barbie

Barbie gets a pretty bad rap these days, and why shouldn’t she? If she were a real, live human she’d be 5’9” with measurements at 36-18-33. (The average American woman’s measurements are 40-34-43.) This means that Barbie wouldn’t even have enough fat to have a menstrual cycle. Only 1 in 100,000 people have the probability of getting a body like Barb’s, whereas likely 1 in every 1 girl who has one wants a body like hers!

Have you seen the Failed Toys reports on YouTube? They come from Mike Mozart of Jeepers Media. Mike is a toy designer himself. He’s got some pretty hilarious reports, from Marvel heroes with questionable body parts to toddler toys that can confuse kids—and their parents.

Barbie
Photo Source: Migraine Chick via Flickr

Life goes on as usual for the Barbie franchise. People are still donning party hats and toasting to her 50th birthday. The latest celebratory move was nabbing Bollywood star Katrina Kaif. Apparently the Indian versions of the Barbie will be modeled after her face.

Contrary to what most of us would have expected, March wasn't all about the financial sector. Rather, there was also a concerted effort to highlight the evils of one famous little doll. That's right. I am referring to Delegate Jeff Eldridge's, by now famous, effort to ban Barbie from West Virginia.

There has been a lot of talk about two Barbie related books. One is called Barbie and Ruth and covers, as the name suggests, the role of Ruth Handler within Mattel. Written by Robin Gerber, this book is an interesting account of Ruth's contribution to the birth of Barbie.

The second one, Jerry Oppenheimer's Toy Monster: The Big, Bad World of Mattel, focuses on a more controversial topic. And that contentious topic would be designer Jack Ryan who might have been the genius behind the best loved doll. Well, this is what Oppenheimer claims.

It could be the 50th birthday festivities or it could very well be a reaction to a changing world. Nonetheless, something is stirring within Mattel. Every new story about Barbie this year has an extra titbit of information. It's almost a tiny rumbling, as if Mattel has grand plans to break out of its regular cocoon and reveal a brand new Barbie. Who knows, maybe it will be a side to her we have never seen before?