Barbie's Career Move Leads to Warning

Mon, 12/06/2010 - 12:06 EDT - Portfolio.com - Daily Brief

Mattel is always hoping that new dolls will capture girls' imaginations and career aspirations. But the company's new Video Girl doll is garnering some unwanted attention—and warnings about child porn.

Original article

Meet The Creepy Dolls That Are Burying Barbie
Barbie sales have been plummeting recently. Mattel reported today that sales of the doll fell 12% year-over-year. The problem is isolated to Barbie: Sales of the company's other girl brands climbed 23%. So what are girls buying instead of Barbie? Monster High dolls, another product made by Mattel.
Barbie Dolls Are Quickly Becoming Obsolete
Barbie dolls are losing favor with kids. Sales of Mattel's signature doll dropped a whopping 21% last quarter, reports Matt Townsend at Bloomberg News. Revenue has declined more than 10% for the last four quarters.
Little Girls Losing Love for Barbie: Is Body Image to Blame?
Toymaker Mattel announced disappointing earnings yesterday, missing analysts projections by $0.10 per share. One reason profits were discouraging has been the decline in popularity of the iconic Barbie doll, sales of which fell 12% — the fourth quarter in a row that Barbie turnover declined year-over-year.
Little Girls Losing Love for Barbie: Is Body Image to Blame?
Toymaker Mattel announced disappointing earnings yesterday, missing analysts projections by $0.10 per share. One reason profits were discouraging has been the decline in popularity of the iconic Barbie doll, sales of which fell 12% — the fourth quarter in a row that Barbie turnover declined year-over-year.
How Barbie may need more than a career makeover to save Mattel’s iconic doll from sliding sales
She’s had countless wardrobe changes, new hair colours and tried out 150 jobs. But this time, 55-year-old Barbie may need more than a career makeover to stay alive, as her popularity wanes amid competition from newer dolls and rising interest in smartphones and tablets. Mattel Inc., the world’s largest toymaker, said global sales for its iconic Barbie doll fell 15% in the second quarter ended June 30, the steepest drop since mid-2009. Barbie sales have slumped in eight of the past 10 quarters.
Taiwan's First Barbie Cafe Is Open For Business
The first Barbie-themed restaurant has opened in Taiwan, where Barbie dolls were originally manufactured. Barbie has inspired many things in her 54-year existence: little girls’ imaginations, artwork and feminist ire among them. Now Barbie Cafe, a restaurant dedicated to the doll, has opened in Taiwan and it’s as pink and plastic as one might expect.
Here's The New 'Average' Barbie Doll — She Has Stretch Marks And Cellulite And Is Coming In Time For Christmas
Meet Lammily, the new "average" Barbie doll that's challenging the toy industry and helping kids see life for what it is. After going down a storm in the US, her creator has just announced a shipping date for the toys and is also releasing stickers to make them even more realistic. (The dolls are obviously not in any way connected to the Mattel toy that they implicitly criticise.)
Frozen toys more popular than Barbie this holiday shopping season, survey shows
“Frozen” merchandise is the most coveted toy for girls this holiday season, knocking Barbie from the No. 1 position for the first time, according to a survey from the National Retail Federation. About 20% of parents plan to buy “Frozen” gifts for their daughters, the Washington-based trade group found in its annual study. Barbie, which was chosen by 17% of parents this year, had been the top pick throughout the list’s 11-year history. Lego toys were the most popular choice for parents of boys, with 14% opting for them.

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Barbie's Career Move Leads to Warning

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