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Revision as of 17:50, 23 November 2006 by 69.251.85.145 (talk) (→Development)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) For other uses, see Barbie (disambiguation). Fictional character| Barbie | |
|---|---|
| File:Barbie logo.pngCurrent Barbie logo | |
| First appearance | March 9 1959 |
| Created by | Ruth Handler |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | See "Barbie's careers" |
Barbie is a best-selling doll launched at the American International Toy Fair on March 9, 1959. The doll is produced by Mattel, Inc. Barbie dolls and related accessories are manufactured to approximately 1/6th scale, which is also known as playscale.
Biography
Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts, and over the years she has been given many companions, the best known being her beau Ken (Ken Carson), who made his debut in 1961. Like Barbie, Ken shares his name with one of Ruth Handler's children. Barbie and Ken have a famous on-off relationship and they announced a split in 2004 which seems to have been only temporary. Other longstanding friends in Barbie's ethnically diverse social circle include Hispanic Teresa, African American Christie and Steven (Christie's boyfriend), and Kayla. For a full list of Barbie's companions, see the List of Barbie's friends and family.
According to the Random House novels of the 1960s, her parents' names are George and Margaret Roberts of Willows, Wisconsin. Barbie has been said to attend Willows High School in Willows, Wisconsin and Manhattan International High School in New York City (based on the real-life Stuyvesant High School).
Barbie has thirty-eight recorded pets, including cats and dogs, horses, a panda, a lion cub, and a zebra. She has owned pink convertibles, trailers, jeeps and more. She also holds a pilot's license, and operates commercial airliners when not serving as a flight attendant.
Parodies and lawsuits
Barbie has often been referenced in popular culture and is frequently the target of parody. Some of these occasions include:
- In 1997 The Danish pop-dance group Aqua released a song called Barbie Girl. It contained lyrics such as "You can brush my hair/Undress me everywhere" and used graphics similar to the pink Barbie logo. Mattel argued that this constituted a trademark infringement and filed a defamation lawsuit on September 11, 1997. The lawsuit between Mattel and MCA Records was fought in several courts before being finally dismissed in MCA's favor in July 2002.
- A commercial by automobile company Nissan featuring dolls similar to Barbie and Ken was the subject of another lawsuit in 1997. In the commercial, Barbie is lured into a car by a doll similar to GI Joe, accompanied by Van Halen's version of the song You Really Got Me. Mattel lost the copyright infringement lawsuit.
- Saturday Night Live aired a parody of Barbie commercials featuring the fictional "Gangsta Bitch Barbie" doll and a "Tupac Ken" doll.
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno displayed a fictional "Barbie Crystal Meth 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."
- Malibu Stacy is a parody of Barbie in the cartoon series The Simpsons. In the 1994 episode 'Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy' Lisa is disgusted by the "sexist drivel spouted by Malibu Stacy", leading her to market an alternative "Lisa Lionheart".
- In 2002 a judge refused an injunction against Susanne Pitt, who had produced a doll called Dungeon Barbie which showed the doll in bondage clothing, stating "To the court's knowledge, there is no Mattel line of S&M Barbie."
- In 1999 Mattel sued the artist Tom Forsythe over a series of pictures that he had produced called "Food Chain Barbie", which included a picture of a Barbie doll in a blender. Mattel lost the lawsuit and was ordered to pay $1.8 million in costs to Mr. Forsythe.
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 20 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 auction, and while the original Barbie sold for $3.00 in 1959, a mint boxed Barbie from 1959 sold for $3552.50 on eBay in October 2004. On September 26, 2006, a Barbie doll set a world record at auction of 9,000 pounds sterling (US $17,000) at Christie's in London. 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 Dutch women, Ietje Raebel and her daughter Marina.
In recent years Mattel has sold a wide range of Barbie dolls aimed specifically at collectors, including porcelain versions and depictions of Barbie as a range of characters from television series such as The Munsters and Star Trek. . There are also collector's edition dolls depicting Barbie dolls with a range of different ethnic identities. 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.
Barbie versus Bratz
In 2001 MGA Entertainment launched the Bratz 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 United Kingdom, although Mattel maintained that in terms of the number of dolls, clothes and accessories sold, Barbie remained the leading brand. In 2005 figures showed that sales of Barbie dolls had fallen by 30% in the United States, and by 18% worldwide, with much of the drop being attributed to the popularity of Bratz dolls.
See also
Further reading
- Lord, M.G., Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll. Paperback ISBN 0-8027-7694-9.
- Rogers, Mary F., "Barbie Culture". Paperback ISBN 0-7619-5888-6.
- Knaak, Silke, "German Fashion Dolls of the 50&60". Paperback www.barbies.de.
- Beckham, Victoria (Foreword), John, Elton (Foreword), The Art of Barbie. Paperback ISBN 0-9537479-2-1
- Essays, Guys'n'dolls: Art, Science, Fashion & Relationships. Paperback ISBN 0-948723-57-2
Notes
External links
- The Official Barbie Website — Owned By Mattel
- New York Times: "The Barbie Way of Knowledge" by Dave Cullen
- Washington Times: "Religious police take after Barbie" by Paul Martin
- St. Petersburg Times Floridian: "The doll that has everything - almost", an article about the "Muslim Barbie" by Susan Taylor Martin
- Salon.com: "The Littlest Harlot" by Tracy Quan
- "Renaissance Woman: Artist, Inventor, Developer" -- interview with an ex-Barbie designer first published in Fashion Doll Quarterly