Barbie’s Lifespan
July 18, 2006 by Kerri Aldrich
Filed under Computer Games for Kids, Internet for Kids, News and Links about Children's Things, Video Games for Kids
Business Week Online has published an article questioning the longevity of Barbie as an American toy icon:
Sales for the iconic Barbie fell 1% worldwide, the 11th consecutive quarter of decline for the franchise. Indeed, it’s a worrying sign that kids like Katayan are starting to eschew Barbie for other, more interactive toys.
It is a question raised as the girls of the next generation have so many playtime options available to them. Are dolls and dress up being completely replaced by on-line games and other hi-tech toys?
I don’t think so. Yes, my five year old daughter has more hi-tech distractions available to her than the Pac-Man and Frogger of my youth. However, no computer game is a replacement for her desire to dress and undress her Barbies, adding and combining new accessories, and wrangling her two year old brother in to help her. There is just too much enjoyment from seeing and feeling the fabrics, playing with the hair, and crawling around on the floor trying to find those blasted teeny shoes (oh, sorry, that last one isn’t fun, and it’s usually not the kids doing it).
I think that Barbie is far too ingrained in our culture to be departing anytime soon, if ever. Just last night, I was scrapbooking with a few friends, and the topic of the Barbie Dream House was brought up. We realized that, of the six of us there, 3-4 still had our original Barbie Dream House (some still in our parent’s basement). One grandma had even taken the step of buying all of the original furniture on ebay and sending it to her daughter and granddaughters’ house. (Oh great, now I’ve given my mom ideas. Where am I going to put that thing?!) The nostalgia factor alone gives Barbie plenty of persistence in the toy world, until she’ll be begging to retire and collect her benefits.
Besides, as Barbie continues to forge her way into higher tech avenues, in such ways as the Barbie computer games, electronic Barbie toys, and the Barbie website, she guarantees to stake her claim on the affections of little girls everywhere.
Comments
4 Responses to “Barbie’s Lifespan”Trackbacks
Check out what others are saying about this post...[...] Does Barbie still rule or do newcomers like the Bratz dolls have a chance at ascending the throne? A Google fight’s been staged, click the image below to find out who emerges the victor – Barbie or the Bratz. [...]
[...] I love all of the cute little sets that are out for girls who are no longer in the Barbie stage, but not quite ready to ship off to college. (Am I ever going to be ready to ship mine off to college? I’m guessing not.) [...]
[...] Marketing, people. I wrote a post a couple of months back about the drop in sales for Barbie. Is it any surprise that a toy icon whose sales are declining would be paired with what is expected to be THE toy for Christmas this year? And what in the world does an Elmo small enough to fit in a box with a Barbie actually do that is so remarkable as to be labeled “TMX” like his larger likeness? As far as I can tell, he giggles. Oh, wait while I run out and get this amazing feat of technological genius. [...]
[...] If my mom did kick me out, my friends and I would play Barbie for hours. My friend had the inflatable furniture, and we’d make cars by taping shoe boxes [...]