Is anyone in your family requesting a Barbie for Christmas? If so, he or she isn’t alone. In a recent survey of parents done by the National Retail Federation Barbie ranked as the top toy for girls this holiday season (TMX Elmo was first for boys). The news came as a surprise to some analysts who have been watching sales of the doll slump in recent years, as they did at the beginning of the women’s movement in early 1970s – when toy consultants say “girls weren’t supposed to just go to the prom and marry Ken.”
I grew up in the 70s and had a massive collection of Barbie dolls (my mom made all of their clothes by hand). Recently, I have been trying to get my daughter interested in the popular dolls, but at 2-years-old she’s more interested in Snoopy, Charlie Brown and Woodstock than Barbie, Skipper, and Ken. But, I’m not giving up. To me Barbie will never go out of style.
Of course, not everyone echoes my sentiments. Toy consultants are the first to point out that Barbie has had her ups and downs. Which is true; considering she’s gone through multiple alterations to her figure, face and wardrobe, and recently survived a very public breakup with Ken. Then there is the multitude of other dolls that have flooded the market since her inception. Though, through it all it seems Barbie has managed to maintain her appeal.
To me Barbie is not unlike Madonna (or vice versa)—she is consistently reinventing herself. Think about it–she’s evolved from a cat-eyed girl in a bathing suit in 1959 to a tanned (remember the tan lines) beach beauty, and eventually a multi-career woman who juggled life as a presidential candidate, a rock star, an astronaut and World Cup soccer player. There have also been black, Asian, Hawaiian, Hispanic, and more than 40 other nationalities of Barbies over the years.
Not to be outdone are the newer fairy and princess Barbies. The lines known as “Fairytopia” and “12 Dancing Princesses,” include movies, and a stage show. Another new Barbie – the “Chat Diva” – carries a toy cell phone and can lip sync and bop her head to music when an iPod is plugged in.
Naturally, there are those who consider Barbie as promoting a narrow beauty ideal – “blonde, blue-eyed and stick-thin,” but to me Barbie will always be the one toy my mom and I enjoyed playing with together (did I mention my mom also built my Barbie dolls a three-story house from scratch) and I hope to carry on the tradition with my own daughter… someday.
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