Jezebel: Barbies

Barbie Goes Black Market in Iran

Anna North — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:15:00 EST

The latest casualty of worsening Iran-US relations is Barbie. The Iranian government is apparently cracking down on the sale of the popular perma-heeled doll, forcing some dealers underground. More »

How To Give Barbie An Afro (And Call It A Halo Instead)

Kristl Smith Tyler — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST

People who were part of the Black Pride movement of the 1960s also took pride in wearing their hair natural instead of using straightening combs or chemical relaxers. Their pride in African culture was an Afro-centric view that really shook (read: terrified) most middle-class Americans. The way they wore their hair was soon dubbed an "Afro," which was shorthand for Afro-centric. More »

Barbie And Ken's Internet Flirting Is Weird

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 11:35:00 EST

America's most famous plastic couple broke up around Valentine's Day 2004. Thanks to a digital campaign by Mattel, they may be reuniting. Whatever, Mattel. Like little girls weren't pretending their Barbies and Kens were boning this whole time. More »

Barbie Calendar Ruins Your Childhood Memories (Mild, Doll-Related NSFW)

Sadie Stein — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EDT

Two Argentine advertising students designed this Pirelli-esque Barbie calendar. Their intended market? 8-year-old boys. We're not sure if unclothed Barbies count as NSFW, but those who don't work in doll hospitals can see the calendar in its full-sized glory below. More »

The Best Mad Men Infomercial Pitches

Margaret Hartmann — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EDT

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We asked you to create a Mad Men-style ad for popular infomercial products, and the response was highly impressive. But only one ad could win the big prize; here are our favorites and the lucky winner. More »

Reminder: Mad Men Barbie Contest Ends On Sunday

Margaret Hartmann — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:20:00 EDT

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Don't forget, our contest to win a complete set of Mad Men Barbies dolls ends Sunday, July 25, at 8pm EDT, so keeping sending in those Sterling Cooper-style ads! Full details here. More »

"Mad Men Was Never Meant To Be A Fashion Show."

Sadie Stein — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:40:00 EDT

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Mad Men costumer Janie Bryant: "I always felt like it was the highest compliment that Mad Men changed menswear more than women's clothing, because men are much slower to change." [WSJ] More »

Barbies, Models, And The Uncanny Valley

Lisa Wade, PhD — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:20:00 EDT

This Barbie ad, originally appearing in Grazia magazine, might throw you off a little bit. These dolls look a little a different. More »

C'mon Barbie, Let's Go Party

Katy Kelleher — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:40:00 EST

Barbie is going to flip when she sees her new potential paramour, Darren. With a little help from Jay-Z (who supplied the Rocawear duds), Mattel created this cute and well-dressed rival for Ken. [Nylon] More »

Barbie Collector: Dolls No Girl Should Ever Play With

Margaret Hartmann — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST

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This catalog features the type of Barbie that stays sealed in a box, taunting little girls. That's probably for the best, because Mattel is dressing babies as '70s sex symbols, making cracks about working women, and encouraging heavy peroxide use. More »

Dear Mattel: This Is How How You Make Barbie More Diverse

LatoyaPeterson — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:30:00 EDT

Feministing points us toward doll-maker Loanne Hizo Ostlie, who has been creating modified Barbies for over a decade. Over at her site, Tabloach Productions, her modifications of Barbie (and long neglected Skipper) are amazingly detailed... and stunningly diverse. More »

Valley Of The Dolls

Margaret Hartmann — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:40:00 EDT

To promote her graphic novel Dolltopia, about runaway dolls who reject the domestic roles thrust upon them by humans, Abby Denson is holding a contest for the best made-over Barbie at her book signings this month. [N.Y. Daily News] More »

Silly: Don't You Know Barbie Can Have It All?

Sadie Stein — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:40:00 EDT

The Daily News asks: "Barbie doll: children's toy or valuable collector item for adults?" That's all in a day's work for the original multitasker! [NYDN] More »

Black Barbies Are All Dolled Up In July's Italian Vogue

Dodai Stewart — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:40:00 EDT

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Last year, Italian Vogue shook the fashion world with its "All Black issue, which sold out on many newsstands. This year, the July issue features Kristen McMenamy on the cover, but comes with a delightful supplement devoted to black Barbies. More »

Artist Nina Westerberg has made a "Teen...

Sadie Stein — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:20:00 EDT

Artist Nina Westerberg has made a "Teen Pregnancy Barbie," a "multimedia art project" that surely is intended to address ideas of objectification, societal exploitation and maybe growing up too fast. Thing is, Barbie art just doesn't feel very transgressive or provocative anymore. It's like, it's been so long since we've actually seen a Barbie in a non-ironic context that it's kind of lost its punch. The fact that this could totally be a real doll probably says a lot about our society — or at least our ability to be shocked by Barbie art. [Feministing] More »

Jeremiah Wright: Still The Least Of Our Problems, But Our Problems Kind Of Suck

Moe — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:30:00 EDT

"He's obviously a well-educated, sincere man who has done good work in building Trinity United Church of Christ. But, to borrow a phrase that Wright might have used in one of his sermons, his rant at the Press Club demonstrates, that he is also a damn fool." [TheRoot]

The Unsluttification Of Bratz?

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 11:40:45 EDT

When MGA Entertainment launched Bratz dolls onto the toy market six years ago, the dolls' huge bobble heads, giant anime eyes, pouty lips and tacky-wacky fashion choices made them instantly popular and instantly controversial. Earlier this year, the American Psychological Association cited concerns over the dolls' "sexualized clothing such as miniskirts, fishnet stockings and feather boas." Now the Bratz movie is slated to hit theaters August 3rd, and its producers are telling the New York Times it's, uh, good clean fun!

'The goal is to broaden the appeal by demonstrating to parents and children alike that there is more to these characters than what they think,' said Steve Beeks, president of Lionsgate. Mr Arad, who until recently served as chief executive of Marvel Studios, added: 'The one thing we didn't want is for this movie to be sassy.'