressed for the occasion.
Loved this post!
my mom didn’t let me play with barbies… maybe that explains a lot
I was more partial to Sindy, because she had a (slightly) more realistic look than Barbie.
Have you heard about “Barbie’s underworld”? Therein Barbie flexes limbs in the cool breeze and stretches tendons caressed by soothing winds.. and yes you can keep your minds in the gutter people, for this video had had more success than Paris Hilton’s one…
They should kill Barbie off and have an undead version of Barbie with fangs dressed in a skimpy leather s & m outfit.
I still love Barbie but I think that they need to update her style. She’s too safe almost matronly in her appearance next to the Bratz dolls. Also, Barbie looks like a woman in her lates 20’s/early 30’s and Bratz dolls (even with all the make up and hootchie gear) look like little girls. Therein lies Barbies problem. They need to make her cool, youthful and edgier. Also, how many girls identify with the way she looks? Blonde, blue eyes are not the majority of girls out there nor is it the “ideal” of beauty anymore (see J. Lo, Lindsay Lohan, Shakira, etc.) They need to work on a totally new design. The brand name “Barbie” will always be a middle class white icon and it’s just not relevant anymore.
Wonderful post! I play with Barbie dolls all the time and I’m about 100 years old..or so it seems after climbing a flight of stairs. Yes I’ve seen the Bratz dolls but the only other fashion doll that I’ve acquired were the Flavas dolls Kiyoni and Tre. Anyway I say, “Long live Barbie and the many imaginary places to which we’ve followed her!!!”
I say replace her with “The Official Paris Hilton Doll (Panties Not Included).”
Lol, I could never get into Barbie. I always played with the little, green army men.