Vintage cartoon celebrities like Strawberry Shortcake, Bugs Bunny, Scooby-Doo, and even Mickey Mouse are being updated to appeal to a new audience of youngsters who must lead the way for these billion-dollar brands to stay afloat in an era of Bratz dolls. Sure, even without her new look – which includes "just a dab of lipstick (but no rouge), and spends her time chatting on a cellphone instead of brushing her calico cat, Custard" – Ms. Shortcake has pulled in $2.5 billion in revenue since '03. But parents, expert marketing research suggests, want to introduce their childhood favorites to their own kids, while also "cocooning" their offspring to shield them from the over-sexed, over-violent variety of personalities currently on offer (ahem, Bratz dolls). But updating the brands could prove risky. After all, remember when Mattel thought giving Barbie's pal Ken an earring and a mesh purple tee was just the ticket to keep its lucrative franchise steaming ahead?

"Earring Magic Ken is the industry’s nightmare," the Times reminds us. "The character, who had blond highlights in his hair and a leather vest, drew howls from consumers, who did not see him as a realistic boyfriend for Barbie. Ken was already coping with arched eyebrows over his sexual orientation, and he seemed to have come out of the closet — something that Mattel most definitely did not intend."

And as blogger K212 points out, via Wikipedia, "observers quickly noted the resemblance of Earring Magic Ken to a stereotypical gay man, from the purple clothes to the earring to the necklace, which was described as a cock ring. Kitsch-minded gay men bought the doll in record numbers, making Earring Magic Ken the best-selling Ken model in Mattel's history. Despite the commercial success of the doll, public criticism led Mattel to discontinue Earring Magic Ken and recall the doll from stores."