Mattel (MAT), maker of Barbie, says sales have been up for the first time in several years. Nearly 50 years after she was introduced Barbie is again the most sought after toy for girls this holiday season.
Barbie has reinvented herself over and over from beach bum to presidential candidate and today she is as turned out as any modern woman with a toy cell phone in a new version called "Chat Diva," which also can lip sync and bob her head to the music when an iPod is plugged in.
Moms who played with Barbie as children are now buying them for their daughters but not all are Barbie fans according to this MSNBC.com article:
"We're living today in a hyper-competitive society where there's a tremendous amount of pressure on kids to be perfect — to be dominant, to win,"says Jessie Klein, an assistant professor of sociology who studies gender issues at Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y. "In this atmosphere, it makes sense that girls would be interested in Barbie."
It's caused some Barbie fans to second-guess themselves.
"When I have a daughter, I can't help but truly wonder if I should advocate Barbie as much as my mother did," says Gigi Gallinger-Dennis, a 29-year-old San Francisco resident who received a tan Malibu Barbie at age 2.
Barbie has and will probably always reign Queen of fashion dolls,Im so happy so her different looooks and changes,I dont think the Bratz will be able to out do her,Barbie isnt about girls trying to be blonde and skinny she is about play,and discovering our true selveswe cant compare Barbie to the blonde "bad girl" but as the best friend who would never let you down or hurt you because of what we look like ,poor or rich or whether we are fat or skinny.Barbie was invented to be a girls best freind.
Posted by: Selena | December 21, 2006 9:20 PM | Permalink to Comment