Abstract: A systematic examination of Barbie fashions, accessories, and playsets produced since 1959 reveals several distinct phases in the domestic symbolism associated with Barbie. Today, Barbie grocery shops, cleans house, cares for her young siblings, and assumes careers which fill nurturing and protective roles like those championed in traditional domestic ideology. Yet in the late 1950s, Barbie was conceived and marketed as a single career girl who did not do “rough housework.” This paper examines the range of clothing and accessories marketed alongside Barbie as a mechanism to trace the changes in Barbie's domestic image over nearly 40 years.

Abstract: Barbie doll ownership is high among girls in early primary school. It has been suggested that exposure to Barbie impacts negatively on body image. The present study sought to investigate the effect of exposure to Barbie on young girls’ thin-ideal internalisation, body esteem, and body dissatisfaction. Participants were 160 girls (aged 5–8 years) from Adelaide, South Australia. They were randomly allocated one of three Barbie conditions (physical engagement, physical observation, print observation) or to a control toy. Results indicated that exposure to Barbie, irrespective of format, led to higher thin-ideal internalisation than exposure to the control, but had no impact on body esteem or body dissatisfaction. This suggests that interacting with Barbie may encourage girls in early primary school to adopt a preference for a thin body, but with no immediate effect on body image. The long-term impact of Barbie exposure on body image remains unknown.

Abstract: This study utilized Mattel’s new line of Fashionista Barbie dolls to examine attitudes about body shape and size in a sample of young girls. A total of 84 girls, 3–10 years of age, were asked to assign positive or negative traits to Barbie dolls which varied in size and shape (original, tall, petite, and curvy). Participants also answered questions about their preferences for the dolls and completed measures of body dissatisfaction. Results generally demonstrated greater negative attitudes towards the curvy Barbie doll and more positive attitudes towards dolls with a thinner body size/shape (i.e., original, tall, and petite dolls). Girls identified the curvy Barbie as the doll they least wanted to play with. Additionally, girls with higher levels of body dissatisfaction demonstrated less negative attitudes towards the original doll. Overall, findings demonstrate a preference for thin bodies and aversion towards larger bodies among young girls. Further, findings suggest that the simple availability of body-diverse dolls may not be a powerful enough intervention to overcome harmful weight attitudes, and highlight the importance of continued efforts to encourage exposure to and acceptance of diverse body shapes and sizes in young children.

Abstract: A smart city is an urban development vision based on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the Internet of things (IoT) for the city’s management and operations. The smart city concept is raised simultaneously in many modern societies. IoT is always playing an important role as smart devices to support complex scenarios in smart cities. A smart toy, such as “Hello Barbie,” is a smart device consisting of a physical toy component that connects to a computing system with online services through networking to enhance the functionality of a traditional toy. In this research, we particularly studied Brazilian and Argentinian consumers’ perceived innovativeness, risks and benefits of smart toys and their purchase intention toward such toys. Results indicate that Brazilian consumers have better perception and evaluation of the toy and thus higher purchase intention than Argentinian consumers do. Such difference may be explained by the cultural differences between the two countries, such as relatively low vs. high uncertainty avoidance. We also provide our recommendations for smart toys manufacturers to address these issues for the future products.

Desde que nascem, as crianças vivenciam certas experiências sociais que são determinadas pelo fato de serem meninos ou meninas.Que concepções de gênero, corpo e infância são apresentadas por uma boneca que quer ser a melhor amiga da criança-menina?Este artigo analisa o sucesso da boneca Barbie, os modos de educar meninas e os mecanismos publicitários que configuram sua personalidade versátil e produzem certos modos de pensar, agir e relacionar-se com o mundo.

This study explores how Mattel’s catalogs, as a polysemiotic communication medium, transmit social representations through the marketing of sporty Barbie dolls in the United States from the 1980s to the early 1990s. Using a methodology that integrates a thematic analysis of the manufacturer’s discourse and a semiotic study of the corresponding images, this research shows how this personified toy is staged in the catalogs. Presented as a model of excellence to be achieved in terms of better living, the doll carries within her representations that shape a gendered imaginary of American social success

This essay addresses issues about how the image of Black Barbie dolls can transform the standards of beauty for little Black girls. This image may help the construction or even the re-construction of self and identity. Exploring and perhaps embracing the Barbie image can serve as a form of resistance for Black girls/woman, or it may even help address issues of domination, racism, sexism, and class exploitation that oppress and threaten the survival of young girls.

Abstract: Barbie Doll is regarded as one of the most important design labels representing the twentieth century. Up until today, it is estimated that around 100 million Barbie dolls have been sold in 150 countries around the world. In 1967, the manufacturer of Barbie, Mattel Inc., set up a joint venture establishment, the Meining factory in Taishan Township, Taipei County. However, Mattel shut down the Meining factory in 1987 due to rising labor costs, the development of the local economy suddenly lost its basis. In 1998, the township council imported the concept and practices of community building and employed the industry of doll culture as a program to enhance the local economy. This way, not only has Taishan Township brought about new business opportunities, many of the women participating in community development can hopefully improve their self-empowerment. This paper reviewed the development history of industries in Taishan Township from the perspective of globalization theories, aimed to analyze the difficulties of local industrial upgrades from the perspective of economic geography, and examine the effects of industrial promotion strategies in community building. Lastly, this paper aimed to explore opportunities for the empowerment of women in the community. It hoped to clarify the issues of industrial upgrading, community building, and women’s empowerment regarding local industry development history, and reestablish the relationship between economic development and cultural experience.

Why did Bratz dolls appeal to young girls? To answer this question, sixty Israeli girls, 6–11 years old, completed Boldizar's (1989) Children's Sex Role Inventory (CSRI) and were later asked how many Barbies and Bratz dolls they have. After being shown pictures of a Barbie and a Bratz doll, they were asked as to their preference, justified their preference, and explained why girls in general like the dolls. Feminine girls indicated having a larger number of dolls of both types and all girls reported having more Barbies; yet nearly all girls reported preferring to play with Bratz. Feminine girls were least likely to offer positive descriptors of Bratz dolls. The dolls’ beauty was more often cited as reasons for younger girls’ liking both dolls, and such explanations were independent of girls’ gender role orientation. Gender role orientation did not impact any of the categories of preference justification for Barbie, but it did impact justifications for liking Bratz, with androgynous and undifferentiated girls more often citing Bratz's clothes as justifications for liking the doll. The data indicate that Bratz's appearance and clothing appealed primarily to girls with nontraditional gender role orientations.

This essay examines the recent shift in children's market popularity away from Barbie towards the hip alterity of the Bratz doll line. Tracing how race, class, and notions of “the other” have transformed the manner in which American girls are reimagining what it means to be stylish, empowered, and womanly, the essay focuses on four spaces of critical inquiry. It first considers the paradoxical investment in racial identities on which the line of Bratz dolls rely. Secondly, it interrogates the gender and sexual politics of the line. The third point of examination is the influence of materialism and commodity culture on the look, feel, and appeal of the line. Finally, it discusses the exoticization within the doll line. The “streetcred” culture with which the line exploits creates a tourist opportunity of the urban imaginary space, as well as racial identities within that space, without the messiness of the urban reality.