February 19, 2002

1:45 PM

Multiethnic Barbie.(picture) ""It would be really boring if there were all white people," says the fourth-grader, who also likes her dolls to portray people she knows - from her half-Asian cousins to classmates of all races." Of course, nobody she knows probably has Barbie's proportions...
posted by owillis (31 comments total)

Oh yeah. Now girls of all races can develop that insufficient feeling.

But one step forward, two steps back. At least other races exist in Barbie-world now.
posted by Red58 at 1:50 PM on February 19, 2002

Lordy, looks a little like Lucy Liu.
posted by ColdChef at 1:54 PM on February 19, 2002

I don't look like He-Man, but I'm doing ok.
posted by techgnollogic at 1:56 PM on February 19, 2002

An unrealistic standard of beauty for all!

Remember the Zartan GI Joe toy that changed color in sunlight?

"Oh its sunny out, today you're going to be black barbie!"

Just trying to save the parents some cash.
posted by skallas at 1:58 PM on February 19, 2002

Oh no! a toy looks like a stylized version of a person! Down with fisher price little people! Down with lego people! I don't want my kids thinking that they have to grow up to have bulbous heads on armless bodies to be happy!
posted by betaray at 2:24 PM on February 19, 2002

The Emme Doll-A new doll called Emme was one of the hottest products launched at the American International Toy Fair last week. The full-figured doll, decked out in a black cocktail dress and platform sandals, was inspired by real-life model Emme, the world's leading plus-size model. Emme has twice been named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful" people.
posted by bjgeiger at 2:30 PM on February 19, 2002

So when are they gonna come out with a little green alien Barbie?
posted by ZachsMind at 2:32 PM on February 19, 2002

role models abound! now you can get black teenage mother working at mcdonalds barbie!
posted by quonsar at 2:46 PM on February 19, 2002

I'm just waitin' for Satan goth love-slut Barbie.
posted by Wulfgar! at 3:22 PM on February 19, 2002

Is this close enough Wulfgar! ?
posted by owillis at 3:27 PM on February 19, 2002

Meanwhile, Mattel officials insisted that they would not run afoul of local or federal gun laws while forcing children to buy their product at gunpoint.
posted by dhartung at 3:53 PM on February 19, 2002

over the years, barbie has remained very visible spokesdoll for various causes like medical marijuana, tourettes syndrome and sex education.
posted by quonsar at 3:59 PM on February 19, 2002

Who's to say that a white Barbie isn't multiethnic? Still, my Filipino-Irish-English-French-German daughter will certainly love and want one of these.
posted by treywhit at 4:02 PM on February 19, 2002

quonsar: Kelly is Barbie's little sister, not her kid. Just clearing that up for you ;-)

I'm interested in that Emme doll bjgeiger posted about - I found a better picture if anyone else interested in a closer look.

I think multi-ethnic/dolls of all races are a good idea. Most little girls are going to want to play with Barbies, whether idealistic parents like it or not - I know I played with them and any body image issues I have are unrelated to the toys I played with. Barbie is a fun distraction, and even now I like to see what new models they've come up with when I visit toy stores. I'm glad to see that Mattel is increasing their line of dolls to portray different ethnicities.
posted by sammy at 4:16 PM on February 19, 2002

Or maybe the polka-dotted paisley The Spy Who Shagged Me Barbie.

Sammy: "..Kelly is Barbie's little sister, not her kid. Just clearing that up.."

Barbie can't have children. She's anatomically incorrect. Yes, I looked. When I was seven.
posted by ZachsMind at 4:27 PM on February 19, 2002

Given that Mattel went out of their way to spoil the fun of a man who told the truth about Barbie a few years ago, I'm not impressed with their assembly line doll-as-bimbo sexism as applied to multiple ethnicities.
posted by ed at 4:28 PM on February 19, 2002

Barbie can't have children. She's anatomically incorrect.
eeew. what's THAT got to do with it? mr. stork can still deliver the goods.
posted by quonsar at 4:34 PM on February 19, 2002

Great, what's next - a Black G.I. Joe?

is it me, or haven't they already had plenty of "other" Barbies before? Hell, they have one in a wheelchair...

wake me when they have "proportionally correct barbie"
posted by hotdoughnutsnow at 4:45 PM on February 19, 2002

They already have a black GI Joe... His name was "Stalker".

As for the Barbies; a wench by any other name....
posted by Dark Messiah at 5:05 PM on February 19, 2002

Wulfgar! :I'm just waitin' for Satan goth love-slut Barbie.

If only more girls would grow up playing with one of those, the world would be a beautiful place.
posted by bingo at 5:32 PM on February 19, 2002

Emme has twice been named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful" people.

Jesus, what a bunch of politically correct schlock. She's a doll, for pete's sake.

That said, she's quite a fine-looking doll. She's got class all over that Barbie chick.
posted by pudders at 6:39 PM on February 19, 2002

They could save on production costs and reach the suburban "wannabe" demographic-----> Gangtsa' Bitch Barbie
posted by Eric Lloyd NYC at 7:10 PM on February 19, 2002

wake me when they have "proportionally correct barbie"

Don't know if anyone else has noticed, but Barbie is a hell of a lot more anatomically correct now than she was just five years ago. Barbie used to look like this, all thin with joins that bent in the wrong way and an impossibly small waist...Barbie's new look is a bit different: she has a wider tummy and hips, and her legs bend further down than they did before. While the new dolls are modeled after a thin girl for sure, I don't believe the dimensions of the current dolls on scale would be impossible models of real live human beings.

Anybody have the current real-life dimensions of a Barbie doll?
posted by dogmatic at 12:03 AM on February 20, 2002

I wouldn't kick Emme out of bed for eating crackers. But Barbie has a prettier face.
posted by bingo at 1:32 AM on February 20, 2002

I ♥ Goth Barbie.

That Emme doll just looks like a regular barbie having been microwaved.
posted by dong_resin at 1:34 AM on February 20, 2002

I square barbie, as well... I square her so very very much.

honestly, i like the emme dolls a lot more than the whole lot (including the o.g. barbie.). more power to her.
posted by lotsofno at 4:01 AM on February 20, 2002

Mattel is trying to catch up with some of its competitors, like Get Real Girl.
posted by Carol Anne at 5:31 AM on February 20, 2002

Emme has twice been named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful" people.

Jesus, what a bunch of politically correct schlock. She's a doll, for pete's sake.

I'm fairly certain that People chose Emme, the real life person as one of their "50 Most Beautiful" people, not the doll.
posted by turaho at 6:40 AM on February 20, 2002

okay, the tribune calls the emme doll "plus-sized" and then says she's size 12. last time i checked (which would be, oh, yesterday, when i was buying a new suit) 12 is *regular* size. sold in the non-plus-size section. many retailers even carry size 14 (which is, of course, larger than 12) in the non-plus size section of the store. that's a serious inaccuracy for a major newspaper. and all junior departments have sizes ranging from 0 to 14.

the other problem i have with the emme doll: she's priced way out of the toy range, so heralding her as a healthy toy role model for little girls is ridiculous.

that aside, she's one luscious doll.
posted by crush-onastick at 7:57 AM on February 20, 2002

Heh...from the ABC news link about the Emme doll: "Revlon recently signed Emme, making her the first full-sized model ever given a cosmetic contract." How incredibly accurate (logically, then Kate Moss-oids are "part-sized" or "half-sized"?)...I wonder if that was a slip (I hope not, it has a different tone than "full-figured" and "plus-sized").

crush-onastick: it says elsewhere in that article that Emme (the person) wears a size 16 (not a size 12).
posted by biscotti at 8:35 AM on February 20, 2002

Down with lego people! I don't want my kids thinking that they have to grow up to have bulbous heads on armless bodies to be happy!

I agree, betaray. I've been cursed with striving all my life to fulfill the Mr. Potatohead body type I was indoctrinated with as a child.
posted by HTuttle at 12:17 PM on February 20, 2002