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 . S HE 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 G ERMANY 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  J ACK RYAN) AND THE DOLL WAS GIVEN A
NEW NAME, BARBIE , AFTER HANDLER'S DAUGHTER BARBARA . THE DOLL MADE ITS
DEBUT AT THE  AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL TOY FAIR IN NEW YORK ON MARCH
9, 1959. THIS DATE IS ALSO USED AS BARBIE'S OFFICIAL  BIRTHDAY.

MATTEL ACQUIRED THE RIGHTS TO THE BILD LILLI DOLL IN 1964 AND

PRODUCTION OF LILLI WAS STOPPED. THE FIRST BARBIE 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 CHARLOTTE JOHNSON. THE FIRST BARBIE DOLLS WERE MANUFACTURED
IN J APAN, 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 BILLION BARBIE 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  1/6 TH 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 FULL NAME IS BARBARA MILLICENT ROBERTS. IN A SERIES OF NOVELS
PUBLISHED BY  RANDOM HOUSE  IN THE 1960S, 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
(CHRISTIE'S BOYFRIEND). BARBIE'S SIBLINGS AND COUSINS WERE ALSO CREATED
INCLUDING  SKIPPER , TUTTI (TODD'S TWIN SISTER ), TODD (TUTTI'S AND STACIE'S
TWIN BROTHER ), STACIE (TODD '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
UNIVERSITY CENTRAL HOSPITAL IN HELSINKI , FINLAND, SHE WOULD LACK THE 17
TO 22 PERCENT BODY FAT REQUIRED FOR A WOMAN TO MENSTRUATE . I N
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 . I N 1997 BARBIE '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 RELEASED TEEN TALK BARBIE, WHICH SPOKE A NUMBER

OF PHRASES INCLUDING "WILL WE EVER HAVE ENOUGH CLOTHES?", "I LOVE
SHOPPING!", AND "WANNA HAVE A PIZZA PARTY?" E ACH 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 "). ALTHOUGH ONLY ABOUT
1.5% OF ALL THE DOLLS SOLD SAID THE PHRASE, IT LED TO CRITICISM FROM
THE  AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN. I N 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. BLACK BARBIE AND HISPANIC BARBIE
WERE LAUNCHED IN 1980.
IN 1997 MATTEL JOINED FORCES WITH  NABISCO TO LAUNCH A CROSS-PROMOTION
OF BARBIE 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 PREVENTION 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 BARBIE .

IN DECEMBER 2005 D R. 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 : "I T'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. THE BILL DOES NOT
PROVIDE A PUNISHMENT FOR VIOLATION , AND D ELEGATE 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 SONG 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 . I T CONTAINED LYRICS SUCH AS "YOU CAN BRUSH MY HAIR /
UNDRESS 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 U NITED STATES CONSTITUTION .
A COMMERCIAL BY AUTOMOBILE  COMPANY NISSAN  FEATURING DOLLS SIMILAR TO
BARBIE AND KEN WAS THE SUBJECT OF ANOTHER LAWSUIT IN 1997. IN 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 ROXANNE, 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 STACY 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. JOE DOLL , AND SECRETLY RETURNED THE DOLLS TO THE
SHELVES OF TOY STORES. P ARENTS AND CHILDREN WERE SURPRISED WHEN THEY
PURCHASED BARBIE DOLLS THAT UTTERED PHRASES SUCH AS "E AT LEAD, COBRA!"
AND "VENGEANCE IS MINE ."
IN 1999 MATTEL SUED THE UTAH ARTIST TOM FORSYTHE OVER 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. FORSYTHE.

IN NOVEMBER 2002 A NEW YORK JUDGE REFUSED AN INJUNCTION AGAINST

THE  BRITISH -BASED ARTIST SUSANNE PITT, WHO HAD PRODUCED A DOLL CALLED
DUNGEON BARBIE 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 -W ALLEY SAID THAT SHE HAD BEEN
KNOWN BY THE NAME "BARBIE " 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 PONYTAIL 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 ORIGINAL BARBIE WAS SOLD FOR $3.00 IN 1959, A
MINT BOXED BARBIE 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 BARBIE IN MIDNIGHT RED FROM 1965 AND WAS PART OF A PRIVATE
COLLECTION OF 4,000 BARBIE 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 M ATTEL INTRODUCED THE COLOR TIER
SYSTEM FOR ITS COLLECTOR'S EDITION BARBIE 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 BRATZ DOLLS
WERE OUTSELLING BARBIE DOLLS IN THE  UNITED KINGDOM ,
ALTHOUGH MATTEL  MAINTAINED THAT IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF DOLLS,
CLOTHES AND ACCESSORIES SOLD, BARBIE 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 BRYANT WAS WORKING FOR MATTEL WHEN HE DEVELOPED THE
IDEA FOR BRATZ. ON J ULY 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 EXECUTIVE 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. DISTRICT 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.