"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
And in other news, The post office had recalled the Hillery Clinton stamp. They thought it was defective, until research determined that people were spitting on the wrong side.
I always just got a lump of coal.
Don't forget the Kung Fu grip!
My daughter is finally old enough to receive a new Barbie from Daddy for Christmas. Long live Barbie!
Point of order: I would MUCH rather have had a GI Joe than an Easy-Bake oven.
Even back then, all innocent and naive, I knew that whereas Joe was a force for the right, no good could come of warming dough over a five-watt light bulb.
My girls love Barbie. But they also like going to the shooting range...
I actually wouldn't have a problem if my daughter wanted to play with some GI Joes.
Of course, if I had a son, and caught him doing anything with his sister's Barbies other than pulling them apart or cutting their hair off...
}:-)4
So ubiquitous did Barbie become that she inevitably became a plaything not just of girls but of social critics, who condemned her for fostering unrealistic body expectations. Barbie's measurements were said to be the equivalent of 39-21-33.
Handler defended these dimensions on the grounds that on such a small scale, Barbie's clothes wouldn't hang well without exaggerated features.
Whatever happened?
My mom got my brother some toy guns, but then decided maybe she shouldn't get him something so violent, so she took them all away and gave him a drumset.
The very next day he was using the symbals as sheilds and the drumsticks as guns, so she decided instead of fighting it she would get him a whole arsenal of toy guns. Smart lady!
If you come from a large family you are crazy if you don't have a big box of Barbie stuff for nephews, nieces, grandkids etc. when they visit. Keeps them busy (and out of trouble) for hours.
My youngest sister had one of the original Barbies (circa 1960) and she looked a lot different in that she was more anatomically correct. If the current Barbie were blown up to a 5-foot-7 inch typical American woman her measurements would be something on the order of 45-22-39. (incidentally, my sister's original Barbie was kept in the original box in my mother's former attic with a lot of other treasures until about 10 years ago when she sold the home and moved to Fla. The new owners found it but thought it was garbage and tossed it--one like it sold on E-Bay for around $10K. Dang!)
Barbie was/is one of the better ways for a girl to learn how to dress as far as color and style. (Hey, it beats buying all the darn outfits for the kids)
I'm glad to see Barbie is back. I think my niece (age 8, almost a collector) has 30 Barbies. It's easy to buy said niece gifts for Christmas. :) I LOVED Barbie, but regret allowing my younger sister to play with MY Barbie. Alas, many accessories went missing.
My experience with four kids is that's hard-wired into girls and boys. You don't need to teach it and can't un-teach it.
Glad to hear sales are back up.
I love to look at Barbies when I go to Target a toy store. Over the last few years, the Barbie section has become much smaller.
If you ever thought Barbies popularity weigned, you have not been in a store that sells toys for children...
The PINK isle is as stocked as ever.
Barbie probably took a little bit of a hit from the BRATZ fad... a fad far far worse than anything Barbie has ever done.... the day I'd let my little girl bring thug/hip hop lifestyle into my home will be the day I die. Now that that fad is over, Barbie will get the kids back again.
My sons like playing with my daughter's Barbie dolls. Of course, the dolls keep losing their heads. My sons also like playing with my daughter's baby dolls. There is one doll that two of my sons thought was a friend for them to play with when they were infants. They still carry baby dolls around the house. Yet, they are still very much boys. A few minutes ago two of my boys were fighting over a rubberband gun.