NEW YORK, 12:33 AM, MON JUL 7 | 7 POSTS IN THE LAST 24 HOURS | tips@consumerist.com | RSS
Posts Tagged “

Barbie

”
toxic toys

Mattel Losing Money As Manufacturing Costs Rise

Mattel is losing money as manufacturing costs in China rise, according to Bloomberg:
Sales of Barbie fell 12 percent in the U.S. as the 49-year- old doll faced competition from Hannah Montana and Ganz's Webkinz. Mattel, which recalled more than 21 million Chinese-made products in 2007, expects Chinese manufacturing costs to rise further. The yuan has climbed 10 percent against the dollar over the past 12 months, and inflation in China is near an 11-year high.
More »

1:46 PM on Mon Apr 21 2008
By Meg Marco
1,501 views, 28 comments

indoctrination

Barbie Teaches Credit Cards 101: "You Never Run Out Of Money!"

Fashion Fever Shopping Boutique, the correctly named Barbie toy, features a built-in credit card swiper and a life-size credit card for young children to use when buying outfits for their dolls. According to the Amazon website, "Once the balance hits zero, it will reset so you can continue to shop." More »

2:57 PM on Mon Oct 8 2007
By Chris Walters
8,433 views, 62 comments

lawsuits

Mattel Sues Porn Site Over "Barbie" Trademark

Mattel's lawyers are having a busy week, they're suing a porn site over use of their trademark "Barbie." From Dow Jones:
The El Segundo, Calif., toy maker sued Global China Networks LLC in federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday over its Web site, www.chinabarbie.com. Global is a limited liability company organized in Florida and maintains a post-office box in New York, according to the complaint.
More »

10:14 AM on Thu Aug 23 2007
By Meg Marco
1,921 views, 13 comments

barbie

Take that Bratz: Barbie is Back?

Apparently, Toy giant Mattel is coming back with a vengence on the strength of sales of T.M.X. Elmo and...Barbie? After stiff competition from those slutty-looking (allegedly foul-mouthed) Bratz dolls, Barbie is finally making a comeback. From the Washington Post:
Gross sales of its Barbie line rose 3 percent domestically and worldwide during the quarter.
More »

3:29 PM on Mon Jan 29 2007
By Meg Marco
1,126 views, 14 comments

barbie

Target Needs To Fire Their Website Copywriter

It wasn't but last week that we endured the presidential doll nomenclature crisis, and now this! More »

12:41 PM on Wed Sep 13 2006
By Ben Popken
443 views, 12 comments

barbie

Oopsy Poopy Barbie Doggie

Barbie doll has a dog named Tanner who is just like a real dog! Tanner is soft and fuzzy and her mouth, ears, head and tail really move! You can open Tanner dog's mouth and feed her the dog biscuits. Comes with a dog bone and chew toys that Tanner can hold in her mouth, too. When Tanner has to go to the bathroom, Barbie doll cleans up with her special magnetic scooper and trash can. Posable Barbie doll included that measures 12" tall.

9:11 PM on Tue Sep 12 2006
By Ben Popken
1,278 views, 6 comments

Latest by Yep: A camper van, a 'vette, a cruise ship, a jet, and horny, weak-sphinctered pets. Wouldn't your head get big, too? more »

Finally! This Site Covers A REAL Consumerist Issue My 11 year old, cute-as-a-button cousin Lilly writes in: And so it was. Click to enlarge if the font's too tiny.

7 comments

fuel economy

The News; Wal-Mart Hires Flying Nun

• The creative team was crushed to learn Mother Theresa wasn't available. [LAT] "Wal-Mart Puts Its Faith in Ex-Nun to Convert Critics"
• Keep those tips up, Barbie! [NYT] "Mattel Reports a Profit"
• Almost all the news that's fit to print. [NYT] "Times to Reduce Page Size and Close a Plant in 2008"
• A butterfly coughs in Arabia. [CT] "Wake-Up Call to U.S. on Oil?"
• The breathtaking views available while on the osteoporosis drug Evista include fatal strokes and blood clots. [LAT] "Lilly Drug Shown to Raise Blood-Clot Risk"
• Gas efficiency party like it's 1994. [LAT] "'Fuel Economy Unchanged From Decade Ago"
• Mr. Hooters is dead at 69, huh huh. [NYT] "Robert H. Brooks, 69, Owner of Hooters Restaurant Chain, Is Dead"

9:50 AM on Tue Jul 18 2006
By Ben Popken
126 views, Comment

barbie

Barbie is Dead

For this post, we knew exactly what image we were looking for: an image of Barbie — barefoot and flanked by Ken and two of Barbie's pan-ethnic plastic girlfriends — sashaying with shopping bags right across Abbey Road. Unfortunately, that image doesn't exist, and we're too stupid to make it. So instead, we've been forced to illustrate it with this image of a murdered Barbie, her head crushed by a Volkwagen sized aluminum can. Serves her right, the cocktease. More »

6:40 AM on Tue Jun 27 2006
By consumerist.com
587 views, 4 comments

Latest by The Reviewer: Where do you get your pics, they always seem so perfect for the entry. more »

barbie

Mattel Presents Ooga Booga Barbie

Over at the Bleat, James Lileks took time out of talking about how great the olden days are to illustrate that, though we live in an age of Hooker Barbies, it's not like they just started being offensive. More »

6:40 AM on Wed Jun 21 2006
By consumerist.com
611 views, 2 comments

the news

The News; Fitter, Better, Happier, More Productive

• Goodbye Barbie princess, hello Barbie biatch. [LAT]
• Try It, You'll Like it, again. True proof there are absolutely no new ideas in advertising. [NYT]
• A month on Paxil taught him to love being shy. [Slate]
• Homeland Security Incorporated; running domestic defense like a business means capitalizing on fear for the unscrupulous. [NYT]

11:34 AM on Mon Jun 19 2006
By Ben Popken
51 views, 4 comments

barbie

Barbie Is Still A Dirty Whore

Given the fact that most children's first experience oggling the fascinating mystery of the opposing gender's genitalia comes from pulling down a Barbie or Ken doll's genitalia and examining the amorphous mass of plastic at the crotch, it probably shouldn't be surprising that there's a lot of busy-body parental groups who are willing to launch consumerist campaigns any time Barbie exhibits a glimmer of sexuality. More »

11:40 AM on Wed May 31 2006
By consumerist.com
424 views, 2 comments

top

Barbie Brand Extension Prompts Farking

Like a tired brand getting a face lift, the revelation that Mattel will trot a line of 50's inspired Barbie dolls prompted Farkers to Botox another trope, the inapropropriate occupation Barbie. More »

12:24 AM on Wed May 24 2006
By popkin
559 views, Comment

toys

Barbie Scarred Me, And I Liked It

Lil Miss Rodeo is the least of [insert the name a potentially concerned party here]'s worries about the new line of Barbie pinup dolls. How about French Maid Barbie? More »

6:15 PM on Wed May 17 2006
By popkin
131 views, 1 comment

cheesecake

Finally. Barbie Goes Cheesecake.

Mattel has announced that every ten year old boy's secret plastic girlfriend, Barbie, is finally going 50's sexpot. The lascivious, long legged tramp is getting her own "Pin-Up" line of dolls, inspired by the fifty year old cheesecake calendars still mustily crumbling upon the wall of our grandfathers' garages. More »

5:22 AM on Wed May 17 2006
By consumerist.com
696 views, 3 comments

barbie

Consumer Reports Oyster Awards

Consumer Reports handed out the "Oyster Awards" for most difficult to open packages. More »