Relax, Parents: Tween Dora Still 'Wholesome'

24-year-old tweets big news

(NEWSER) - Onetime child star Amanda Bynes, who gained fame on Nickelodeon, has retired from acting. "I don't love acting anymore so I've stopped doing it," the 24-year-old announced at 3am yesterday—on Twitter, of course. "If I don't love something anymore I stop doing it." If she's burned out, it's no surprise, notes E! : Bynes starred in two TV shows, All That and What I Like About You, while still in her teens. More»

Mattel unveils dolls based on the TV characters

(NEWSER) - Have you ever wanted to dress up Don Draper? Well, now you can. Mattel is rolling out a line of Mad Men Barbie dolls. They’ll be the first offering in the Barbie Fashion Model Collection, a high-priced line of figures aimed at adult collectors based on TV properties. Only 7,000-10,000 copies of each doll will be made, and they’ll have a suggested retail price of $75, reports the New York Times . More»

Upstarts move in while Mattel hits back

(NEWSER) - Barbie remains the best-selling doll in the world, but she's in a dogfight. Mattel is banking on a new iteration—complete with 12 movable joints—called “Fashionista Barbie” to combat incursions from the likes of Spin Master's “Liv” dolls, and MGA’s “Moxie Girlz.” The Wall Street Journal checks in on the toy wars and finds Mattel’s opponents to be cocky: “The Fashionista Barbies don't even come with a hairbrush,” says MGA’s founder. “Liv is a friend,” says Spin Master (whose toy has 14 movable joints). “Liv is now.” More»

(NEWSER) - SpongeBob SquarePants is 10 years old, and the “happy nonsense” of the show is “as popular as ever,” Alessandra Stanley writes in the New York Times. What’s more, the wacky, uncynical cartoon has managed to do it “without having disclosed any higher meaning to Bikini Bottom.” Sure, “adults have been trying to detect some sort of subtext”—most famously a homosexual agenda—but no dice. “The mystery lives on.” More»

Lawmaker seeks to switch emphasis from beauty to brains

(NEWSER) - A West Virginia lawmaker wants to boot Barbie and dolls like her from store shelves before the famous babe celebrates her 50th birthday next week, reports Fox News. Banning the dolls would send a message to children and adults that education is more important than physical beauty, said the lawmaker. A colleague hailed the legislator's concerns but doubted his bill would pass. More»