CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

HISTORY

BIOGRAPHY

CONTROVERSIES

PARODIES AND LAWSUITS

COLLECTION

BARBIE VERSUS BRATZ

 INTRODUCTION

BARBIE IS A FASHION DOLL MANUFACTURED BY MATTEL, INC. AND

LAUNCHED IN MARCH 1959. AMERICAN BUSINESSWOMAN RUTH
HANDLER (1916-2002) IS CREDITED WITH THE CREATION OF THE
DOLL USING A GERMAN DOLL CALLED BILD LILLI AS HER
INSPIRATION .

BARBIE HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE TOY FASHION DOLL

MARKET FOR FIFTY YEARS , AND HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF
NUMEROUS CONTROVERSIES AND LAWSUITS , OFTEN
INVOLVING PARODY OF THE DOLL AND HER LIFESTYLE . IN RECENT
YEARS , BARBIE HAS FACED INCREASING COMPETITION FROM
THE BRATZ RANGE OF DOLLS.
HISTORY
THE ORIGINAL BARBIE WAS LAUNCHED IN MARCH 1959

RUTH HANDLER WATCHED HER DAUGHTER BARBARA AT PLAY WITH

PAPER DOLLS, AND NOTICED THAT SHE OFTEN ENJOYED GIVING THEM
ADULT ROLES. AT THE TIME, MOST CHILDREN 'S TOY DOLLS WERE
REPRESENTATIONS OF INFANTS . REALIZING THAT THERE COULD BE A
GAP IN THE MARKET, HANDLER SUGGESTED THE IDEA OF AN ADULT-
BODIED DOLL TO HER HUSBAND ELLIOT, A CO-FOUNDER OF
THE MATTEL TOY COMPANY. HE WAS UNENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THE
IDEA, AS WERE MATTEL'S DIRECTORS .

DURING A TRIP TO EUROPE IN 1956 WITH HER CHILDREN BARBARA

AND KENNETH , RUTH HANDLER CAME ACROSS GERMAN TOY DOLL
CALLED BILD LILLI . THE ADULT-FIGURED DOLL WAS EXACTLY WHAT
HANDLER HAD IN MIND, SO SHE PURCHASED THREE OF THEM. SHE
GAVE ONE TO HER DAUGHTER AND TOOK THE OTHERS BACK TO
MATTEL. THE LILLI DOLL WAS BASED ON A POPULAR CHARACTER
APPEARING IN A COMIC STRIP DRAWN BY REINHARD BEUTHIN FOR
THE NEWSPAPER DIE BILD-ZEITUNG. LILLI WAS A WORKING GIRL
WHO KNEW WHAT SHE WANTED AND WAS NOT ABOVE USING MEN TO
GET IT. THE LILLI DOLL WAS FIRST SOLD IN GERMANY IN 1955,
AND ALTHOUGH IT WAS INITIALLY SOLD TO BABIES , IT BECAME
POPULAR WITH ADULTS WHO ENJOYED DRESSING HER UP IN OUTFITS
THAT WERE AVAILABLE SEPARATELY .
UPON HER RETURN TO THE UNITED STATES, HANDLER REWORKED
THE DESIGN OF THE DOLL (WITH HELP FROM ENGINEER JACK
RYAN)
AND THE DOLL WAS GIVEN A NEW NAME, BARBIE , AFTER HANDLER'S
DAUGHTER B ARBARA . THE DOLL MADE ITS DEBUT AT THE AMERICAN
INTERNATIONAL TOY FAIR IN NEW YORK ON MARCH 9, 1959. THIS
DATE IS ALSO USED AS B ARBIE 'S OFFICIAL BIRTHDAY .

MATTEL ACQUIRED THE RIGHTS TO THE BILD LILLI DOLL IN 1964

AND PRODUCTION OF LILLI WAS STOPPED . THE FIRST B ARBIE DOLL
WORE A BLACK AND WHITE ZEBRA STRIPED SWIMSUIT AND
SIGNATURE TOPKNOT PONYTAIL, AND WAS AVAILABLE AS EITHER
A BLONDE OR BRUNETTE . THE DOLL WAS MARKETED AS A "TEEN-
AGE FASHION MODEL," WITH HER CLOTHES CREATED BY MATTEL
FASHION DESIGNER C HARLOTTE JOHNSON. T HE FIRST BARBIE DOLLS
WERE MANUFACTURED IN JAPAN, WITH THEIR CLOTHES HAND -
STITCHED BY JAPANESE HOMEWORKERS . AROUND 350,000 B ARBIE
DOLLS WERE SOLD DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF PRODUCTION .

RUTH HANDLER BELIEVED THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR BARBIE TO

HAVE AN ADULT APPEARANCE , AND EARLY MARKET
RESEARCH SHOWED THAT SOME PARENTS WERE UNHAPPY ABOUT THE
DOLL'S CHEST, WHICH HAD DISTINCT BREASTS. BARBIE'S
APPEARANCE HAS BEEN CHANGED MANY TIMES, MOST NOTABLY IN
1971 WHEN THE DOLL'S EYES WERE ADJUSTED TO LOOK FORWARDS
RATHER THAN HAVING THE DEMURE SIDEWAYS GLANCE OF THE
ORIGINAL MODEL.

BARBIE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TOYS TO HAVE A MARKETING

STRATEGY BASED EXTENSIVELY ON TELEVISION AND ADVERTISING ,
WHICH HAS BEEN COPIED WIDELY BY OTHER TOYS . IT IS ESTIMATED
THAT OVER A BILLIONBARBIE DOLLS HAVE BEEN SOLD WORLDWIDE
IN OVER 150 COUNTRIES, WITH MATTEL CLAIMING THAT TWO
BARBIE DOLLS ARE SOLD EVERY SECOND.
THE STANDARD RANGE OF BARBIE DOLLS AND RELATED
ACCESSORIES ARE MANUFACTURED TO APPROXIMATELY 1/6TH SCALE,
WHICH IS ALSO KNOWN AS PLAYSCALE. BARBIE PRODUCTS INCLUDE
NOT ONLY THE RANGE OF DOLLS WITH THEIR CLOTHES AND
ACCESSORIES , BUT ALSO A HUGE RANGE OF BARBIE BRANDED
GOODS SUCH AS BOOKS, FASHION ITEMS AND VIDEO GAMES. BARBIE
HAS APPEARED IN A SERIES OF ANIMATED FILMS AND MADE A BRIEF
GUEST APPEARANCE IN THE 1999 FILM TOY STORY

ALMOST UNIQUELY FOR A TOY FASHION DOLL, BARBIE HAS BECOME

A CULTURAL ICON AND HAS BEEN GIVEN HONORS THAT ARE RARE IN
THE TOY WORLD . IN 1974 A SECTION OF TIMES SQUARE IN NEW
YORK CITY WAS RENAMED BARBIE BOULEVARD FOR A WEEK , WHILE
IN 1985 THE ARTIST ANDY WARHOL CREATED A PAINTING OF
BARBIE

BIOGRAPHY
BARBIE'S BARBARA MILLICENT ROBERTS. IN A SERIES
FULL NAME IS
OF NOVELS PUBLISHED BY RANDOM HOUSE IN THE 1960 S, HER
PARENTS ' NAMES ARE GIVEN AS GEORGE AND MARGARET R OBERTS
FROM THE FICTIONAL TOWN OF WILLOWS , WISCONSIN.
IN THE RANDOM HOUSE NOVELS, BARBIE ATTENDED WILLOWS HIGH
SCHOOL, WHILE IN IN THE GENERATION GIRL BOOKS PUBLISHED
BY GOLDEN BOOKS IN 1999 SHE ATTENDED THE FICTIONAL
MANHATTAN INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL IN NEW YORK
CITY (BASED ON THE REAL-LIFE STUYVESANT HIGH SCHOOL). SHE
HAS AN ON-OFF ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH HER
BOYFRIEND KEN (KEN CARSON), WHO FIRST APPEARED IN 1961.
LIKE BARBIE, KEN SHARES HIS NAME WITH ONE OF RUTH
HANDLER'S CHILDREN. A NEWS RELEASE FROM MATTEL IN
FEBRUARY 2004 ANNOUNCED THAT BARBIE AND KEN HAD DECIDED
TO SPLIT UP, BUT IN FEBRUARY 2006 THEY WERE BACK TOGETHER
AGAIN.

BARBIE HAS HAD OVER

FORTY PETS INCLUDING CATS AND DOGS , HORSES , A PANDA ,
A LION CUB, AND A ZEBRA . SHE HAS OWNED A WIDE RANGE OF
VEHICLES , INCLUDING PINK CORVETTE CONVERTIBLES , TRAILERS
AND JEEPS . SHE ALSO HOLDS A PILOT'S LICENSE , AND OPERATES
COMMERCIAL AIRLINERS IN ADDITION TO SERVING AS A FLIGHT
ATTENDANT . BARBIE'S CAREERS ARE DESIGNED TO SHOW THAT
WOMEN CAN TAKE ON A VARIETY OF ROLES IN LIFE, AND THE DOLL
HAS BEEN SOLD WITH A WIDE RANGE OF TITLES INCLUDING MISS
ASTRONAUT BARBIE (1965), DOCTOR BARBIE (1988)
AND NASCAR BARBIE (1998).

MATTEL HAS CREATED A RANGE OF COMPANIONS FOR BARBIE,

INCLUDING HISPANIC TERESA, MIDGE, AFRICAN AMERICAN CHRISTIE
AND STEVEN (C HRISTIE'S BOYFRIEND ). B ARBIE 'S SIBLINGS AND
COUSINS WERE ALSO CREATED INCLUDING SKIPPER, TUTTI (TODD'S
TWIN SISTER), TODD (T UTTI 'S AND STACIE'S TWIN
BROTHER), STACIE (T ODD'S TWIN
SISTER), KELLY, KRISSY, FRANCIE , AND JAZZIE .
CONTROVERSIES

FULLA IS MARKETED AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO BARBIE IN MIDDLE

EASTERN COUNTRIES .

BARBIE'S POPULARITY ENSURES THAT HER EFFECT ON THE PLAY OF

CHILDREN ATTRACTS A HIGH DEGREE OF SCRUTINY. THE CRITICISMS
LEVELED AT HER ARE OFTEN BASED ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT
CHILDREN CONSIDER BARBIE A ROLE MODEL AND WILL ATTEMPT TO
EMULATE HER.
ONE OF THE MOST COMMON CRITICISMS OF BARBIE IS THAT SHE
PROMOTES AN UNREALISTIC IDEA OF BODY IMAGE FOR A YOUNG
WOMAN, LEADING TO A RISK THAT GIRLS WHO ATTEMPT TO EMULATE
HER WILL BECOMEANOREXIC. A STANDARD BARBIE DOLL IS 11.5
INCHES TALL, GIVING A HEIGHT OF 5 FEET 9 INCHES AT 1/6 SCALE.
BARBIE'S VITAL STATISTICS HAVE BEEN ESTIMATED AT 36 INCHES
(CHEST), 18 INCHES (WAIST) AND 33 INCHES (HIPS). ACCORDING
TO RESEARCH BY THE U NIVERSITY CENTRAL HOSPITAL
IN HELSINKI , FINLAND , SHE WOULD LACK THE 17 TO 22 PERCENT
BODY FAT REQUIRED FOR A WOMAN TO MENSTRUATE . IN
1965 SLUMBER PARTY BARBIE CAME WITH A BOOK ENTITLED HOW
TO LOSE WEIGHT WHICH ADVISED : "DON 'T EAT." THE DOLL ALSO
CAME WITH PINK BATHROOM SCALES READING 110 LBS., WHICH
WOULD BE AROUND 35 LBS. UNDERWEIGHT FOR A WOMAN 5 FEET 9
INCHES TALL. IN 1997 B ARBIE'S BODY MOLD WAS REDESIGNED AND
GIVEN A WIDER WAIST, WITH MATTEL SAYING THAT THIS WOULD
MAKE THE DOLL BETTER SUITED TO CONTEMPORARY FASHION
DESIGNS .
BARBIE'S WAIST HAS BEEN WIDENED IN MORE RECENT VERSIONS OF
THE DOLL

DURING BARBIE'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY , BBC DID A FOLLOW-UP

ARTICLE ON WHAT A REAL WOMAN WOULD LOOK LIKE WITH BARBIE'S
PROPORTIONS , AND DISCOVERED THAT REAL-LIFE MODEL LIBBY
WOULD HAVE A 20 IN . WAIST AND 29 IN. HIPS WITH HER 5'6"
HEIGHT, AND A 28 IN . WAIST AND 40 IN. HIPS IF SHE WAS 7'6"
TALL.

IN JULY 1992 MATTEL TEEN TALK BARBIE, WHICH SPOKE

RELEASED
A NUMBER OF PHRASES INCLUDING "WILL WE EVER HAVE ENOUGH
CLOTHES ?", "I LOVE SHOPPING!", AND "WANNA HAVE A PIZZA
PARTY?" EACH DOLL WAS PROGRAMMED TO SAY FOUR OUT OF 270
POSSIBLE PHRASES, SO THAT NO TWO DOLLS WERE LIKELY TO BE
THE SAME. ONE OF THESE 270 PHRASES WAS "MATH CLASS IS
TOUGH !" (OFTEN MISQUOTED AS "MATH IS HARD"). A LTHOUGH
ONLY ABOUT 1.5% OF ALL THE DOLLS SOLD SAID THE PHRASE , IT
LED TO CRITICISM FROM THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF
UNIVERSITY WOMEN. IN OCTOBER 1992 MATTEL ANNOUNCED
THAT TEEN TALK BARBIEWOULD NO LONGER SAY THE PHRASE, AND
OFFERED A SWAP TO ANYONE WHO OWNED A DOLL THAT DID.
OREO FUN BARBIE FROM 1997 BECAME CONTROVERSIAL DUE TO A
NEGATIVE INTERPRETATION OF THE DOLL'S NAME

"COLORED FRANCIE" MADE HER DEBUT IN 1967, AND SHE IS

SOMETIMES DESCRIBED AS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN BARBIE
DOLL. HOWEVER, SHE WAS PRODUCED USING THE EXISTING HEAD
MOLDS FOR THE WHITE FRANCIE DOLL AND LACKED AFRICAN
CHARACTERISTICS OTHER THAN A DARK SKIN. THE FIRST AFRICAN
AMERICAN DOLL IN THE BARBIE RANGE IS USUALLY REGARDED AS
CHRISTIE, WHO MADE HER DEBUT IN 1968. B LACK BARBIE AND
HISPANIC BARBIE WERE LAUNCHED IN 1980.
IN 1997 MATTEL JOINED FORCES WITH NABISCO TO LAUNCH A
CROSS-PROMOTION OF B ARBIE WITH OREO COOKIES. OREO FUN
BARBIE WAS MARKETED AS SOMEONE WITH WHOM LITTLE GIRLS
COULD PLAY AFTER CLASS AND SHARE "AMERICA'S FAVORITE
COOKIE ." AS HAD BECOME THE CUSTOM, MATTEL MANUFACTURED
BOTH A WHITE AND A BLACK VERSION. CRITICS ARGUED THAT IN
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY OREO IS A DEROGATORY TERM
MEANING THAT THE PERSON IS "BLACK ON THE OUTSIDE AND WHITE
ON THE INSIDE ," LIKE THE CHOCOLATE SANDWICH COOKIE ITSELF.
THE DOLL WAS UNSUCCESSFUL AND MATTEL RECALLED THE UNSOLD
STOCK , MAKING IT SOUGHT AFTER BY COLLECTORS .

IN MAY 1997 MATTEL INTRODUCED SHARE A SMILE BECKY, A DOLL

IN A PINK WHEELCHAIR . KJERSTI JOHNSON, A 17- YEAR-OLD HIGH
SCHOOL STUDENT IN TACOMA, WASHINGTON WITH CEREBRAL PALSY,
POINTED OUT THAT THE DOLL WOULD NOT FIT INTO
THE ELEVATOR OF BARBIE'S $100 DREAM HOUSE. MATTEL
ANNOUNCED THAT IT WOULD REDESIGN THE HOUSE IN THE FUTURE
TO ACCOMMODATE THE DOLL.

IN MARCH 2000 STORIES APPEARED IN THE MEDIA CLAIMING THAT

THE HARD VINYL USED IN VINTAGE BARBIE DOLLS COULD LEAK TOXIC
CHEMICALS, CAUSING DANGER TO CHILDREN PLAYING WITH THEM.
THE CLAIM WAS REJECTED AS FALSE BY TECHNICAL EXPERTS. A
MODERN BARBIE DOLL HAS A BODY MADE FROM ABS PLASTIC,
WHILE THE HEAD IS MADE FROM SOFT PVC.
IN SEPTEMBER 2003 THE MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRY OF SAUDI
ARABIA OUTLAWED THE SALE OF BARBIE DOLLS, SAYING THAT SHE
DID NOT CONFORM TO THE IDEALS OF ISLAM. THE COMMITTEE FOR
THE PROPAGATION OF VIRTUE AND P REVENTION OF VICE STATED
"JEWISH BARBIE DOLLS, WITH THEIR REVEALING CLOTHES AND
SHAMEFUL POSTURES, ACCESSORIES AND TOOLS ARE A SYMBOL OF
DECADENCE TO THE PERVERTED WEST. LET US BEWARE OF HER
DANGERS AND BE CAREFUL ." IN MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIES THERE
IS AN ALTERNATIVE DOLL CALLED FULLA WHICH IS SIMILAR TO
BARBIE BUT IS DESIGNED TO BE MORE ACCEPTABLE TO AN ISLAMIC
MARKET. FULLA IS NOT MADE BY THE MATTEL CORPORATION, AND
BARBIE IS STILL AVAILABLE IN OTHER MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIES
INCLUDING EGYPT. IN IRAN, SARA AND DARA DOLLS ARE AVAILABLE
AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO B ARBIE .

IN DECEMBER 2005 DR. AGNES NAIRN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF

BATH IN ENGLAND PUBLISHED RESEARCH SUGGESTING THAT GIRLS
OFTEN GO THROUGH A STAGE WHERE THEY HATE THEIR BARBIE
DOLLS AND SUBJECT THEM TO A RANGE OF PUNISHMENTS ,
INCLUDING DECAPITATION AND PLACING THE DOLL IN A MICROWAVE
OVEN. DR. NAIRN SAID: "IT'S AS THOUGH DISAVOWING BARBIE IS A
RITE OF PASSAGE AND A REJECTION OF THEIR PAST."

ON FEBRUARY 12, 2009, THE DALLAS COWBOY CHEERLEADER

BARBIE WON THE INAUGURAL TOADY (TOYS OPPRESSIVE AND
DESTRUCTIVE TO YOUNG CHILDREN) AWARD FOR THE WORST TOY
OF THE YEAR. THE AWARD WAS GIVEN BY THE CAMPAIGN FOR A
COMMERCIAL-FREE CHILDHOOD FOR ITS "...HOST OF HARMFUL
EXPECTATIONS ABOUT WHAT GIRLS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE."
IN MARCH 2009, WEST VIRGINIA DELEGATE JEFF ELDRIDGE
INTRODUCED A BILL TO "BAN THE SALE OF BARBIE DOLLS AND
OTHER DOLLS THAT INFLUENCE GIRLS TO BE BEAUTIFUL " WITHIN THE
STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA. T HE BILL DOES NOT PROVIDE A
PUNISHMENT FOR VIOLATION , AND DELEGATE ELDRIDGE ADMITTED
THAT THE BILL "DOESN 'T HAVE A LOT OF TEETH ."
A BARBIE WITH A TRAMP STAMP WAS RELEASED

IN 2009.

IN APRIL 2009, THE LAUNCH OF A "TOTALLY TATTOOS" BARBIE

WITH A RANGE OF TATTOOS THAT COULD BE APPLIED TO THE DOLL,
INCLUDING A TRAMP STAMP, LED TO CONTROVERSY. MATTEL'S
PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL READ "CUSTOMIZE THE FASHIONS AND
APPLY THE FUN TEMPORARY TATTOOS ON YOU TOO", BUT ED MAYO,
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF CONSUMER FOCUS, ARGUED THAT CHILDREN
MIGHT WANT TO GET TATTOOED THEMSELVES.

THE WORD BARBIE HAS COME TO BE USED AS

A DEROGATORY SLANG TERM FOR A GIRL OR WOMAN WHO IS
CONSIDERED SHALLOW , MOST NOTABLY IN THE 1997 POP
SONG BARBIE GIRL (SEE PARODIES AND LAWSUITS BELOW).
PARODIES AND LAWSUITS

THE 1997 S ONG BARBIE GIRL BY AQUA LED TO A FIVE YEAR

LAWSUIT.

BARBIE HAS OFTEN BEEN REFERENCED IN POPULAR CULTURE AND IS

FREQUENTLY THE TARGET OF PARODY. SOME OF THESE OCCASIONS
INCLUDE:
IN 1997, THE DANISH-NORWEGIAN POP-DANCE
GROUP AQUA RELEASED A SONG CALLED BARBIE GIRL. IT
CONTAINED LYRICS SUCH AS "YOU CAN BRUSH MY HAIR / U NDRESS
ME EVERYWHERE " AND USED GRAPHICS SIMILAR TO THE PINK
BARBIE LOGO. MATTEL ARGUED THAT THIS CONSTITUTED
A TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT AND FILED A DEFAMATION LAWSUIT
AGAINST MCA RECORDS ON SEPTEMBER 11, 1997. IN JULY 2002,
JUDGE ALEX KOZINSKI RULED THAT THE SONG WAS PROTECTED AS A
PARODY UNDER THE FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES
CONSTITUTION.

A COMMERCIAL BY AUTOMOBILE COMPANY NISSAN FEATURING DOLLS

SIMILAR TO BARBIE AND KEN WAS THE SUBJECT OF ANOTHER
LAWSUIT IN 1997. I N THE COMMERCIAL , A FEMALE DOLL IS LURED
INTO A CAR BY A DOLL RESEMBLING GI JOE TO THE DISMAY OF A
KEN-LIKE DOLL, ACCOMPANIED BY VAN HALEN'S VERSION OF YOU
REALLY GOT ME. ACCORDING TO THE MAKERS OF THE COMMERCIAL,
THE DOLLS ' NAMES WERE R OXANNE, NICK AND TAD. MATTEL
CLAIMED THAT THE COMMERCIAL HAD DONE "IRREPARABLE DAMAGE"
TO ITS PRODUCTS, BUT LOST THE COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
LAWSUIT.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE AIRED A PARODY OF BARBIE COMMERCIALS

FEATURING THE FICTIONAL "GANGSTA BITCH BARBIE" DOLL AND A
"TUPAC KEN" DOLL.

THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO DISPLAYED A FICTIONAL

"BARBIE CRYSTAL METH LAB" WHICH MOCKED HOW BARBIE
USUALLY HAS A CAREER THAT IS "IN KEEPING WITH THE TIMES OR IN
THIS CASE, IN KEEPING WITH SOCIETY'S CURRENT PROBLEMS ."
MALIBU STACY IS A PARODY OF BARBIE IN THE CARTOON
SERIES THE SIMPSONS. THE 1994 EPISODE "LISA VS . MALIBU
STACY" PARODIED THE TEEN TALK BARBIE CONTROVERSY, AS A
TALKING S TACY DOLL IS INTRODUCED, SPEAKING PHRASES SUCH AS
"LET'S BUY MAKE-UP SO THE BOYS WILL LIKE US". LISA IS
DISGUSTED BY THE "SEXIST DRIVEL SPOUTED BY MALIBU STACY,"
LEADING HER TO MARKET AN ALTERNATIVE "LISA LIONHEART".

IN 1993 A GROUP IN THE UNITED STATES CALLING ITSELF THE

"BARBIE LIBERATION ORGANIZATION " MODIFIED BARBIE DOLLS BY
GIVING THEM THE VOICE BOX OF A TALKING G.I. J OE DOLL, AND
SECRETLY RETURNED THE DOLLS TO THE SHELVES OF TOY STORES.
PARENTS AND CHILDREN WERE SURPRISED WHEN THEY PURCHASED
BARBIE DOLLS THAT UTTERED PHRASES SUCH AS "EAT LEAD,
COBRA!" AND "VENGEANCE IS MINE."

IN 1999 MATTEL SUED THE UTAH TOM FORSYTHE OVER

ARTIST A
SERIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS CALLED FOOD CHAIN BARBIE, WHICH
INCLUDED A PHOTOGRAPH OF A BARBIE DOLL IN A BLENDER.
MATTEL LOST THE LAWSUIT AND WAS ORDERED TO PAY $1.8
MILLION IN COSTS TO MR. F ORSYTHE.

IN NOVEMBER 2002 ANEW YORK JUDGE REFUSED

AN INJUNCTION AGAINST THE BRITISH-BASED ARTIST SUSANNE PITT,
WHO HAD PRODUCED A DOLL CALLED DUNGEON B ARBIE
IN BONDAGE CLOTHING. JUDGE LAURA TAYLOR SWAIN STATED : "TO
THE COURT'S KNOWLEDGE , THERE IS NO MATTEL LINE
OF S&M BARBIE ."
IN 2004, MATTEL FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST BARBARA ANDERSON-
WALLEY OF CALGARY, CANADA OVER HER
WEBSITE WWW.BARBIESSHOP .COM, WHICH SELLS FETISH CLOTHING .
MS ANDERSON-WALLEY SAID THAT SHE HAD BEEN KNOWN BY THE
NAME "B ARBIE " SINCE CHILDHOOD , AND DID NOT INTEND TO
INFRINGE THE TRADEMARK OF THE DOLL. THE LAWSUIT WAS
DISMISSED , SINCE IT WAS FILED IN A NEW YORK COURT, AND THE
COURT RULED THAT IT HAD NO JURISDICTION OVER MATTERS IN
CANADA.

COLLECTING
VINTAGE #5 P ONYTAIL BARBIE FROM 1962 IN ORIGINAL BOX.

MATTEL ESTIMATES THAT THERE ARE WELL OVER 100,000 AVID

BARBIE COLLECTORS. NINETY PERCENT ARE WOMEN, AT AN AVERAGE
AGE OF 40, PURCHASING MORE THAN TWENTY BARBIE DOLLS EACH
YEAR. FORTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THEM SPEND UPWARDS OF $1000 A
YEAR.
VINTAGE 1963 BUBBLE CUT BARBIE IN CAREER GIRL ON LEFT,
WITH MATTEL'S 2006 REPRODUCTION ON RIGHT.

VINTAGE BARBIE DOLLS FROM THE EARLY YEARS ARE THE MOST
VALUABLE AT AUCTION , AND WHILE THE ORIGINALBARBIE WAS SOLD
FOR $3.00 IN 1959, A MINT BOXED B ARBIE FROM 1959 SOLD FOR
$3552.50 ON EBAY IN OCTOBER 2004. ON SEPTEMBER
26, 2006, A BARBIE DOLL SET A WORLD RECORD AT AUCTION OF
9,000 STERLING (US $17,000) AT CHRISTIE'S IN LONDON. THE
DOLL WAS A B ARBIE IN MIDNIGHT RED FROM 1965 AND WAS PART
OF A PRIVATE COLLECTION OF 4,000 B ARBIE DOLLS BEING SOLD BY
TWO DUTCH WOMEN, IETJE RAEBEL AND HER DAUGHTER MARINA.
IN RECENT YEARS MATTEL HAS SOLD A WIDE RANGE OF BARBIE
DOLLS AIMED SPECIFICALLY AT COLLECTORS,
INCLUDING PORCELAIN VERSIONS, VINTAGE REPRODUCTIONS , AND
DEPICTIONS OF BARBIE AS A RANGE OF CHARACTERS FROM
TELEVISION SERIES SUCH AS THE MUNSTERS AND STAR TREK.
THERE ARE ALSO COLLECTOR'S EDITION DOLLS DEPICTING BARBIE
DOLLS WITH A RANGE OF DIFFERENT ETHNIC IDENTITIES . IN 2004
MATTEL INTRODUCED THE COLOR TIER SYSTEM FOR ITS
COLLECTOR 'S EDITION B ARBIE DOLLS, RANGING THROUGH PINK ,
SILVER, GOLD AND PLATINUM DEPENDING ON HOW MANY OF THE
DOLLS ARE PRODUCED.

BARBIE CELEBRATES HER 50TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2009, AND

MATTEL RELEASED A NEW REPRODUCTION OF THE ORIGINAL 1959
BARBIE DOLL TO MARK THE OCCASION. MATTEL ALSO MAKED
A PERFUME LINE FOR BARBIE .
BARBIE VERSUS BRATZ
IN JUNE 2001, MGA ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCHED THE BRATZ RANGE
OF DOLLS , A MOVE THAT WOULD GIVE BARBIE HER FIRST SERIOUS
COMPETITION IN THE FASHION DOLL MARKET. IN 2004 SALES
FIGURES SHOWED THAT B RATZ DOLLS WERE OUTSELLING B ARBIE
DOLLS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, ALTHOUGH MATTEL MAINTAINED
THAT IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF DOLLS , CLOTHES AND
ACCESSORIES SOLD, B ARBIE REMAINED THE LEADING BRAND . IN
2005 FIGURES SHOWED THAT SALES OF BARBIE DOLLS HAD FALLEN
BY 30% IN THE UNITED STATES, AND BY 18% WORLDWIDE , WITH
MUCH OF THE DROP BEING ATTRIBUTED TO THE POPULARITY OF
BRATZ DOLLS .
MATTEL SUED MGA ENTERTAINMENT FOR $500 MILLION ALLEGING
THAT BRATZ CREATOR CARTER B RYANT WAS WORKING FOR MATTEL
WHEN HE DEVELOPED THE IDEA FOR B RATZ. ON JULY 17, 2008, A
FEDERAL JURY RULED THAT THE BRATZ LINE WAS CREATED BY
CARTER BRYANT WHILE HE WAS WORKING FOR MATTEL. THE JURY
ALSO RULED THAT MGA AND ITS CHIEF E XECUTIVE OFFICER ISAAC
LARIAN WERE LIABLE FOR CONVERTING MATTEL PROPERTY FOR
THEIR OWN USE AND INTENTIONALLY INTERFERING WITH THE
CONTRACTUAL DUTIES OWED BY BRYANT TO MATTEL. ON AUGUST
26, THE JURY FOUND THAT MATTEL WOULD HAVE TO BE PAID US
$100 MILLION IN DAMAGES.

ON DECEMBER 3, 2008, U.S. D ISTRICT JUDGE STEPHEN LARSON

BANNED MGA FROM SELLING BRATZ. HE ALLOWED THE COMPANY
TO CONTINUE SELLING THE DOLLS UNTIL THE WINTER HOLIDAY
SEASON ENDED . THE RULING WILL BE IN EFFECT ON FEBRUARY
11, 2009 AT THE EARLIEST , AND MATTEL AND MGA WILL MEET IN
COURT ON THAT DATE. ACCORDING TO THE TERMS OF THE COURT
ORDER, AFTER THE END OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON, MGA MUST
REMOVE , AT ITS OWN COST, ALL THE BRATZ DOLLS FROM STORE
SHELVES, INCLUDING THE REIMBURSEMENT OF THE COST OF THE
DOLLS AND ALL SHIPPING COSTS TO ITS VENDORS AND
DISTRIBUTORS . THE COURT GAVE EXCEPTIONS FOR SOME TOYS IF
THEY ARE PACKAGED SEPARATELY FROM INFRINGING TOYS . MGA
ANNOUNCED THAT IT WOULD BE APPEALING AGAINST THE COURT'S
RULING.