Miss Infamous: Controversies & Complications
Barbie is no stranger to drama. Since her birthdate, March 9, 1959, Barbie has been the center of attention and target for plenty of redicule. Through it all, Barbie and Mattel© continuously bounces back stronger than before
Slumber Party Barbie
In 1965, Mattel came out with the “Slumber Party Barbie.” Along with the Barbie doll, the package also came with pink fuzzy bathroom slippers, a pink bathroom scale that read 110 pounds, and a book entitled: “How to Lose Weight.” Many claim the book advised readers not to eat.
Barbie's A Brickhouse
The actual Barbie doll is 11 ½ inches tall. That would make a life-sized Barbie 5ft. 9in. at a 1/6 scale. Barbie’s vital statistics have been estimated at 36 inches in the chest, 18 inches in the waist, and 33 inches in the hips. The chances of a woman being shaped like Barbie are 1 in 100,000. According to research done at a Finland college, a woman with these measurements would not have a healthy 17 to 22 percent body weight; she would be severely underweight and probably be unable to menstruate and carry children. In 1997, Barbie’s unrealistic body type was redesigned with a wider waist. Some studies claim there is a correlation between girls who play with Barbie dolls and the percentage of these girls that grow into women who suffer from eating disorders.
Teen Talking Barbie
In July of 1992, The Mattel Company pushed its “Teen Talk Barbie” on the markets. The doll was remarkably much better than the talking Barbie of 1968 that only could say six phrases. The new talking Barbie could say 4 out of 270 possible phrases so that these Barbies could seem more personalized. Even though phrases such as “Will I ever have enough clothes?” and “Wanna’ have a pizza party?” were acceptable from the general public, one of Barbie’s phrases weren’t exactly favored; “Math class is tough.” The American Association of University Women criticized Mattel because the phrase insinuated that girls weren’t intelligent enough to excel in mathematical and scientific courses. In October, approximately three months later, Mattel announced that the “Teen Talk Barbie” would no longer say the phrase.
Barbie on the Simpsons
In1994, the producers of the cartoon series, The Simpsons, loosely based one of their episodes around the Teen Talk Barbie controversy. In the “Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy” episode, Lisa is disgusted by the Malibu Stacy doll because it says phrases such as, “Let’s buy make-up so boys will like us.” To compete with the manufacturers, Lisa invents a “Lisa Lionheart Doll” that is a more positive alternative for the Malibu Stacy dolls.
Oreo Barbie
In 1997, Nabisco and Mattel joined forces to cross-promote the “Oreo Fun Barbie.” The doll was marketed as someone with whom little girls could play with after class and share “America’s favorite cookie” with. Just like the custom, Mattel manufactured both a white and black version. The doll was immediately disapproved of because in the African American Community, Oreo is a derogatory term for an African American person that is black on the surface, yet behaves like a white person. An Oreo Cookie is made of two chocolate wafers that surround a creamy white icing. The doll was a total failure and was immediately pulled from the shelves. Amazingly enough, the dolls are highly sought after by collectors.
Disabled Barbie
In 1997, Mattel marketed their “Share a Smile Becky” doll. The doll came in a pink wheelchair (insinuating that the doll has some type of physical disability). A 17-year-old high school student from Tacoma, Washington with cerebral palsy wrote to the Mattel Company claiming that the wheelchair would not fit in the Barbie Dream House (retailed at $100). After research and development discovered that she was correct, Mattel redesigned the elevator in the house on future Barbie homes.
Mattle vs. MCA Records
Mattel filed a defamation lawsuit against MCA records on September 11, 1997. They argued that a song released from their label constituted a trademark infringement. The song was Danish pop group Aqua’s song called, “Barbie Girl.” It contained lyrics such as “You can brush my hair/Undress me anyway” and used similar Barbie logo graphics. In 2002, Judge Kozinski ruled that the song was a parody and protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution
Barbie meets GI Joe
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The Nissan Automobile Company released a animated commercial in 1997 that featured dolls that looked similar to Barbie and Ken. In the commercial, the pseudo-Barbie gets in a Nissan car with a GI Joe doll and ride off in a manner that insinuates they will leave to engage in sexual activity, while Ken is left alone because he doesn’t have a Nissan. Van Halen’s song, “You Really Got Me,” is playing in the background. Mattel claimed that the commercial had done irreparable damage to its products, and filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement. Mattel lost the case.
Barbie Fights in the Middle East
In September of 2003, Saudi Arabia outlawed the sale of Barbie dolls in their country. They said that the dolls didn’t conform to the ideas of Islam. The Committee of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice stated, “Jewish Barbie dolls, with their revealing clothes and accessories and shameful postures, are a symbol of decadence to the perverted West. Let us be aware of her dangers and be careful.” The Middle Eastern countries have an alternative doll called, “Fulla,” that is relatively close to a Barbie doll but more acceptable for the Islamic market. “Fulla” is not made by the Mattel Corporation. Barbie dolls are still available in some Middle Eastern countries like Egypt.
Barbie's Dog
On August 14, 2007, Mattel publicly announced a recall of more than nine million toys that were made in China. They reported that they had some huge concerns about the safety of some of these products. The recalled toys included 683,000 Barbie and Tanner play sets that could be a choking hazard if magnets became loose. Tanner was Barbie’s pet dog.
Barbie Not So User-Friendly
Mattel announced the recall of a range of Barbie doll accessories on September 5, 2007. The company believed that the Barbie doll accessories could have high levels of lead in the paint. The chairman and CEO of Mattel, Robert Eckert, made a statement in an online video about the recall and the media coverage that it had generated. Eckert is expected to visit China, where around sixty-five percent of Mattel’s toys are manufactured, to make sure that the new guidelines on toy safety are being enforced.
DESPITE ALL OF THE ANIMOSITY, BARBIE IS STILL ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL TOYS IN HISTORY... WHY?