"Barbie fights for her life" by Mae Anderson | Associated Press, July 20, 2013
NEW YORK — As far as catfights go, this is a doozy.
Barbie, long the reigning queen in the doll world, has suddenly been thrust into the battle of her life.
But Monster High dolls, vampy teens patterned after the offspring of monsters like Dracula and Frankenstein, have neon pink and green streaks in their hair. They wear platform heels and miniskirts with skulls on them. And the dolls that go by names like Draculaura and Ick Abbey Bominable are gaining on Barbie.
Who comes up with this morbid stuff and wants to turn all our kids into Goth kids?
That Barbie is losing her edge is no surprise. Since debuting in 1959 as the world’s first fashion doll, Barbie has long been a lightning rod for controversy....
Barbie?
To be sure, Barbie is still number one in the doll market....
But meanwhile, Monster High, which is also made by Mattel, has become the number two doll brand....
Oh, so it is a SIBLING RIVALRY, huh?
In addition to the competition from Monster High, Barbie has had to contend with increasing criticism of her impossibly proportioned body....
It is as much a competition as the AmeriKan political system where both parties are bought off by the same corporations!
Monster High dolls, on the other hand, although still pretty slim, have a punk rock look that’s intended to send the message that being different is OK. And they’re aimed at slightly older children — adding to their appeal — while Barbie’s increasingly young audience is hurting sales. After all, no child wants to play with anything seen as a baby toy.
Barbie marketed to children between ages 3 and 9, but over the past 15 years or so, the range has shrunk to around 3 to 6, says Timetoplaymage.com toy analyst Jim Silver. This has happened because older children are likely gravitating toward electronic devices or dolls like Monster High, which are aimed at children 6 to 13, Silver says.
The last time Barbie wasn’t feeling the love was about 12 years ago when, after years of little competition, pouty-lipped Bratz dolls became wildly successful. They sent squeaky clean Barbie into a sales spiral.
Bratz dolls were edgy. They wore low-rise jeans, had heavy makeup and exposed navels. And they were sultrier than Barbies. But the Bratz fad faded in 2005, and Barbie slowly regained sales ground.
The same may happen with Monster High dolls. Industry specialists say it will take a lot to dethrone the Barbie....
As I have gotten older I have more and more realized how hard it is dethrone champions.
--more--"
Related: AmeriKa's New Barbie
UPDATE:
"Vampy teen Monster High dolls are taking a bite out of Barbie. Mattel said Wednesday its second-quarter net income fell 24 percent, hurt by a continued slide in Barbie sales and a $14 million write-down on the toy maker’s Polly Pocket line. In the April-to-June quarter, Mattel’s net income dropped to $73.3 million. Revenue edged up."
Speaking of cat fights:
"R.I. makes it illegal to require cat declawing
It is now illegal in Rhode Island for a landlord to require tenants to declaw their cat as a condition of occupancy. The legislation signed into law this week by Governor Lincoln Chafee also makes it a crime for a landlord to require a tenant to remove the vocal cords of dogs. The legislation from Senate majority leader Dominick Ruggerio and Representative Patricia Serpa, Democrat of Warwick, would still allow landlords to decline to rent to pet owners. Ruggerio, a North Providence Democrat, said landlords should not be allowed to demand that tenants subject their pets to cruel procedures."
Related: Dog Racket in Rhode Island
Watch where you step.
Also see:
Slow Saturday Special: Rhode Island Takes a Deep Breath
Smells like....
Slow Saturday Special: Rhode Island Legalizes Incest
I told you to take a deep breath.
