Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

Currently there is a lot of hubbub about Barbie, the quintessential doll with the grown up figure and the perpetually pointed toes. Created by Mattel in 1959, the original version will be fifty-seven years old next month.  That’s a lot of staying power!

Today’s noise, however, isn’t about her age.  It’s about newer versions being marketed by the manufacturer. Now there is a petite version, a tall version, and a curvy one. (A black version was introduced in 1980, although it had Caucasian features.) Because of this Barbie was recently on the cover of Time magazine; and her long-suffering boyfriend, Ken, even wrote an “editorial” about how if we love Barbie as much as he does, we should “allow” her to change.

This is a typical chicken/egg situation.  Did the chicken, Mattel, produce the new Barbies in the hope that diversity would sell?  Or was it the eggy public that drove this decision? I don’t know, but Time reported that sales for the doll declined twenty percent between 2012 and 2014? It does make me wonder.

Personally I have little experience with Barbie, although that doesn’t keep me from having a lot of opinions. It’s a doll with adult features; perhaps it enables children to “pretend” about adult situations during playtime. It’s about time the high heels disappeared. Barbie could be less popular as more and more activities and professions are open to people of all ages and gender. What took Mattel so long to manufacture different versions? Will we now be treated to various Kens?

I could go on, but the bottom line is: Barbie has become a type of American Girl doll long after that franchise realized children wanted different characters for their make-believe adventures. Basically she is late to the game.