In the history of Barbie we have seen doll in collaboration with the big fishes in the industry from exclusive collections for B to the legendary doll characterized as the káiser and characters of pop culture. For this holidays season Barbie teams up with The Andy Warhol Foundation and Ron Robinson to launch not only a version of Barbie wearing the iconic style of the greatest exponent of pop art but a collection of fashion items and home décor pieces. From scarves, tops, and sunglasses to bucket bags ang rings encrusted with rhinestones where we read the legend "Famous, Doll, Pop,” this flooded of pop art collection exposes what happens when you merge the essence of these epochal characters who have made history. From December 3, via ronrobinson.com
After defining and clarifying what a cultural object is, I think Barbie could definitely be seen as a cultural object. To begin with, just the word Barbie could have distinctive meanings when mentioned in different countries. For example, you could say the word Barbie in a sentence, and here in the United States individuals would associate it with the upbeat, fun, blonde doll that millions of little girls currently own and play with. If you were to say it in China, Thailand, Indonesia, or other Far Eastern countries where Barbie dolls are manufactured and
Young girls have been playing with Barbie dolls since the dolls inception at the American International Toy Fair in New York. Recently, researchers have been skeptical on whether the dolls have an effect on the self-image of girls who play with them. In order to determine if Barbies have an impact on young-girls self-concept, clinicians have carried out several studies where they monitor the interaction between the young girls and the famous figurine. From these experiments, scientists concluded that Barbies can have a bearing on a girls self-image, making the consumers who buy the doll more aware of the issue Barbie
In New York on March 9, 1959, Mattel introduced the Barbie doll to America. The thin, teenage fashion model that has a perfect slender nose, big eyes, a valumptuious bust, a narrow midsection, and curvy hips. It is estimated that over a billion Barbie dolls have been sold worldwide in over 150 countries. Barbie is one of the first toys to have a marketing strategy based extensively on television advertising, which has been widely copied by other toys. Barbie has also appeared in a series of animated films such as Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3. Barbie’s petite figure, perfectly arched eyebrows, and plastic smile has become the desired American image that many teenage
Barbie was created in 1959, in the USA. Her first ever look, outfit was a black and white swim suit, ever since then she has had many changes over the years, like different hairstyles, different styles and different beliefs. She became a fad in 1959 when she was created. Barbie had different career interests, like being a doctor and being a space barbie.
Stone, Tanya Lee, “The Good, The Bad and The Barbie: History and Impact on Modern Culture.” Viking Juvenile (2010)
What characteristics qualify as beautiful? Is it having an hourglass figure? Do certain features have to be a particular shape or size? If so, who decides the standards that have to be met in order to attain this goal? In “Barbie Doll,” Piercy uses the imagery of a doll to illustrate the unrealistic standards society has set for girls and the impact it has on female gender role and body image.
The huge success of Barbie has a number of causes. First, Barbie is so popular because they make the public nostalgic. Many women had Barbie dolls when they were younger, and seeing that they are still high in demand and being advertised as much as they are brings back memories from childhood. Second, Barbie dolls are not a fad and they keep coming up with new ways to make them better and more entertaining. They do not die out, and Mattel creators find new ways to make sure of that. Lastly, they are popular because Barbie has so many different looks. Not only does Barbie have a variety of different ethnicities, but she also has many different styles. Barbie dresses up for numerous occasions and has countless jobs. Barbie shows young girls
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March of 1959. This brand of doll is representing of a slim, shapely young woman,
When I was a little girl, I thought nothing in the world could delight me as much as a Barbie doll. Barbie doll accompanied me to grow up, helped me to broaden my horizon, sparked my imagination and independence, improved my aesthetic judgment and ingenuity, and promoted me to make more friends. However, such a great doll—Barbie has to bear all kinds of controversy: Barbie bashers treated it as a negative impact on the shape of like for young women, such as dieting and cosmetic; other criticized it as a toy being yielded too easily to the social trend or political corrections pressure. In proper perspective, Barbie is just a toy for young children, nothing more, and nothing less. In my view, she is a gratifying doll in
One may ask themselves, how can Barbie ever be the enemy. She is the top selling doll in the world, her franchise is worth over a billion dollars, and 99% of girls from the ages three to eleven has owned a Barbie doll according to (Barbie Media). Also, recent studies have shown that the average American girl between the ages of three to eleven owns ten Barbie dolls, according to “Barbie” by Sara Pendergast. So, what has led to so much controversy towards the beloved Barbie. Well, the major obsession regarding female’s exterior appearance and self-esteem is playing a huge role and Barbie is to be blamed. The power of Barbie over young female’s self-esteem, has a lot more impact than the president himself.
Since then, according to Ashley Alexander’s article “Barbie Product Life Cycle” (2012) Barbie has been the leading brand in dolls for over 50 years. This is because of their ability to adapt to the changing market. Barbie’s success comes from it’s globalized production and it’s advertisements that they have
The toy - a barbie, is the first playful interaction a girl gets which lays out unrealistic ideas for her future self as an adult. As a society, we have moved past the point where women have to act like stay at home domestic servants but women are still confined to fulfilling their role as a woman regardless of if they are working a job or stay at home moms/housewives.
Ever since the creation of Barbie in 1959, the doll has been a frontrunner in children’s entertainment. The doll’s humble beginning has progressed until Mattel can now claim, with very good reasoning, that one Barbie Doll is sold every two and a half seconds. Considering the doll’s popularity, one has to wonder how a toy that popular is effecting the children who play with the doll. Some people claim that Barbie encourages young girls to be the best they can be. Others believe that Barbie is merely a toy, and that the doll has no impacts on the child’s life at all. The truth of the matter is that Barbie can have very serious negative effects on how young girls will grow up to view their physical appearance as well as their value as human beings.
In 1945, Ruth and Eliott Handler founded Mattel – one of Americas leading manufacturing companies of today. The idea for the Barbie doll was conceived when Ruth watched her daughter play with adult paper dolls. She noticed the importance of being able to change the doll's clothes, and decided to create a three-dimensional fashion doll, naming her Barbie after Barbara (her daughter). At the time, the toy market was dominated by baby dolls and toddler dolls. Barbie was a new conception that became a worldwide hit. Since her debut in 1959, Barbie has remained one of the most popular toys of all time. There are two Barbie's sold every second, and more than one billion dolls have been sold around the world (Maine, 2000, cited in
For opportunities, Barbie is a worldwide brand. So there is an opportunity for the company to use that reputation to increase its market share.