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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: doll

doll stories: 16 news summaries

 Critics: New 
 Black Barbie 
 Not Black 
 Enough 

But fans say black women come in all 'shades, shapes, varieties'

Oct 22, 09 2:27 AM CDT
(Newser) - Mattel's new black Barbie dolls are more than just white dolls with a paint job—which is what the toy company tried last time. But some critics still say Mattel hasn't gone far enough. The trio of Barbies have features like fuller lips and wider noses, but some complain that... More »

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African Americans • Mattel • Barbie • doll • women's issues

 Designer Fixing 
 Barbie's .... Cankles? 

Louboutin thinks the doll's ankles are too fat

Oct 14, 09 7:34 PM CDT
(Newser) - A Christian Louboutin makeover of the Barbie doll is going further than just the clothes. “He found her ankles were too fat,” said a Louboutin spokeswoman. At least one of his dolls should be ready for the next Cannes film festival in May, Women's Wear Daily reports. "... More »

MORE ABOUT:
fashion • fat • Barbie • doll • redesign • designer fashion

White House Doesn't Diss New Michelle Doll

Action figure seeks to capitalize on first lady's popularity

Oct 13, 09 4:52 AM CDT
(Newser) - The White House—which strongly objected to Malia and Sasha Obama dolls released earlier this year—declined to comment yesterday on an upcoming Michelle Obama doll. The 6-inch action figure seeks to capture the first lady's "muted, subdued, classy" style, says its maker Jailbreak Toys, which has been selling... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Michelle Obama • White House • toys • first lady • doll

 Girls Play Mom With 
 Breastfeeding Doll 

Spanish toy comes with halter top to simulate nursing

Aug 5, 09 2:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - If urinating and burping toys aren’t enough, a Spanish doll provides simulated breastfeeding, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Bebé Glotón, which translates to Baby Glutton, comes with a halter top for the doll's owner, and it's equipped with a pair of flowers that take on the role of... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Spain • toys • breast feeding • nursing • girls • doll

 Barbie Busts Out in Shanghai 

Hit Shanghai megastore sells 'Barbie lifestyle' to adult women

Apr 6, 09 8:39 AM CDT
(Newser) - Mattel is seeking to make up for slowing Barbie sales elsewhere with an aggressive push for Chinese consumers—and not just girls, reports the Washington Post. The company has opened a 6-story flagship store in Shanghai, offering a top-end clothing line and a luxury spa to appeal to professional women... More »

MORE ABOUT:
China • Mattel • Barbie • Shanghai • doll

Relax, Parents: Tween Dora Still 'Wholesome'

New doll of beloved character had sparked short-skirt concerns

Mar 17, 09 2:52 PM CDT
(Newser) - Dora the Explorer is getting a tween update in a new doll, which trades her baby fat for a more girly, urban look, Hispanic Business reports. After concerns were sparked by a silhouette preview of the doll sporting a very short dress, parents can breathe a sigh of relief: the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
television • children • toys • Mattel • Nickelodeon • teenager • children's show • doll • Dora the Explorer • tween

W. Va. Considers Banning Barbie on 50th Birthday

Lawmaker seeks to switch emphasis from beauty to brains

Mar 5, 09 2:25 AM CST
(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.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
toys • Mattel • Barbie • West Virginia • doll

(Newser) - He may have crushed your savings—but for $99.95 more you can stomp on him, reports the New York Times. The hot ticket at this year's American International Toy Fair is "Smash-Me Bernie," a mini-Madoff dressed in a red devil suit that you can bludgeon with an... More »

MORE ABOUT:
toys • effigy • Ponzi scheme • doll • Bernard Madoff • American International Toy Fair • devil • hammer

 Now-Rare Malia, Sasha 
 Dolls Go for $3K 

Toys off market after First Lady's complaint

Feb 17, 09 12:53 PM CST
(Newser) - Now off the market, Ty’s “Marvelous Malia” and “Sweet Sasha” dolls are going for $3,000 a pop on eBay, the New York Daily News reports. “"I've been selling Beanie Babies all my life and this escapes all reason,” says seller Richard Lee. The... More »

MORE ABOUT:
eBay • Michelle Obama • toys • doll • Malia Obama • Sasha Obama

 Fla. Firm Cancels Caylee Doll 

Toy plays You Are My Sunshine when belly button is pushed

Jan 27, 09 2:26 PM CST
(Newser) - A Florida company has thought better of its decision to sell a doll bearing the name of slain toddler Caylee Anthony, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The “Inspirational Caylee Sunshine Doll” was to go on sale today for $29.99; it plays the song You Are My Sunshine when its... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Florida • murder • death • toddler • doll • Caylee Anthony • Cindy Anthony

 Mattel Plans Edgier Barbie 

Company aims to win back tweens by bringing Barbie back to fashion world

Dec 24, 08 6:27 AM CST
(Newser) - Barbie turns 50 next year and Mattel plans some big changes for the perpetual teenager, the Wall Street Journal reports. The company has been steadily losing girls aged 8 and over to video games, iPods, and racier rival dolls like the now-vanquished Bratz and the Hannah Montana line. The toy... More »

MORE ABOUT:
toys • Mattel • Barbie • doll • Bratz

(Newser) - This year's hot toy is as chatty as Tickle Me Elmo but much, much more realistic. Little girls are crazy for new baby dolls that eat and excrete, but psychologists and some parents aren't thrilled with Hasbro's Baby Alive Learns to Potty and Mattel's Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Gotta... More »

MORE ABOUT:
parenting • children • Hasbro • Mattel • diapers • Christmas wish lists • doll • potty training • Baby Alive

 Court Sticks It to Sarko  
 Over Voodoo Dolls 

Stab-able president a cult success in France

Nov 28, 08 4:25 PM CST
(Newser) - An appeals court in France essentially told the nation's president to lighten up today. The court rejected a bid by Nicolas Sarkozy to ban voodoo dolls made in his likeness, the International Herald Tribune reports. It ruled that the dolls can continue to be sold, only now they must have... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Nicolas Sarkozy • France • appeal • court • judge • doll • voodoo

 Sarko Loses Bid 
 to Block Voodoo Doll 

French court rules presidential pincushion falls within the limits of humor

Oct 30, 08 8:35 AM CDT
(Newser) - A French judge apparently finds Nicolas Sarkozy voodoo dolls funnier than the president does. The court threw out Sarkozy's Iawsuit against the maker of the dolls, the BBC reports, deciding it hadn't breached limits of "free expression and the right to humor." Sales of the presidential pincushion, which... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Segolene Royal • Nicolas Sarkozy • France • doll • voodoo

 Sarkozy Battles Voodoo Curse 

French prez vows to sue if makers don't take doll off the shelves

Oct 22, 08 2:13 AM CDT
(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy is demanding that a voodoo doll in his image be withdrawn from bookstores, the Daily Telegraph reports. The fuming Sarko has threatened a lawsuit if the French distributor does not comply. Some 20,000 of the dolls, which comes with pins and a voodoo guide, have... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Segolene Royal • Nicolas Sarkozy • France • doll • voodoo

Crikey!
Bindi Gets
Her Own Doll

Crocodile Hunter's daughter continuing
in dad's footsteps

Jul 5, 08 10:27 PM CDT
(Newser) - Bindi Irwin isn't yet 10, but she's got her own TV show, an Emmy, and now, a doll in her image. An Ohio company is making 10-inch replicas of the young Australian star, the daughter of the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Bindi inherited her... More »

MORE ABOUT:
conservation • marketing • toys • Steve Irwin • Bindi Irwin • doll

16 Stories


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