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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Barbie

Barbie stories: 21 news summaries

1 - 20 of 21 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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 Hottest Hollywood Star: Toys 

Transformers raked it in; expect more of the same from Tinseltown

Nov 5, 09 12:07 PM CST
(Newser) - Move over Denzel and Julia: In a bid to replicate the second Transformers' $833 million box-office take, toys are usurping flesh and blood stars as Hollywood's hottest property—and yes, Barbie and Candy Land have agents. Big-name agencies are working with the likes of Mattel and Hasbro—toys are "... More »

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Hollywood • Transformers • Barbie • Barbie movie

 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

 Barbie Braces for Doll Wars 

Upstarts move in while Mattel hits back

Oct 21, 09 2:02 PM CDT
(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 ... More »

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children • toys • Mattel • Barbie • dolls • fashionista • Moxie Girlz

 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 »

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fashion • fat • Barbie • doll • redesign • designer fashion

 Barbie, He-Man Flicks 
 Launch Casting Rumors 

As two more toy franchises head to the big screen, speculation starts

Sep 25, 09 9:46 AM CDT
(Newser) - Now that Barbie and He-Man are joining fellow toy franchises Transformers and GI Joe on the big screen, who can play the iconic characters? The Independent has some ideas. For Barbie:
  • Anna Faris, Heather Graham, or Katherine Heigl: Would be perfect if not for the
... More »

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entertainment • Arnold Schwarzenegger • Paris Hilton • celebrity • Barbie • Daniel Craig • Christian Bale • Katherine Heigl • Reese Witherspoon • Heather Graham • Hayden Panettiere • Dakota Fanning • Anna Faris

 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 »

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China • Mattel • Barbie • Shanghai • doll

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 »

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toys • Mattel • Barbie • West Virginia • doll

 Barbie's 
 Secret: 
 Creator Was 
 Kinky Swinger 

New book looks at man behind the doll

Jan 9, 09 11:53 AM CST
(Newser) - If you always thought Barbies were a little creepy, this might be why. The doll's creator was a "full-blown seventies-style swinger" with "a manic need for sexual gratification," a new book reveals. Jack Ryan, who was once married to Zsa Zsa Gabor, held orgies at his LA... More »

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Mattel • Barbie • book • swingers • Jack Ryan • wowOwow

GLOSSIES

 World's Priciest 
 Fake Homes 

Forbes list features fake mansions from movies, books, and video games

Dec 25, 08 1:53 PM CST
(Newser) - Forbes has put together its first list of the world’s most-expensive fictional homes. Including literature, video games, and Monopoly, the editors had a few ground rules—no castles, and take it easy on the country estates.
  • Xanadu, $135 million: A perfect mountaintop retreat for Citizen Kane, “a
... More »

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Angelina Jolie • Citizen Kane • The Simpsons • The Godfather • Barbie • Forbes • Edgar Allan Poe • Monopoly • Iron Man • Scarface • Tomb Raider

 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 »

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toys • Mattel • Barbie • doll • Bratz

Barbies of the Future May Grow on Trees 

Researchers use wood and wax to make biodegradable alternative

Dec 6, 08 2:31 PM CST
(Newser) - Wooden toys may not be so 1850s, scientists say. A bioplastic made from trees has been used to make everything from golf tees to car parts in recent years, but its sulfurous stink kept it out of the toy market. Now a sulfur-free version of "liquid wood" is available,... More »

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trees • science • plastic • design • toys • nature • Barbie • inventions • Lego

Judge Gives Bratz Doll Line to Rival Mattel

Since MGA founder invented Barbie competitor while on payroll, Mattel owns it

Dec 4, 08 3:15 PM CST
(Newser) - Barbie maker Mattel landed a game-changing blow yesterday against the manufacturer of the hugely popular Bratz dolls, the Los Angeles Times reports. A federal judge ruled Mattel is the legal owner of the line and forbade rival MGA from selling Bratz products. The creator of Bratz was found in July... More »

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toys • lawsuit • Mattel • Barbie • MGA Entertainment • Bratz • Isaac Larian • fashion dolls

(Newser) - Barbie will get $100 million from her saucier cousins, the Bratz dolls, for copyright infringement, the AP reports. A federal jury ordered Bratz maker MGA to pay Mattel the sum, but it did not award punitive damages and gave Mattel only a fraction of what it sought. Last month, the... More »

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toys • lawsuit • Mattel • Barbie • copyright infringement • MGA Entertainment • Bratz

 Elvis, Priscilla Barbies Wed

Graceland signs off on Mattel collectibles

Aug 13, 08 12:17 PM CDT
(Newser) - Elvis and Priscilla Presley wedding day Barbies are the latest in King kitsch, the AP reports. The $65 boxed set, released yesterday, draws on the couple’s 1967 wedding photo—groom in paisley, bride in tiara. One fan paid $6,800 for a pair of dolls signed by Priscilla, while... More »

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Mattel • Barbie • Elvis Presley • Graceland • Memphis • fashion dolls • Priscilla Presley

 Barbie Beats
 Bratz in
 Court Battle 

Jury finds designer invented Bratz dolls on Mattel payroll

Jul 18, 08 2:43 AM CDT
(Newser) - Barbie doll creator Mattel has won a bitter courtroom battle against rival MGA Entertainment, which sells the edgier Bratz dolls. A jury found that Bratz designer Carter Byant conceived the pouty-lipped dolls while on Mattel's payroll, and that MGA secretly plotted with him to steal the billion-dollar idea, reports the... More »

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Mattel • Barbie • Robert Eckert • MGA Entertainment • Bratz • Carter Bryant • Isaac Larian • Little Tikes • fashion dolls

 Iranian Lawman Blasts Barbie 

Top prosecutor calls for ban on Western toy imports

Apr 29, 08 7:42 AM CDT
(Newser) - Barbie, Batman, and Harry Potter have no place in the Islamic Republic of Iran, says the nation's top prosecutor. He warned of the "social danger" that toys and other Western cultural imports pose to his country and has called for a ban, the BBC reports. Barbie is a big... More »

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Iran • Islamic dress code • toys • Barbie • cleric

Chavez Slams Quinceañera Implants

Venezuelan prez
hates popular sweet-15 gift of enlargements

Sep 26, 07 1:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - Hugo Chavez has aimed his anti-consumerist wrath at one of Venezuela’s bustiest trends. In a record eight-hour TV address Sunday, the barn-storming president assaulted his countrymen for giving breast implants as presents to girls celebrating their quinceañeras, the traditional 15th-birthday coming-of-age party.   More »

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Venezuela • breast implants • Barbie • consumerism • quinceaneras • Bolivarism • advertisements • Hugo Chávez

Prices in Toyland Are Going Up

Consumers will pay for testing toys

Sep 14, 07 7:04 AM CDT
(Newser) - Toyland is about to become a more expensive place, as price hikes of 10% or more kick in to pay for heightened vigilance by toy makers following the recall of millions of lead-tainted and otherwise unsafe playthings imported from China. The added costs, which  won't kick in until after Christmas,... More »

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China • toys • Disney • recall • Mattel • price • Barbie • lead • Toys 'R' Us • Sarge • Wal-Mart

Mattel Plans 3rd Recall of Toys Made in China

Will affect about 675,000 Barbie accessories

Sep 4, 07 7:58 PM CDT
(Newser) - Barbie accessories will be reined in by the hundreds of thousands by Mattel, which plans to recall another three quarters of a million Chinese-made toys due to dangerously high lead paint levels, the Wall Street Journal reports. The company's third recall this summer will also affect about 100,000 “... More »

MORE ABOUT:
China • recall • product safety • Mattel • Barbie • Walt Disney

'Barbie Bandit' Fesses Up
in Court

Teen bank robber enters weepy
guilty plea

Aug 22, 07 5:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Saying she wants to take responsibility for her actions, one of the so-called Barbie Bandits entered a tearful guilty plea today despite not having worked out a deal with prosecutors. In February, 19-year-old Heather Johnston and a fellow stripper robbed a Georgia bank of $11,000, using only sunglasses as... More »

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crime • theft • robbery • Georgia • bank • Barbie • Barby Bandit • bank robber • Heather Johnston

1 - 20 of 21 Stories | 1 2 Next >>


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