What do you get when you cross every little girl's best friend Barbie — seen here as Beach Fun Barbie — with a DC Comics superhero? Outraged activist groups, that's what. Religious mouthpiece Christian Voice — who, among other things, hates the gays — is less than pleased with Black Canary Barbie, which debuts in September with fishnets, a motorcycle jacket, black gloves, and boots.
Mattel says the new Barbie is just a riff on a superhero of the same name. To its credit, it got the look down perfectly. CONTINUED »
After the announcement that Mattel was producing a collector’s edition AKA Barbie for the sorority’s centennial, I went to the Barbie site to check some other brown-hued collector dolls that have been released recently (that’s Disco Barbie to your left). Fully expecting to scoff at the ridiculous Barbies with their unrealistic straight and long hair and their self-esteem-killing, impossibly-tiny waists, I found my internal seven-year old oohing and aahing at page after page instead. The Byron Lars Collection was especially compelling. Mad at myself.
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? CONTINUED »
• In Connecticut, when local CBS affiliate WFSB hosts the senate debates, don't expect other media to be allowed in to cover. [Hartford Courant]
• Metro sees more fallout from the top. [FBNY]
• Nicky Hilton and Entourage boyfriend Kevin Connolly split after rumors of cheating and two years of pretending he wasn't two feet shorter. [Us]
• Conde Nast and Rockefeller Center team up for a marriage gimmick usually reserved for the Today show. [NYO]
• Even tidal waves of criticism and hype may not keep Borat ahead of, ahem, Santa Claus 3. [Deadline Hollywood]
• At 47, it's about damn time Barbie got a makeover and started paying attention to breast cancer. [NYP]
• With all those budget cuts at the Times, it only seems fair to let reporters use their chlidren as photo subjects. And sources. [Gawker]
It's new Barbie designer (and Hollywood stylist) Phillip Bloch with the "spiritually grown up" Ken (on the left) and his "celebrity spokesperson" Ken. Or, as we like to call it, the homoerotic reason that no matter how hard Barbie tries, she'll never get Ken back.
(We should note, this is the publicity shot Mattel released. As in, the official version of the photograph they'd like to circulate among the press. This man, their marketing department said, will get us coverage. And they were right — for all the wrong reasons.)
BROKEBACK BARBIE? [PAYOR]
Ken's back and looking good. Same can't be said for Barbie's sales [New Jersey Record
• Sean Penn does not expect anyone to quit smoking — hello, Bush is president. That's so totally stressful. [PDA]
• Charlize Theron gets a boost up the butt on the beach. [Just Jared]
• Robin Williams gets all Gene Shalit on Jann Wenner. There's a sentence we never thought we'd say. [WWD]
• We have to say it: Grove, get off the Emily Stern kick. It's over. Nobody cares. [Lowdown]
• Barbie gets a burkha. What's next, G.I. Jihad wearing a turban? [AFP]
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