Talk:Barbie

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As they say in the movies, "ooh behave". Seriously, though, we are trying to write an encyclopedia here, so don't make joke edits. Some readers looking for a serious article mightn't find them amusing. Remember, millions of people read Wikipedia, so we have to take what we do a bit seriously here. OK?

Archives

Archive 1 Archive 2

[edit] Anonymous submission to "Parodies and Lawsuits"

(2 April 2008: Since article is semi-protected, I am making submission here)

Adult Swim's Robot Chicken (TV-MA) frequently uses Barbie characters acted out as props, using stop-motion animation, to portray amusing and often absurd skits and scenarios of an adult-oriented nature. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.183.158.253 (talk) 22:57, 2 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Vandalism by 24.136.171.203

On 24 November 2006 the opening paragraph was altered to read as follows:

Barbie is a piece of crapy plastic that perverted 4 year olds adore. Unfortunately it is also the best-selling doll launched at the American International Toy Fair on March 9, 1959. The doll is a cheating slut who cuts out on 6 of her 9 husband one of whoms name is Steve. He was a scuba diving whale massacrer produced by Mattel, Inc. It is manufactured to approximately 1/6th scale, which is also known as playscale. [1]

This sort of thing happens regularly to the Wikipedia article Barbie, and is worth a mention since it requires a lot of work to remove it. My guess is that it is mostly children who do it, and it illustrates how Barbie can produce strong negative reactions, as the research at the University of Bath by Dr. Agnes Nairn showed. [2]]--Ianmacm 09:42, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Is there any way to block this article from anonymous editing? Joe Webster 21:44, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes there is, by asking the administrators at [3]. This prevents a page from being edited by unregistered users or accounts less than four days old. The article Barbie was semi-protected a few weeks ago due to repeated vandalism, but this has expired as it is not Wikipedia policy to have long term semi-protection of pages. While the Barbie article was semi-protected, the number of vandal edits dropped to zero, since the people who do this are almost invariably acting from IP based accounts, which makes tracing and blocking the user almost futile. There is a case for taking a stronger line on repeated IP vandalism, as the Maggie article shows. Anyone with something serious to say has nothing to fear from registering as a user, which takes only a few moments. On a personal note, it is getting tiring to remove silly comments like the one above, and this is happening on a daily basis. The only good thing is that most of the very silly edits are picked up automatically by the vandalbot, but some vandal edits are subtle and require constant re-reading of the page to make sure that nonsense has not been inserted. If you feel strongly about this issue, ask an administrator to semi-protect the page.--Ianmacm 22:05, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

That's one of the things a watchlist is for, IMO. Any time an IP edit hits my watchlist, and most times even when it's a non-IP edit from someone whose account name I don't recognize, I check the page history. The "diffs" usually make it easy to see exactly what someone did. Then one can open the previous version of the page and save it as a revert.

That said, it does seem silly and tiresome that this article has sometimes a dozen vandal edits a day, most of them far less creative than the one cited above. I'd love to see a registered uses only rule around here, because it would cut down the incidence of vandalism quite a bit. Look at the Talk page for any IP account that does this stuff, and you'll usually see a whole series of warnings and blocks - and sometimes, a notice that the IP is for a school somewhere. Karen | Talk | contribs 01:18, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Does Wikipedia policy need to be changed to allow long term semi-protection of pages that are the targets of repeated vandalism over an extended period? Has anyone suggested this policy change? SirenDrake 19:28, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

The article Barbie has been semi-protected for a while now, and there will be no complaints about this from me. On the last two occasions that it was unprotected, there was a daily round of vandalism and blanking, often by schoolchildren and other IP users with nothing better to do. This led to a lot of work on reverts, and also spoiled the page for serious people who wanted to read it. Maybe Wikipedia should look at an account holders only policy, since IP addresses at educational institutions and other IP addresses are often used for acts of vandalism. However, a discussion on this issue is beyond the scope of this talk page.--Ianmacm 19:58, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Vandalism by 24.253.119.108

On 26 November 2006 this was added:

MAKE A CHINESE BARBIE DOLL! - - SHE WEARS SUCH SKIMPY CLOThES THAT ONLY ANOREXIC PEOPLE COuLD SLIP INTO those. NOT EVEN ANOREXIC PEOPLE! - - HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Mattel has already obliged on the first issue, see [4]. The second criticism about anorexia is already in the article. Here is a challenge for people who want to vandalize the article: Find something original to say. Most of the vandal edits show zero imagination.--Ianmacm 18:29, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

The page is semi-protected once again, due to a period of several days of vandalism which often used crude language. This should give some peace and quiet for a while, but the semi-protection will expire after a few weeks, probably leading to the same nonsense again.--Ianmacm 19:51, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] New body for 2007

Barbie gets a new body for 2007

Barbie and her friends have been given a newer body for the new Fashion Fever dolls. I have found a picture that compares the dolls. (Credit goes to photo creator):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:OLDFFVSNEWFF.jpg#filelinks

I think this should be mentioned in the main article. This is her third body mold change now, notice the difference in the bust, legs, neck, and the fact that she has gotten slightly shorter.

Many thanks. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by MaoTao (talk • contribs) 11:43, 3 December 2006 (UTC).

This could be mentioned in the main article, but could someone provide a) an online text reference for the new design, and b) an image which could be used without copyright problems. The image mentioned above has no copyright tag.--Ianmacm 15:12, 3 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Vera Ellen as source of Barbie

12:33, 17 December 2006 (UTC)72.138.160.36I have watched the 1954 film "White Christmas", starring Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby, Vera Ellen and Rosemary Clooney, a number of times and noticed the incredible resemblance of the Barbie doll to Vera Ellen. (I have a 1963 or 1964 Barbie and have compared doll to movie.)

You will notice that the legs, hips, waist, torso, facial structure and features, and the hair, of Vera Ellen are a very close match for those of Barbie. Just watch the film and see what you think.

So convinced had I become that Vera Ellen was the model for Barbie that, when I found this Web site, I was surprised to find out that the Lilli Bild doll was the source instead. However, I don't see here a picture of Lilli Bild and am wondering if the German doll might have used Vera Ellen as its source.

Anyone interested should get a copy of "White Christmas" and check out this uncanny resemblance for themselves. (Another small note of interest : Vera Ellen suffered from anorexia.)

There is a picture of the Bild Lilli doll in a separate Wikipedia article linked from the Barbie article. As for the resemblance to Vera-Ellen, this is an unusual claim and a Google search turned up no references to this.--Ianmacm 17:44, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

I think the old Barbie dolls look like Doris Day - but I´m sure she wasn´t the model for them. Women in the Fifties tried to achieve the same beauty ideal embodied in the doll - hence the resemblance. 89.51.17.9 19:58, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] "Lesbian" Barbie Lawsuit

I read about some news that Mattel has sued a Brazilian artist, who portrayed Barbie as a lesbian. [5] 86.101.211.226 08:10, 25 December 2006 (UTC) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 86.101.211.226 (talk) 08:09, 25 December 2006 (UTC).

Thanks for this information. The story dates from August 2006, but I've been unable to find what became of Mattel's lawsuit threat. Any help here would be welcome.--Ianmacm 08:32, 25 December 2006 (UTC)

According to this news article from September 2006, Mattel denied that there were any plans for a lawsuit. [6] --Ianmacm 08:41, 25 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Barbie - scales, composition, and identities

The first paragraph in the article says that Barbie dolls and accessories are made in approximately 1/6th scale. This may be true of most Barbie dolls and accessories, but certainly not all. For a brief period, Mattel made some Barbie dolls that were 18 inches tall. There have also been the My Size Barbie dolls which are about 3 feet tall. In the last couple of years, Mattel has introduced the Mini Kingdom Barbie dolls which are about 6 inches tall. The dolls in the Barbie and Me series are shaped so unrealistically that I'm not sure they could be said to have a true scale. And in the last couple of years, Mattel has released two of Barbie's sisters, Kelly and Stacie, in a larger scale than 1/6th.

I was wondering whether the subject of composition should be covered in the Development section. Most dolls in the Barbie line are made of plastic and vinyl, but not all. As was noted in the Collecting section, some dolls have been made of porcelain. A relatively new series of dolls (Barbie Fashion Model Collection) are made of a material called Silkstone that Mattel developed and trademarked. There have also been Barbie dolls made with cloth bodies, though I believe these have been limited to an occasional bedtime Barbie doll dressed in pajamas and the new Barbie and Me series.

I wouldn't recommend trying to list all of the face molds used in the Barbie line, and there does seem to be a comprehensive list of Barbie's friends and relatives on a separate page, but I still wondered whether it would be worth touching on the topic of face molds and identities in the Barbie line. Face molds developed for Barbie herself have later been used for her friends. (The Oriental face was developed for Barbie but was later used almost exclusively for Kira.) And face molds developed for Barbie's friends have also been used later for Barbie herself. (The Diva face mold was developed for a character in Barbie's band: Barbie and the Rockers, but that face mold was used for the Chinese Empress Barbie doll and has become the face mold typically used for Barbie's best friend Midge.) Another wrinkle to the subject is Mattel's tendency to recycle names. Barbie has a British chum named Stacey and a younger sister named Stacie, and Barbie's cousin Jazzie has a friend named Stacie; Barbie has a friend named Kelley and a younger sister named Kelly; Generation Girl Barbie has a friend named Chelsie Peterson, My Scene Barbie has a friend named Chelsea, Barbie's younger sister Kelly has a friend named Chelsie, and Barbie's cousin Jazzie has a friend named Chelsie; Modern Circle Barbie has a friend named Simone, and American Idol Barbie has a friend/competitor named Simone; Barbie has a My Scene friend named Ryan, and her best friend Midge has a son named Ryan; Fashion Fever Barbie has a friend named Nikki, Barbie's younger sister Kelly has a friend named Nikki, and Barbie's best friend Midge has a daughter named Nikki; one of Barbie's friends is Fashion Fever Courtney, and although Barbie Diaries Courtney may be the same character, Barbie's younger sister Skipper also has a friend named Courtney; Barbie has a friend named Whitney, and Barbie's younger sister Stacie has a friend named Whitney; Barbie also has friends named Becky, Nia, Belinda, Kayla, and Tori, and so does her younger sister Kelly. There's no point in trying to keep up with all the name duplications in the Barbie line, but it might be worth mentioning in the article or on the page of Barbie's friends and family, because it's something that does cause confusion. SirenDrake 19:16, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

You are right to point out that not all Barbie dolls and accessories are made to 1/6 scale. A standard Barbie doll is 11.5 inches tall, giving a "real" height of 5 feet nine inches at 1/6 scale. Over the years there have been dolls larger and smaller than this, such as the new Barbie Mini Kingdom dolls that are around 6 inches (15cm) high. In 1977 there was Super Size Barbie at 18 inches (45cm) tall, which works out at approximately 1/3.5 scale. To get around this problem, I have rewritten the wording in the opening paragraph to make clear that standard Barbie dolls (the vast majority sold) are at 1/6 scale or thereabouts.

On the question of the face molds etc., the article is a general encyclopedia article and should not become too heavily bogged down in details that would not be of interest to the average reader. Entire books and websites have been written about Barbie, but there is not the space to do this in an encyclopedia article designed for a general audience. There are many external links that can be followed , for example www.barbiecollector.com , that give extensive details in this area. Barbiecollector.com is a large online resource for Barbie enthusiasts (who take the subject very seriously) and it would be unwise for Wikipedia to try to compete in this area. There are so many collector's edition Barbies that it is simply not practical to list or describe them all, so external links are the most help here. --Ianmacm 20:30, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

I would never suggest that Wikipedia try to list all the "collectible" dolls from the Barbie line. That's outside the scope of an encyclopedia. Documenting all the face molds used in the Barbie line is also outside that scope. I was thinking of a general note along the line of "Some of the face molds developed for Barbie doll have later been used for her friends, and vice versa. This reuse of face molds, and the appearance of multiple characters with the same name in Barbie's ever increasing circle of acquaintances can make it difficult to positively identify the fictional character for a doll within the Barbie line after it has been removed from it's packaging." I shouldn't think that much more detail than that would be wanted, but honestly even such a general note may be outside the area of general interest. I didn't intend to recommend such an addition; I just wanted to toss the idea onto the discussion page to see if others thought it had any merit.

Thank you for the other updates. I do believe that those add value. SirenDrake 23:14, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

I may have found a page where the information about reusing names and face molds would be more appropriate. I'm going to see how people feel about posting it there. SirenDrake 00:20, 9 February 2007 (UTC)

One point about the composition of Barbie dolls that is worth mentioning is the controversy about "toxic Barbies" that was in the news in March 2000. The Wikipedia article Polyvinyl chloride shows that there is still some debate about the safety of vinyl as a material for toys. Modern Barbie doll bodies are made from ABS plastic (the same material as LEGO bricks), while the head is made from soft PVC. Both materials are widely used in the toy industry. Incidentally, the link given at [7] about vinyl safety has a picture of the original 1959 Barbie in zebra striped swimsuit. There is no photo of this important Barbie in the article due to the ongoing difficulty in finding a version that is copyright free, so it is worth a quick look at this link. The About.com website that carries the link is another good online resource for doll collectors.--Ianmacm 21:28, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Background colour of page

In the previous edit someone changed the background colour of the talk page to pink. Although this was a neat idea, the page is easier to read in traditional black and white.--Ianmacm 16:31, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Semi-protection

Barbie's official "birthday" on March 9, 2007 has turned out to be memorable. at 13:53 GMT the article was unprotected, but the semi-protection was reapplied at 15:11 GMT, just over an hour later. This was due to an immediate return of the old problem of children abusing school computers to deface the article with obscene graffiti. Semi-protection does not prevent any reasonable person from editing the article, but it does prevent this sort of thing. The article is likely to need semi-protection for the foreseeable future.--Ianmacm 15:51, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Joke edits

Barbie being compared to Fulla.

Someone defaced two of the pictures in the article today, see the image on the right for one of them. This showed some originality, so here is a popular Barbie joke that used to be in the article before it was removed for reasons of space:

A man goes into a shop to buy a Barbie doll for his daughter, looks at the various models on display and asks the shop assistant in a puzzled way: "Why is Divorced Barbie so much more expensive than the other dolls?" "That's easy, sir" replies the shop assistant, "Divorced Barbie comes with Ken's car, Ken's house, Ken's furniture..." --Ianmacm 16:36, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Barbie satire

The latest piece of satire added to the article is this [8]. I removed it because a) it is not very good, and b) it claims to be endorsed by Mattel, which seems unlikely.--Ianmacm 22:12, 30 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Fashion Wikiproject Tag

Shouldn't the fashion doll article be inducted into this project before Barbie is? --Joe Webster 13:59, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Barbie's racial classification

One reliable feature of Barbie is the doll's ability to produce controversies. An edit by User:Dark Tea removed the description of Colored Francie as Caucasian, saying that this is now considered to be an old-fashioned term, and substituted it with the word European. Describing white Barbie dolls as European is not ideal, because a) There is no such thing as the average European and b) If Barbie was born and brought up in Wisconsin then she is an American, not a European. Racial classification was never my strong subject, and I have edited the article to say that Francie and the white Barbie dolls look like white Europeans (which is broadly true) although it is less than ideal. Any other suggestions on how to word this would be welcome.--Ianmacm 17:43, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

The modern convention is Euro-American or Anglo-American so that the term American is no longer taken to mean white by default [read standard] while non-whites are taken to be exceptions [read lesser] with qualifiers like Afro-American, Hispanic-American, etc. — Joe Webster 08:50, 22 May 2007 (UTC)

I was going to wikilink Barbie as white, but there is currently a tag saying that the neutrality of the article is disputed. Whatever is said in this area is likely to upset someone, since terms like "white" and "black" in the area of race can mean different things to different people. They are also less relevant in a modern society made up of people from different races. Anyway, the article is about Barbie rather than the finer points of language use in the social sciences, and we do not have a full list of her ancestors. The term Euro-American is not in common use so it is best avoided in an article like Barbie, and for most practical purposes the word "white" describes the doll's ethnic background in everyday language. I propose to describe Barbie in this way unless anyone objects strongly.--Ianmacm 16:01, 22 May 2007 (UTC)

It's an unintended form of leukocentric (sic) arrogance and is bound to hurt feelings on a personal level as more and more people recognize that. More than once I have heard people refer to their doll collection as including figures that are AA [African American], tan and flesh-colored(...?!). If I was not "white," myself, I would have taken it as a personal slight. As it is, it certainly made me wince. — Joe Webster 19:48, 22 May 2007 (UTC)

The most famous example of this phenomenon was when Crayola renamed their flesh crayon peach in 1962 in response to the Civil Rights movement. This discussion is getting a bit off-topic, but my personal view (I am from the UK) is that the phrase "white person" is used in everyday speech and is not considered offensive by most people. Clearly not all Americans are white, and language needs to be used in a way that does not cause offence. However, it is also important not to be hypersensitive on racial issues and to go looking for problems where none may exist. The simple act of describing Barbie as "white" could do this, and shows how issues of racial classification can soon become unnecessary stumbling blocks.--Ianmacm 21:28, 22 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Barbie In The Middle East

Despite the whole issue, I think its still important to mention that Barbie is still a popular doll in muslim countries. Barbie has always been popular in that part of the world for years, back then no one was making a big deal out of Barbie's appearance. The doll only became a major issue just recently. --Godaiger

Barbie may not be banned in all Middle Eastern countries, but to mention this in the article a citation would be needed. I had a look around on the web and could not find a suitable citation, so any help here would be welcome.--Ianmacm 19:00, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Well, I live in Egypt and I see Barbie dolls in many toy shops, always have. I'm sure Dubai has too.--Godaiger

The article is not intended to imply that Barbie is banned throughout the Middle East, and perhaps this should be clearer. There is quite a lot about Fulla on the internet, but less about where Barbie is available. With the current fashion for adding references to any contentious statement on Wikipedia, it would help to add at least one reference. I have modified the text slightly and added this reference [9]. --Ianmacm 13:13, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

You're right it is hard to find reference on the internet that proves that Barbie isn't banned in the entire Middle East, its great to see you found one.--Godaiger

[edit] Interview with Barbie doll designer

This link [10] has been removed and re-added. I removed it because it does not say enough about Barbie and is largely about the designer herself. Rather than edit warring, perhaps other people could offer a view on this.--Ianmacm 07:42, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Removal of a relevant link to an Interview with a Barbie Designer

This link is very relevant and should not be removed, because it describes the invention process of the new 'silkstone Barbie' for the "Fashion Model Collection" that took Barbie to a new level. This rare interview is full of information for anyone interested in Barbie, and it's development. Information on the designer is limited to the neccesary background of the kind of artist who would work on Barbie, something which is not openly available. It also additionaly relates and ties in with the section on collectibles.--poetech 11:38, 1 June 2007 (EEST)

My personal view is that this is not a very informative link, and would welcome other opinions on this.--Ianmacm 07:52, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Trivia

I think that this article needs a trivia section, don't be so serious with a doll that's meant for fun--86.31.82.109 09:00, 26 June 2007 (UTC)

The problem with trivia sections is that they tend to get clogged up with non-notable and dubiously researched factoids. This is against good Wikipedia writing style. There is a lot of Barbie trivia, but the article has to be kept to a readable length. Anything notable and properly sourced can be added. See also: WP:Trivia --Ianmacm 19:00, 26 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Teacher Barbie

I removed this pending further research:

In the mid-1990's, Teacher Barbie (with two little students) was released. She became the center of controversy because she did not have underwear included with her outfit. In 1997, Mattel redesigned Barbie to have either underwear molded on or a body part be a different color to depict the appearace of underwear. Prior to 1997, all female dolls in the Barbie line did not have such changes (with the exception of dolls such as Snap and Play Barbie, who had a bra and panties painted on).

Ideally this should have a reference to WP:Reliable sources, and the internet is somewhat thin on this particular claim. It has also been claimed that the doll was withdrawn from sale for this reason. This claim may be put back if it can be given a good source.--Ianmacm 18:34, 2 July 2007 (UTC)

"In 1997, Mattel redesigned Barbie to have either underwear molded on or a body part be a different color to depict the appearace of underwear.": This change already was made in 1993, because only very expensive Barbie dolls are wearing undergarments. Teacher Barbie has a white molded "panties area" so I wonder whether the infomation given above is correct. 212.204.77.31 11:54, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for your comment. Ken is famous for his molded underwear, but the debate about Barbie continues. An image of Teacher Barbie can be found at [11]. --♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 18:05, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Barbie and Tanner product recall

Here is how Barbie and Tanner is described:

Now Barbie has her very own best friend, Tanner! Tanner is soft and fuzzy, and his mouth, ears, head and tail really move just like a real dog. Tanner comes with a dog bone and chew toys, and you can open his mouth to feed him dog biscuits. When Tanner has to go to the bathroom, Barbie cleans up with her special magnetic scooper and trash can.

An image of this product can be found at [12] --♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 20:48, 14 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Barbie's name

Barbies full name is not actually on the page and i feel it sould be.

Barbie's full name is actually Barbara Millicent Roberts —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 90.242.32.103 (talk) 00:12, August 23, 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for pointing this out. What had happened was that the biography section had been removed during a round of juvenile IP edits, and for some reason it had not been put back again. --♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 05:57, 23 August 2007 (UTC)

I could not find the information I was looking for: Was Barbie (Barbara Millicent Roberts) named for the designer's daughter?MrsDeepSouth 19:55, 26 September 2007 (UTC)

Yes, Barbie is named after Barbara Handler, Ruth Handler's daughter, and Ken is named after her son Ken Handler. This is mentioned in the Biography section, but maybe the wording could be clearer. ♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 07:24, 27 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Barbie's Shape

I've been told that it's a fact: "If Barbie was real she would be too thin to live." Is this true? 67.184.223.232 —The preceding signed but undated comment was added at 00:09, August 26, 2007 (UTC).

This is partly addressed in the Controversies section. There has been some wild speculation about what Barbie's size would be as a real human, although as with most dolls Barbie is not intended to be taken as an exact scaled down version of a real person. --♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 00:55, 26 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes, if dolls such as 'Bratz' were real, being the age they're supposed to be, they would be too thin to live. Unintended Disaster 07:44, 26 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Barbie films and books

I added the films and book section as a way of showing how the original product created spinoffs. The films have made 700 million dollars, which I believe makes them a valid part of the article. Frog47 20:09, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

The article had a cleanup a while back as it was suffering from a bad case of listcruft. It is not practical to list every Barbie doll, accessory, film, book etc, and a mention of these in passing is as much as the article should give. It is also important to maintain an encyclopedic tone and not to sound like corporate promo material. There are a number of Wikipedia articles about the animated films that Barbie has appeared in, and perhaps these should be linked more clearly so that they can be explored separately. We should try to avoid overlapping with things that are available elsewhere in Wikipedia. --♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 20:18, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] ken

does any one know about the ken doll made in hong kong in 1968.i havent seen any barbies from hong kong so i was wondering any help please —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.191.204.228 (talk) 03:59, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

This is beyond the scope of the talk page. For more information on this subject, try a search on Google or eBay. --♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 07:53, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Barbie parodies

I removed this from the article because of concerns about WP:VERIFY:

• Saturday Night Live did a two Barbie sketches called "Inside Barbie's Dream House". The first one that aired on February 2, 2002, with host and musical guest Britney Spears as Skipper, Barbie's teen sister, cast member Amy Poehler as Barbie, and former cast member Chris Kattan as Ken, Barbie's boyfriend when they were inside Barbie's Dream house. Barbie tells Skipper to call her "Mom". Skipper believes that their mother was killed in the Easy-Bake Oven. Barbie says that Kelly and Krissy are not her sisters, thinking they're her daughters. The second on aired on February 5, 2005 with host Paris Hilton as Barbie in "Inside Barbie's Dream House".

There are no sources given here, and some citations would help. Also, there is a threshold of notability, as there are so many Barbie spoofs and it is not practical to mention all of them in the article Barbie. --♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 07:55, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Siblings

Why doesn't Barbie's page inclube her siblings (Skipper, Stacy, Kelly, and Krissy)? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.239.110.74 (talk) 22:32, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

There is a separate article called List of Barbie's friends and family which goes into great detail about Barbie and her companions. It is linked at the bottom of the Biography section of Barbie. It would take up too much space to have all of this information in the main article, but it can be explored by clicking on the link. --♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 09:18, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Trivia?

/i'v just remebered that in The Addams Family Values? that at one point Debbie the evil murderess says I wanted Ballerina Barbie, but what did I get? MALIBU BARBIE! Or somthig along those lines. Would this be worth adding to the trivia section? 14:38, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

Probably not, there are so many pop culture references to Barbie that they cannot all be mentioned in the article. See also Wikipedia's guidelines on notability. --♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 15:30, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Barbie Liberation Organization

I'm not sure if this would go under parody or activism related to the talking Barbie controversy, but in 1993 a group of activists (culture jammers) calling themselves the Barbie Liberation Organization bought talking Barbie and GI Joe dolls, swapped their voice mechanisms and smuggled them back into stores. I believe the BLO was associated in some way with the Yes Men, but can't remember the specifics. In anycase, this seems a more interesting parody than most, and one which I have encountered several references to. Cheers, Justinleif (talk) 19:26, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

Yes, this is notable enough to be in the Parodies and lawsuits section as it received a fair amount of media coverage at the time. Fortunately, there is a good source for this at [13] (check out the PDF for how to alter the doll which is linked from the page). Incidentally, the page repeats the common misconception that Teen Talk Barbie from 1992 said "Math is hard", when she actually said "Math class is tough." One note of caution, however. Some critics have suggested that the whole Barbie Liberation story was a hoax dreamed up by the activist group RTMark as a spoof, and that they never really vandalised dolls and placed them in toy stores. Any other comments on this would be welcome. --♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 20:47, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

Just a quick thought: in February 2008 there was a lot of media coverage of this story [14] in which a two year old boy called James apparently had an Elmo doll which said "kill James". This story received plenty of coverage from reliable sources. Suppose that a child had bought a Barbie or GI Joe doll that had been vandalised. There would have been a similar amount of media coverage, but there is a distinct lack of any direct confirmation of the story. If the Barbie Liberation story goes into the article, the wording would say that RTMark claimed to have done this, in order to avoid perpetuating what may be an urban legend. --♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 21:14, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

After doing some more research into this, the best source that I could find on the web was this New York Times article from December 31, 1993. [15] This confirms that there were some genuine cases of Barbie product tampering at the time, although it does also express some doubts about how widespread it was:

The BLO affair is also discussed in Chapter 13 of M.G. Lord's Forever Barbie (ISBN 0802776949). Overall there is some truth in the story, although it may have been exaggerated in the retelling. The New York Times article describes the perpetrators as "a group of performance artists based in the East Village of Manhattan", and does not mention RTMark. --♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 10:33, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Barbie/Bratz lawsuits

To the best of my research skills, the lawsuits involving Mattel, MGA Entertainment and Carter Bryant are still pending in the court system of California [16]. Could other editors keep an eye on this and update the article if new information becomes available. --♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 19:02, 7 April 2008 (UTC)