Category — Toys

The Teletubbies craze in the US has definitely waned in recent years, but Tinky Winky, Laa Laa, Dipsy and Po are still shaking things up in the UK with the Teletubbies Dance with Me dolls.  It’s a shame Teletubbies dolls are only available in the UK, because they actually look like a lot of fun and I think they’d give Elmo Live some fierce competition for best holiday toy of 2008.

American kids who are Teletubbies fans will just have to resign themselves to these items:

Teletubbies costumes are great for Halloween or play time fun.

Night Glow Dipsy plays Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to help bring sweet dreams.

Looks like Canadians have had enough of the Bratz’ saucy attitudes and skimpy attire.  Parents and psychologists convinced Scholastic Inc. to stop selling Bratz related books and merchandise as of this school year.  This comes as terrible news for the Bratz, who are already in debt up to their eyeballs thanks to Barbie’s legal maneuvering earlier this summer.

(Source: Jezebel via Perez Hilton)

I didn’t know how right I was when I first said this has been a busy summer for Barbie.  Artist Nina M. Westerberg got straight to the point when redesigning Barbie as a commentary on 2008’s unexpected social concern, teen pregnancy.  This Barbie is a funny, ironic, yet painfully sad reminder of teen pregnancy’s current glamorized image.

The body used for Teen Pregnancy Barbie was that of Barbie’s oldest friend, Midge.  Controversial in her own right, pregnant Midge was pulled from Wal-Mart shelves for a while after parents complained about Midge’s key selling point: a curled up baby that pops out of her belly when opened, which many parents feel promotes teen pregnancy.

Yeah, I can see how parents might object.  The doll makes it seem like babies pop out pain free and with a bunch of adorable accessories.  Maybe Mattel should have taken this angle with Midge instead:

At any rate, these kids sure have fun with Happy Family Barbie and Midge:

This certainly has been a busy summer for Barbie. First the epic battle with rivals The Bratz, then the battle with a record-sized catfish in North Carolina, and Barbie has come out shining like a star every time. Barbie has also been reaching out to her fan base with the cloyingly cute site BarbieGirls.com. MSN calls it one of Web 2.0’s Most Ridiculous Sites for a good reason. Just click on the link to BarbieGirls. I challenge you. If you are over the age of 11 and that ceaseless music (with no mute button) doesn’t drive you completely mad in about 5 minutes, congratulations, you are probably in line to be the next Gandhi.

I have to admit that I am stunned that toys like the plastic Barbie fishing rods are so durable, yet I am also encouraged by that durability–and the fact that Barbie has outdoor gear for girls, even if all the products are only available in shades of Pepto pink. And I just found out that there are Barbie learning toys that actually teach numbers and math, so it seems like Barbie is slowly getting a little more substance beneath all that fluffy style. But don’t worry, there will always be plenty of fabulous Barbie dress-up games, too.

However, I worry for the future of Barbie and The Diamond Castle-related merchandise. Princess Barbie’s pink gown is in a shade very similar to Disney Princess Aurora’s gown; I’d hate to see Barbie on the receiving end of an intellectual property smack down like the one Mattel laid on The Bratz. Especially when they two worked so well together on the Disney Princess Barbies!

Celebrating it’s tenth birthday is the Baby Einstein Disney line. You may know of its hit TV series or even the tons of toys, CDs, books and DVDs they produce that center around providing fun ways to learn about music and sounds for infants. They recently began targeting toddlers and will have a new line called “Einstein Pals ™” coming out in the spring made just for them. Also coming in 2009 will be the releases of two interactive DVDs called “Grow With Me” and “Select Your Segment”. These will have a focus on world music (vs. just classical music) and different cultures.

Meanwhile you can pick up two new DVD fall releases (that were center of attention during the anniversary celebration at Disney’s Concert Hall), “Baby Mozart” and “Baby Beethoven”, which have a cute puppet show and performance by the Glendale Youth Orchestra. If you aren’t already a part of the Baby Einstein mom fan train, you might want to hop aboard. I personally enjoy the DVDs and have seen my growing son singing new songs and even identifying instruments.

Breaking news: Looks like the ongoing battle between Barbie and the Bratz finally has a winner. “Queen Pimp” Barbie has been declared Bordello Madame and will be receiving a piece of all the Bratz’ earnings. Several of the Bratz are apparently very upset with the decision and are rumored to have already submitted their resumes to the Bunny Ranch.  Stay tuned for more info!

As if Strawberry Shortcake recent make-over wasn’t depressing enough…reader Amanda sent a link to The Shocking Cost If Strawberry Shortcake’s Makeover Was Real on Mainstreet.com. The grand total: $23,675.19. The article includes cost analysis for each nip and tuck, including the $485 freckle removing.

The phrase “freckle removing” makes me want to shudder. I guess now I just have to hope and pray that somebody doesn’t get the great idea to give Rainbow Brite a makeover. I don’t think I can bear to read about her star removal.

There’s some very Berry bad news on Jezebel today…the Powers-That-Be at American Greetings decided to re-vamp my beloved Strawberry Shortcake to look like this:

This makes me want to cry. I NEVER EVER EVER would have thought to give Strawberry Shortcake a make-over because she never needed one. I guess she’s ready to compete with Barbie and the Bratz now, though.

You can call them Barbies and Bratz dolls and fight about the distinctions between the two if you’d like, but I prefer to call them “The First Serious Knock to a Developing Girl’s Self Esteem.” First of all, there is the body type which is biologically impossible to possess without extreme plastic surgery. If Barbie were human, she’d look like a Vegas stripper, and the Bratz’ lollipop heads and stick bodies absolutely scream “severe eating disorder”. Already, these dolls are creating an impossible goal for young girls to aspire to, but the dolls don’t stop at catalyzing body dysmorphic disorder and self esteem issues.

The doll pushers take it a step further and add hooker clothes and matching make-up to the dolls, as if to obliterate any connection to the “reality” of the female body. These dolls are designed for the male fantasy as much as Playboy is, even though they are intended for little girls. I have to admit, though, that Barbie comes across as more of a high-end escort, while the Bratz seem more like the less wealthy but equally slutty friends of Paris Hilton.

I intended this to be more of an informative post than a rant, but obviously I have some unresolved Barbie issues that need to be addressed before an informative post on these dolls can happen. So, more later…