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Barbie Approaches Her 50th…

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Barbie Approaches Her 50th Birthday

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 18: The toy doll Barbie appears in her various incarnations at Leuralla NSW toy and railway museum, as the iconic doll approaches her 50th birthhday May 18, 2007 in Sydney, Australia. First launched at the New York Toy Show in 1959, Barbie has now become the largest selling toy ever produced. Barbie has worn the…

Photo by Ian Waldie/Getty Images

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Barbie’s® celebrating her 50th birthday this year, and of course she’s doing it in style.

She kicked off the celebration with a live model runway show last weekend, during Fashion Week in New York.

You can keep up with Barbie’s® 50th birthday celebration at her blog All Doll’d Up. Barbie’s® totally into the social networking scene, she also has her own Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube account. You go girl!

Check out how Barbie’s® changed over the last 50 years. She’s definitely a style icon, and keeps up with the latest fashions.

She’s keeping up on fashion and technology, and has a hot new gadget coming out later this year the Barbie B-Nails from Mattel promises to be a must have toy for Christmas 2009. So it looks like Barbie’s still holding strong, even after her recent battle with Bratz. Do you think Barbie will make it another 50 years?

Image via Picapp

Post from: Play Library

Green and cheaper was the main trend for the 2009 CES. The video below features a mind control game by Mattel called MindFlex. The game uses your brain waves (similar to an EEG) to help a ball manipulate its way through an obstacle course, and will hit retail stores in the fall of 2009.

The video also features an updated Digital Polaroid Camera that sounds like it will be popular with teens and tweens. The camera will print your photos instantly on a sticker. You can add fun borders to your instant photos.

For your spy kid, there’s a Spyball by WowWee, it’s a remote controlled WiFi enabled spy cam robot, that masquerades as an innocent ball. I think this will be popular for all ages.

Looking for eco friendly transportation? Check out the electric bike, it uses a battery to help push you along.

Check them all out here:

Via Youtube user Future HD

Check out this fun new gadget for girls. It’s called Barbie B-Nails from Mattel you can give yourself a manicure, and print an image on your nail. Customize your manicure with one of their fun designs, or upload a photo of your own. I’m sure I’ll be talking more about the Barbie B-Nails in upcoming weeks, it looks like it’ll be a hit for girls of all ages.

Via YouTube user Talkingshopping and The Shopping Blog

Post from: Play Library

You can find the entire list posted by NBC of recalled toys by clicking here. One of the doctors featured in the piece recommends testing any child for lead exposure who has played with any of these toys for a month or more. They say that there is a simple blood test that can be ordered by your child’s pediatrician if need be.

Post from: Play Library

I was finally able to watch Samantha: An American Girl Holiday with my Samantha. I really liked the movie, and the character of Samantha. I liked the values, the responsibility, and the “I can do it” spirit that is portrayed in the character. It actually made me look forward to seeing the other two, though we haven’t made it to them, yet!

Hsien pointed me to an article that states that HBO Films and American Girl (owned by Mattel) have struck a deal to produce new “films, series, specials and documentaries.”

From the Reuters article:

Picturehouse, a joint venture of HBO and New Line Cinema, will release the franchise’s first big-screen foray, with production beginning in the summer. No director is attached. Actress Julia Roberts will serve as a producer.

Although a film targeting girls ages 3-12 might seem a strange fit for the indie distributor, whose slate includes such adult fare as “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “A Prairie Home Companion,” Picturehouse president Bob Berney said the company is looking to branch out into new areas.

“We want to show that Picturehouse can incorporate any genre, any demographic in a really high-quality way,” said Berney. “As an indie, to reach a younger girl audience is a really exciting prospect.”

It’d be nice to have more high quality, family friendly movies to take the kids to, don’t you think?

Post from: Play Library

Follow this post to the end to see the YouTube posting of the ABC interview (and then please vote in our Barbie or Bratz? poll in the sidebar on the right!). Here are a few interesting bits that I gleaned from it all:

Larian admits that he first thought the dolls looked like aliens, but now thinks they’re beautiful. He states that, “it’s time for Barbie to retire,” and that Mattel (makers of Barbie) has engaged in, “really unfair competitions,” where the battle of the #1 and #2 dolls are concerned.

While the interivew/news segment talks about several of Barbie’s personas being career oriented, they point out that the Bratz girls are more about shopping. Larian characterizes the Bratz dolls as, “Girls with a passion for fashion.” Larian also seems to find it laughable that girls associate Bratz with teenagers and Barbies as mothers. Yeah, because who would ever want their kids to find it fun to be around mom and emulate her characteristics?

There is also a battle being fought in the courtroom over who had the original idea for the Bratz-style dolls. Mattel claims that the designer of Bratz concept devoped the idea while still working at Mattel.

I really can’t say that I’ve looked all that closely at the Bratz dolls, primarily because of their name. It really bugged me that they came out with a doll for little girls that, in name, relayed a sense of sass and entitlement. I don’t like it, anymore than the cute pink shirts that say things like, “spoiled brat.” Nope, not for my kid. Of course, you don’t actually see a “poor house” Barbie, either. So, maybe my opinions are colored by my memories of playing with Barbie. I’m okay with that for now.

Take a few minutes (actually, about eight) to listen to what both sides have to say and share your opinions on the interview.

Post from: Play Library

The Toy Guy(R) Chris Byrne says:

You won’t believe what this little guy does, and if you don’t laugh till you cry, you must have no funny bone at all. ‘T.M.X’. Elmo will engage anyone who sees it and engulf them in gales of laughter. Get ready for another phenomenon!

To whet your appetite for TMX Elmo before Kerri tells us about what she saw on Good Morning America, here are some stories that have already been written about the crazy, fun loving Elmo:

• TMX Elmo at Sesame Street, Mattel Fisher-Price
• Mattel Needs a Knock-Me-Out Elmo, BusinessWeek
• Fisher-Price unveils its latest–mysterious–Elmo, The Star Ledger
• Highly anticipated TMX Elmo hits stores Tuesday, cbs4.com
• Gearing up for TMX Elmo, Playthings
• Waiting on Elmo… hoping on hype, CNN Money
• TMX Elmo set for global debut on September 19th, Business Wire
• Meet Top Secret Elmo, USA Today
• Tickle Me Elmo at Wikipedia
• TMX Elmo at Amazon.co.uk
• Barbie with TMX Elmo at Walmart
• TMX Elmo at Woolworths UK after September 22nd

Happy 10th birthday, Elmo!!

Update: All the posts about TMX Elmo at Play Library are here.

Play Library has declared it to be an unofficial ELMO DAY!

Have you gotten your TMX Elmo? Share it with us!! Please please. Sharing is the nice thing to do.

TMX Elmo Comes Out!

Post from: Play Library

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.

Post from: Play Library