| Revision as of 20:40, 28 October 2009 view sourceIanmacm (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers46,219 edits Undid revision 322602706 by Ilovedevinlott1245 (talk)← Previous edit | Revision as of 20:50, 28 October 2009 view source Ilovedevinlott1245 (talk | contribs)4 edits ←Replaced content with 'barbie is the worst doll in the world.'Next edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| barbie is the worst doll in the world. | |||
| {{For|other uses|Barbie (disambiguation)}} | |||
| {{Infobox character | |||
| | colour = #FF69B5 | |||
| | name = Barbie | |||
| | image = ] | |||
| | caption = Barbara 'Barbie' Millicent Roberts | |||
| | first = ] ] | |||
| | last = | |||
| | cause = | |||
| | nickname = Barbie | |||
| | occupation = See: ] | |||
| | title = | |||
| | family = See: ] | |||
| | spouse = | |||
| | children = | |||
| | relatives = | |||
| | episode = | |||
| | portrayer = | |||
| | creator = ] | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Barbie''' is a fashion ] manufactured by the ] toy-company ] and launched in March 1959. ] businesswoman ] (1916-2002) is credited with the creation of the doll using a ] doll called ] as her inspiration. | |||
| Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for fifty years, and has been the subject of numerous controversies and ]s, often involving ] of the doll and her lifestyle. In recent years, Barbie has faced increasing competition from the ] range of dolls. | |||
| ==History== | |||
| ] | |||
| ] watched her daughter Barbara at play with paper dolls, and noticed that she often enjoyed giving them adult roles. At the time, most children's toy dolls were representations of infants. Realizing that there could be a gap in the market, Handler suggested the idea of an adult-bodied doll to her husband Elliot, a co-founder of the ] toy company. He was unenthusiastic about the idea, as were Mattel's directors. | |||
| During a trip to ] in 1956 with her children Barbara and Kenneth, Ruth Handler came across ] toy doll called ].<ref>In an interview with M.G.Lord, the author of ''Forever Barbie'', Ruth Handler said that she saw the doll in Lucerne, Switzerland. However, the book points out that on other occasions Handler said that she saw the doll in Zurich or Vienna.</ref> The adult-figured doll was exactly what Handler had in mind, so she purchased three of them. She gave one to her daughter and took the others back to Mattel. The Lilli doll was based on a popular character appearing in a ] drawn by Reinhard Beuthin for the newspaper '']''. Lilli was a working girl who knew what she wanted and was not above using men to get it. The Lilli doll was first sold in Germany in 1955, and although it was initially sold to babies, it became popular with adults who enjoyed dressing her up in outfits that were available separately. | |||
| Upon her return to the ], Handler reworked the design of the doll (with help from engineer ]) and the doll was given a new name, ''Barbie'', after Handler's daughter Barbara. The doll made its debut at the ] in ] on ], ]. This date is also used as Barbie's official ]. | |||
| Mattel acquired the rights to the ] in 1964 and production of Lilli was stopped. The first Barbie doll wore a black and white zebra striped swimsuit and signature topknot ], and was available as either a ] or ]. The doll was marketed as a "Teen-age Fashion Model," with her clothes created by Mattel fashion designer Charlotte Johnson. The first Barbie dolls were manufactured in ], with their clothes hand-stitched by Japanese ]s. Around 350,000 Barbie dolls were sold during the first year of production. | |||
| Ruth Handler believed that it was important for Barbie to have an adult appearance, and early ] showed that some parents were unhappy about the doll's chest, which had distinct breasts. Barbie's appearance has been changed many times, most notably in 1971 when the doll's eyes were adjusted to look forwards rather than having the demure sideways glance of the original model. | |||
| Barbie was one of the first ]s to have a marketing strategy based extensively on ] and ], which has been copied widely by other toys. It is estimated that over a billion Barbie dolls have been sold worldwide in over 150 countries, with Mattel claiming that three Barbie dolls are sold every second.<ref></ref> | |||
| The standard range of Barbie dolls and related accessories are manufactured to approximately ], which is also known as ''playscale''.<ref></ref> | |||
| Barbie products include not only the range of dolls with their clothes and accessories, but also a huge range of Barbie branded goods such as books, fashion items and ]s. Barbie has appeared in a ] and made a brief guest appearance in the 1999 film '']''. | |||
| Barbie has become a ] and has been given honors that are rare in the toy world. In 1974 a section of ] in ] was renamed Barbie Boulevard for a week, In 1985 the artist ] created a painting of Barbie.<ref>http://www.goodbyemag.com/apr02/handler.html</ref><ref></ref> | |||
| ==Biography== | |||
| Barbie's full name is '''Barbara Millicent Roberts'''. In a series of novels published by ] in the 1960s, her parents' names are given as George and Margaret Roberts from the fictional town of Willows, ].<ref>{{cite book | last = Lawrence | first = Cynthia | coauthors = Bette Lou Maybee | title = Here's Barbie| publisher = ] | date = 1962 | oclc = 15038159 }}</ref> | |||
| In the Random House novels, Barbie attended Willows High School, while in in the ''Generation Girl'' books published by ] in 1999 she attended the fictional Manhattan International High School in ] (based on the real-life ]<ref>{{cite news |first= Marcia |last=Biederman |url=http://nymag.com/nymetro/urban/family/features/2033/ |title=Generation Next: A newly youthful Barbie takes Manhattan. |publisher='']'' |date=September 20, 1999 |accessdate=2009-06-04}}</ref>). She has an on-off romantic relationship with her boyfriend ] ('''Ken Carson'''), who first appeared in 1961. A ] from Mattel in February 2004 announced that Barbie and Ken had decided to split up, but in February 2006 they were back together again.<ref></ref><ref></ref> | |||
| Barbie has had over forty ]s including ]s and ]s, ]s, a ], a ] cub, and a ]. She has owned a wide range of vehicles, including pink ] ], trailers and ]. She also holds a ]'s license, and operates commercial airliners in addition to serving as a ]. | |||
| ] are designed to show that women can take on a variety of roles in life, and the doll has been sold with a wide range of titles including ''Miss Astronaut Barbie'' (1965), ''Doctor Barbie'' (1988) and ''Nascar Barbie'' (1998).<ref></ref> | |||
| Mattel has created a range of companions for Barbie, including ] Teresa, ], ] Christie and Steven (Christie's boyfriend). Barbie's siblings and cousins were also created including ], ] (Todd's twin sister), ] (Tutti's and Stacie's twin brother), ] (Todd's twin sister), ], ], ], and Jazzie. | |||
| :''See ]'' | |||
| ==Controversies== | |||
| Barbie's popularity ensures that her effect on the play of children attracts a high degree of scrutiny. The criticisms leveled at her are often based on the assumption that children consider Barbie a role model and will attempt to emulate her. | |||
| ] | |||
| * One of the most common criticisms of Barbie is that she promotes an unrealistic idea of body image for a young woman, leading to a risk that girls who attempt to emulate her will become ]. A standard Barbie doll is 11.5 inches tall, giving a height of 5 feet 9 inches at ]. Barbie's vital statistics have been estimated at 36 inches (chest), 18 inches (waist) and 33 inches (hips). According to research by the University Central Hospital in ], ], she would lack the 17 to 22 percent body fat required for a woman to ].<ref></ref> In 1965 ''Slumber Party Barbie'' came with a book entitled ''How to Lose Weight'' which advised: "Don't eat." The doll also came with pink bathroom scales reading 110 lbs., which would be around 35 lbs. underweight for a woman 5 feet 9 inches tall. <ref>M.G. Lord, ''Forever Barbie'', Chapter 11</ref> In 1997 Barbie's body mold was redesigned and given a wider waist, with Mattel saying that this would make the doll better suited to contemporary fashion designs.<ref></ref><ref></ref> | |||
| * In July 1992 Mattel released ''Teen Talk Barbie'', which spoke a number of phrases including "Will we ever have enough clothes?", "I love shopping!", and "Wanna have a pizza party?" Each doll was programmed to say four out of 270 possible phrases, so that no two dolls were likely to be the same. One of these 270 phrases was "] class is tough!" (often misquoted as "Math is hard"). Although only about 1.5% of all the dolls sold said the phrase, it led to criticism from the ]. In October 1992 Mattel announced that ''Teen Talk Barbie'' would no longer say the phrase, and offered a swap to anyone who owned a doll that did.<ref></ref> | |||
| ] | |||
| * "Colored ]" made her debut in 1967, and she is sometimes described as the first ] Barbie doll. However, she was produced using the existing head molds for the ] Francie doll and lacked African characteristics other than a dark skin. The first ] doll in the Barbie range is usually regarded as Christie, who made her debut in 1968.<ref></ref><ref></ref> Black Barbie was launched in 1980 but still had ] features. In September 2009, Mattel introduced the "]" dolls Grace, Kara and Trichelle and their little sisters Courtney, Janessa and Kianna. Designer Stacey McBride-Irby, who is black, wanted black girls like her 6-year-old daughter to have dolls which looked like them. Each doll had "fuller lips, a wider nose and more pronounced cheek bones", and their skin colors varied.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,562706,00.html|title=Mattel introduces black Barbies, to mixed reviews|work=]|date=2009-10-09|accessdate=2009-10-18}}</ref> | |||
| * In 1997 Mattel joined forces with ] to launch a cross-promotion of Barbie with ] ]s. ''Oreo Fun Barbie'' was marketed as someone with whom little girls could play after class and share "America's favorite cookie." As had become the custom, Mattel manufactured both a ] and a ] version. Critics argued that in the ] community ''Oreo'' is a derogatory term meaning that the person is "black on the outside and white on the inside," like the chocolate sandwich cookie itself. The doll was unsuccessful and Mattel recalled the unsold stock, making it sought after by collectors.<ref>http://www.authentichistory.com/diversity/african/images/2001_Oreo_Barbie.html</ref> | |||
| * In May 1997 Mattel introduced ''Share a Smile Becky'', a doll in a pink ]. Kjersti Johnson, a 17-year-old high school student in ] with ], pointed out that the doll would not fit into the ] of Barbie's $100 Dream House. Mattel announced that it would redesign the house in the future to accommodate the doll.<ref></ref><ref>http://gallery.bcentral.com/GID4729088P1681774-COLLECTIBLES/BARBIE/SHARE-A-SMILE-BECKY.aspx</ref> | |||
| * In March 2000 stories appeared in the media claiming that the hard ] used in vintage Barbie dolls could leak toxic chemicals, causing danger to children playing with them. The claim was rejected as false by technical experts. A modern Barbie doll has a body made from ] plastic, while the head is made from soft ].<ref></ref><ref></ref> | |||
| * In September 2003 the ]ern country of ] outlawed the sale of Barbie dolls, saying that she did not conform to the ideals of ]. The ] stated "Jewish Barbie dolls, with their revealing clothes and shameful postures, ] and tools are a symbol of decadence to the ] West. Let us beware of her dangers and be careful."<ref></ref> In ] countries there is an alternative doll called ] which is similar to Barbie but is designed to be more acceptable to an Islamic market. Fulla is not made by the Mattel Corporation, and Barbie is still available in other Middle Eastern countries including ].<ref></ref> In ], ] are available as an alternative to Barbie.<ref></ref> | |||
| ] was released in 2009.]] | |||
| *In April 2009, the launch of a "Totally Tattoos" Barbie with a range of ]s that could be applied to the doll, including a so-called ], led to controversy. Mattel's promotional material read "Customize the fashions and apply the fun temporary tattoos on you too", but Ed Mayo, chief executive of Consumer Focus, argued that children might want to get tattooed themselves.<ref></ref> | |||
| * In December 2005 Dr. Agnes Nairn at the ] in ] published research suggesting that girls often go through a stage where they hate their Barbie dolls and subject them to a range of punishments, including ] and placing the doll in a ]. Dr. Nairn said: "It's as though disavowing Barbie is a rite of passage and a rejection of their past."<ref></ref><ref></ref> | |||
| ==Parodies and lawsuits== | |||
| Barbie has often been referenced in ] and is frequently the target of ]. Some of these occasions include: | |||
| *In 1997, the Danish-Norwegian pop-dance group ] released a song called "]". It contained lyrics such as "''You can brush my hair / Undress me everywhere''" and the video for the song used graphics similar to the pink Barbie ]. Mattel argued that this constituted a ] infringement and filed a ] lawsuit against ] on ], ]. In July 2002, Judge ] ruled that the song was protected as a parody under the ].<ref></ref><ref></ref> | |||
| *A commercial by ] company ] featuring dolls similar to Barbie and Ken was the subject of another lawsuit in 1997. In the commercial, a female doll is lured into a car by a doll resembling ] to the dismay of a Ken-like doll, accompanied by ]'s version of '']''. According to the makers of the commercial, the dolls' names were Roxanne, Nick and Tad. Mattel claimed that the commercial had done "irreparable damage" to its products,<ref></ref><ref> MTV.com September 24, 1997</ref><!--<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwMG7ifuTjQ</ref> -- rm copyvio -->but <!--lost the copyright infringement lawsuit-->settled.<ref> Peter Hartlaub, The Los Angeles Daily News, ], ]. Accessed ], ].</ref> | |||
| * '']'' aired a parody of Barbie commercials featuring the fictional "Gangsta Bitch Barbie" doll and a "Tupac Ken" doll.<ref></ref> | |||
| *'']'' displayed a fictional "Barbie ] Lab" which mocked how Barbie usually has a career that is "in keeping with the times or in this case, in keeping with society's current problems." | |||
| *] is a parody of Barbie in the cartoon series '']''. The 1994 episode "]" parodied the ''Teen Talk Barbie'' controversy, as a talking Stacy doll is introduced, speaking phrases such as "let's buy make-up so the boys will like us". Lisa is disgusted by the "] drivel spouted by Malibu Stacy," leading her to market an alternative "Lisa Lionheart". | |||
| *In 1993 a group in the ] calling itself the "Barbie Liberation Organization" modified Barbie dolls by giving them the voice box of a talking ] doll, and secretly returned the dolls to the shelves of toy stores. Parents and children were surprised when they purchased Barbie dolls that uttered phrases such as "Eat lead, Cobra!" and "Vengeance is mine."<ref></ref><ref></ref> | |||
| *In 1999 Mattel sued the ] ] Tom Forsythe over a series of photographs called ''Food Chain Barbie'', which included a photograph of a Barbie doll in a ]. Mattel lost the lawsuit and was ordered to pay $1.8 million in costs to Mr. Forsythe.<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref>http://www.alteredbarbie.com/pdf/mattelfeescase.pdf</ref> | |||
| *In November 2002 a ] judge refused an ] against the ]-based artist Susanne Pitt, who had produced a doll called Dungeon Barbie in ] clothing. Judge Laura Taylor Swain stated: "To the court's knowledge, there is no Mattel line of ] Barbie."<ref></ref> | |||
| *In 2004, Mattel filed a lawsuit against Barbara Anderson-Walley of ], ] over her website <code>www.barbiesshop.com</code>, which sells ] clothing. Ms Anderson-Walley said that she had been known by the name "Barbie" since childhood, and did not intend to infringe the trademark of the doll. The lawsuit was dismissed, since it was filed in a ] court, and the court ruled that it had no jurisdiction over matters in Canada.<ref></ref><ref></ref> | |||
| ==Collecting== | |||
| ] | |||
| Mattel estimates that there are well over 100,000 avid Barbie collectors. Ninety percent are women, at an average age of 40, purchasing more than twenty Barbie dolls each year. Forty-five percent of them spend upwards of $1000 a year. | |||
| Vintage Barbie dolls from the early years are the most valuable at ], and while the original Barbie was sold for $3.00 in 1959, a mint boxed Barbie from 1959 sold for $3552.50 on ] in October 2004.<ref></ref> On ], ], a Barbie doll set a world record at auction of £9,000 ] (US $17,000) at ] in ]. The doll was a Barbie in Midnight Red from 1965 and was part of a private collection of 4,000 Barbie dolls being sold by two ] women, Ietje Raebel and her daughter Marina.<ref>http://au.news.yahoo.com/060926/15/10osv.html</ref> | |||
| In recent years Mattel has sold a wide range of Barbie dolls aimed specifically at collectors, including ] versions, vintage reproductions, and depictions of Barbie as a range of characters from television series such as '']'' and '']''.<ref></ref><ref></ref> There are also collector's edition dolls depicting Barbie dolls with a range of different ethnic identities.<ref></ref> In 2004 Mattel introduced the Color Tier system for its collector's edition Barbie dolls, ranging through pink, silver, gold and platinum depending on how many of the dolls are produced.<ref></ref> | |||
| Barbie celebrates her 50th anniversary in 2009, and Mattel released a new reproduction of the original 1959 Barbie doll to mark the occasion. | |||
| ==Barbie versus Bratz== | |||
| In June 2001, ] launched the ] range of dolls, a move that would give Barbie her first serious competition in the fashion doll market. In 2004 sales figures showed that Bratz dolls were outselling Barbie dolls in the ], although ] maintained that in terms of the number of dolls, clothes and accessories sold, Barbie remained the leading brand.<ref></ref> In 2005 figures showed that sales of Barbie dolls had fallen by 30% in the ], and by 18% worldwide, with much of the drop being attributed to the popularity of Bratz dolls.<ref></ref> | |||
| Mattel sued MGA Entertainment for $500 million alleging that Bratz creator Carter Bryant was working for Mattel when he developed the idea for Bratz.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jacqui |last=Goddard |title=Barbie takes on the Bratz for $500m |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/12/10/wdoll10.xml |publisher='']'' |date=December 11, 2006 |accessdate=2008-12-07}}</ref> On July 17, 2008, a federal jury ruled that the Bratz line was created by Carter Bryant while he was working for Mattel. The jury also ruled that MGA and its Chief Executive Officer ] were liable for converting Mattel property for their own use and intentionally interfering with the contractual duties owed by Bryant to Mattel.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/business/18toy.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin |title= Jury rules for Mattel in Bratz doll case |publisher='']'' |date=July 18, 2008 |accessdate=2008-12-07}}</ref> On August 26, the jury found that Mattel would have to be paid ]100 million in damages. | |||
| On ], ], U.S. District Judge Stephen Larson banned MGA from selling Bratz. He allowed the company to continue selling the dolls until the winter holiday season ended.<ref>{{cite news |title=Barbie beats back Bratz |url=http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/04/news/companies/bratz_dolls.ap/index.htm?postversion=2008120406 |publisher=''] ]'' |date=December 4, 2008 |accessdate=2008-12-07}}</ref> The ruling will be in effect on ], ] at the earliest, and Mattel and MGA will meet in court on that date.<ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Colker |title=Bad day for the Bratz in L.A. court |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2008/12/bad-day-for-the.html |publisher='']'' |date=December 4, 2008 |accessdate=2008-12-07}}</ref> According to the terms of the court order, after the end of the holiday season, MGA must remove, at its own cost, all the Bratz dolls from store shelves, including the reimbursement of the cost of the dolls and all shipping costs to its vendors and distributors.<ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Colker |title=Mattel given control of Bratz dolls |url=http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-bratz4-2008dec04,0,6761545.story |publisher='']'' |date=December 4, 2008 |accessdate=2008-12-07}}</ref> The court gave exceptions for some toys if they are packaged separately from infringing toys. MGA announced that it would be appealing against the court's ruling. <ref>{{cite news |first=Joyce |last=Smith |title=Buy your Bratz dolls while you still can |url=http://economy.kansascity.com/?q=node/422 |publisher=] |date=December 4, 2008 |accessdate=2008-12-07}}</ref> | |||
| {{clear}} | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist|2}} | |||
| ==Further reading== | |||
| * {{Cite book | last=Gerber | first=Robin | author=Robin Gerber | coauthors= | title=Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her | date=2009 | publisher=Collins Business | location= | isbn=978-0-06-134131-1 | pages=}} | |||
| * Knaak, Silke, "German Fashion Dolls of the 50&60". Paperback www.barbies.de. | |||
| * {{Cite book | last=Lord | first=M. G. | author=M. G. Lord | coauthors= | title=Forever Barbie: the unauthorized biography of a real doll | date=2004 | publisher=Walker & Co. | location=New York | isbn=978-0-8027-7694-5 | pages=}} | |||
| * {{Cite book | editor1-last=Plumb | editor1-first=Suzie | title=Guys 'n' Dolls: Art, Science, Fashion and Relationships | date=2005 | publisher=Royal Pavilion, Art Gallery & Museums | isbn=0-948723-57-2 }} | |||
| * {{Cite book | last=Rogers | first=Mary Ann | author=Mary Ann Rogers | coauthors= | title=Barbie culture | date=1999 | publisher=SAGE Publications | location=London | isbn=0-7619-5888-6 | pages=}} | |||
| * {{Cite book | last=Singleton | first=Bridget | author=Bridget Singleton | coauthors= | title=The art of Barbie | date=2000 | publisher=Vision On | location=London | isbn=0-9537479-2-1 | pages=}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{commons cat|Barbie dolls}} | |||
| * — Owned By | |||
| * — Owned By | |||
| * St. Petersburg Times Floridian: , an article about the "Muslim Barbie" by Susan Taylor Martin | |||
| * USA Today: | |||
| * The Telegraph: | |||
| *NPR Audio Report: | |||
| * March 3, 2009 | |||
| {{Barbie movies}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 20:50, 28 October 2009
barbie is the worst doll in the world.