Barbie

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Barbie Goes Brainy for Chinese Market

Now with violin, sheet music, and a low price tag

(Newser) - Aiming to please education-minded parents, Mattel has given Barbie a fresh new look for the booming Chinese toy market, in a move that, as Quartz reports, highlights China's shift from manufacturer to consumer. New low-price dolls, including "Violin Soloist" Barbie, will help merge joy and learning, which "...

Things Walmart Deems Less Acceptable Than Guns

The Bushmaster AR-15 can stay, but pregnant barbie has to go

(Newser) - Despite a public outcry, Walmart is still selling "modern sporting rifles" (read: assault rifles), reportedly including the Bushmaster AR-15, the model used in the Newtown shooting. But there are some items too controversial for Walmart. The Huffington Post helpfully compiled a few of the things that Walmart apparently believes...

Vatican Pushes for ... Bald Barbie?

She could help rehab doll's image, Vatican newspaper notes

(Newser) - Forget any number of controversial stances the Vatican has taken, it's now weighing in on ... Barbie dolls. Following a Facebook campaign earlier this year, Mattel decided to launch a bald friend of Barbie in a nod to sick kids who've lost their hair and donate the dolls to...

Barbie Will Get Bald Friend
 Barbie Will Get 
 Bald Friend 

Barbie Will Get Bald Friend

Mattel will produce hairless doll for sick children

(Newser) - Barbie-maker Mattel is creating a special doll for children who have lost their hair to illness. The new doll will be bald and a friend of Barbie, and she'll come with fashion accessories including hats, scarves, and wigs. Earlier this year, a Facebook campaign that garnered 150,000 "...

Iran Bans Barbie, Offers US a Toy Model of Downed Spy Drone
Sorry, Kids: Iran Bans Barbie 

Sorry, Kids: Iran Bans Barbie

But luckily, a replica of the downed US stealth drone will be on sale soon!

(Newser) - As the US tries to crack down on Iran , Iran is doing some cracking down of its own—on that oh-so-American symbol, the Barbie doll. The country's morality police have begun enforcing a Barbie ban issued in 1996. (Authorities blasted the doll's "destructive cultural and social consequences"...

Go Bald, Barbie

 Go Bald, 
 Barbie 
OPINION

Go Bald, Barbie

For girls and women with cancer, 'she'd be perfect': Mary Elizabeth Williams

(Newser) - A Facebook campaign asking Mattel to consider a bald Barbie to inspire hope in girls with cancer has taken off in a big way this week, and that's a wonderful thing, writes Mary Elizabeth Williams at Salon . This would be bold new territory for the icon, and Mattel has...

Parents Squawk About Barbie's Tattoos

Barbie's not going to drag your kid to the seaport for a tattoo, says defender

(Newser) - A new pink-haired tattooed Barbie has some parents spitting plastic bullets. Mattel crows that the rocker babe version of Barbie (who has a little dog named Bastardino), designed by Los Angeles-based fashion label Tokidoki, is a "funky fashionista," notes the Telegraph . But for "those who look to...

Mattel Out $310M After Losing Bratz Spat

MGA awarded damages, legal fees

(Newser) - The final bell has been rung in the long-running Mattel-MGA Entertainment court battle over Bratz—and Barbie's makers have taken a hell of a beating. A federal judge has ordered Mattel to pay MGA, the makers of Bratz dolls, a total of $310 million in punitive damages and lawyers...

Greenpeace: Barbie's Killing Rainforests

Group unfurls a banner over Mattel headquarters

(Newser) - Greenpeace has set its sights on a new eco-villain: Barbie. The group says it has traced packaging used by Mattel and other toy companies to protected Indonesian rainforests, and they’re taking it out on Mattel’s perpetually well-accessorized doll, Reuters reports. Activists dressed like Ken descended on Mattel’s...

Court Stunner: Bratz Dolls Beat Barbie

Mattel must pay millions to rival doll maker

(Newser) - A long-fought court battle between the makers of Bratz and Barbie has been decided—and Bratz are the surprise victors, the Los Angeles Times reports. The federal jury said Bratz maker MGA Entertainment had neither infringed on Mattel’s copyright nor stolen trade secrets, and that Mattel doesn’t own...

FBI: Pedophiles Might Like the New Barbie

Because she's got a video camera built into her necklace

(Newser) - Mattel's got to be thrilled with this FBI warning inadvertently made public amid holiday shopping season: "Law enforcement is encouraged to be aware of unconventional avenues for possible production and possession of child pornography, such as the Barbie Video Girl," said the alert sent to investigators.

Headless Bodies Hung From Mexican Bridge

It's a warning to US drug criminal 'Barbie'

(Newser) - Just when you think Mexican drug violence can't get much grislier comes the gruesome police discovery of four headless bodies hanging from a bridge south of Mexico City. A note attached to the mutilated corpses warned that a similar fate awaits anyone who supports Edgar Vladez—a US citizen known...

Adult Driving Barbie Car Hit With DWI

UK man barred from driving for 3 years after drunken spin in 4mph vehicle

(Newser) - A British man who went for a drive with a blood-alcohol content more than twice the legal limit has lost his license for 3 years—even though the vehicle in question is a battery-powered Barbie car with a top speed of 4mph. Paul Hutton was on his way to see...

Mattel Rolls Out Mad Men Barbie Dolls
 Mattel Rolls Out 
 Mad Men Barbie Dolls 
don, betty, and more

Mattel Rolls Out Mad Men Barbie Dolls

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...

Wal-Mart Black Barbie Price Cut Sparks Uproar

Sends harmful message, say activists

(Newser) - Wal-Mart has dropped the price of a black Barbie doll in a move that's raising a ruckus. "Both are great dolls," carefully emphasized a Wal-Mart spokeswoman. But the price was cut $2 for a black Ballerina Teresa Barbie from the $5.93 for the white version because the...

Barbie's New Career: Computer Engineer

But role models need more than 'cute pink glasses'

(Newser) - Barbie, who once declared that "math class is tough," is branching into IT. Computer Engineer Barbie will be out in the fall, complete with a Bluetooth headset, a smartphone, and a pink laptop. The new career came out on top in a worldwide poll, followed by News Anchor...

Hottest Hollywood Star: Toys
 Hottest Hollywood Star: Toys 

Hottest Hollywood Star: Toys

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

(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 "...

Critics: New Black Barbie Not Black Enough

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

(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...

Barbie Braces for Doll Wars
 Barbie Braces for Doll Wars 

Barbie Braces for Doll Wars

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 ...

Designer Fixing Barbie's .... Cankles?

Louboutin thinks the doll's ankles are too fat

(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. "...

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