I predicted this! I am mighty.

Hmm. I guess I never paid that much attention to Barbies now or then, other than looking at the pictures of the fancy ones in the Wishbook every year. I never had or really wanted a Barbie when I was growing up. But my friends who did didn't really do anything with them other than marry them off to Ken (or to each other if there was no Ken in the collection.) I don't think little girls have ever wanted a Barbie doll so they could pretend they were an astronaut. :)

About boys playing female characters in vid. games....I was just questioning a male friend about this last night, as in "what could possibly be the appeal in this for a 14 year old boy beyond the sex element? Where do the wigs, et. al come in?"

He pointed out that for his friends and him, it had always been more about the sense that this was about as close they were ever going to get in having control over the vagaries of unpredictable feminine behavior. I certainly wish him and the rest of the boys good luck!

How old is Barbie sposed to be, anyway? "Fab jewelry"?

Hmm. Reads like a lot of other blogs I've noticed lately. Self-centred? Check. Utterly pointless? Check. The one thing it has going for it is that the entries are short, for the attention-span challenged.

I like it that boys are playing video games starring girl characters. I was reading an article that interviewed the boys and they were very excited about the virtual wigs, hairstyles, dresses, bikinis, and other accessories they could outfit the characters with.

But in the 80's, Doctor or Astronaut Barbies were the mainstream toys, the ones advertised during cartoons on Saturday morning to both girls and boys. The "I can be..." Barbies of today seem aimed at a collector or specialty market, like the Lingerie Barbies that made the rounds not too long ago.

I'm know not every girl wants to be a doctor or astronaut, but I like the idea of adventure-based play rather than shopping-based play. It doesn't have to be career-oriented and boring -- Jem and the Holograms weren't. They were rockstars who solved crimes and used totally wacked-out computer technology. Sure, they bought a lot of clothes, too, but at least they had something vital about them, a reason to be played with.

Toys reinforce values, and give kids roles to act out. Now that Barbie's old image is back, more vacuous and shallow than ever. I feel really sad for the girls who are growing up Barbie today.

Edited by author 11-27-2002 10:55 AM
No, they've got them. There'a actually a site that lets you vote on what the next career barbie should be--Librarian, Architect, or Policewoman. I think I'd like to see a Librarian Barbie. I mean, what defines a librarian, acessory-wise? A book? Glasses? High-necked white button-up shirt?

http://www.barbie.com/parents/products/products_icanbe2.asp

Apparently, Barbie has evolved into some sort of giraffe-like creature.

As a sort of lame side note, whatever happened to the Doctor / Astronaut / "we girls can do anything, right Barbie?" Barbie of the 80's? I guess Barbie decided that surgery, like math, was too hard.

Brings new meaning to the word shallow.

I guess with the creation of this, weblogs are officially "over". Anyone know what the latest thing is?

So what's with the Nov 6 entry? Barbie's stepping out with "Robbie"? Whatever happened to Ken?