Saturday, February 28, 2009

Fifty Years of Barbie Games


You might be amazed to realize it, but February marks the 50th anniversary of Barbie games. The fashion icon was introduced to the world in a black and white striped bathing suit fifty years ago complete with red heels and a high fashion pony tail. If you’re young enough, you might be lucky to have a mother and a grandmother who can all lay claim to Barbie dolls in their youth.

There are few things that can bring generations together more than toys. Simply looking back on Barbie games from your older years can make you remember simpler times fondly. You can even play with children and grandchildren while you enjoy childhood toys a second time. For those of today’s generation, you actually have option when it comes to Barbie games.

You can play the original version of the games complete with blonde bombshell dolls, or you can head online to play the internet’s best version of Barbie games. Dress up or flash games, you have almost endless options when it comes to finding your favorite fashion icon online. Her anniversary might very well bring more games into the mix, so be on the lookout for something new and different.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Barbie Games Candy and Other Goodies


Barbie is releasing her own candy line beginning in April. The first offering will be a box of chocolate heels – perhaps a true inspiration from her famous high heels. There will be many new offerings from Barbie as she turns fifty this year and many of the announcements about her new products followed a giant fashion show to celebrate Barbie’s birthday.

In celebration of her anniversary, there will also be a many throwbacks to the classic Barbie – the original Barbie, complete with ponytail, will be one of many iconic Barbie images on Sephora products this year.

For many girls, Barbie is the first foray into the world of adult fashion and beauty. Women of all ages, of all positions and in various roles of power around the world can all reminisce about Barbie to some degree or another. If you still have your old Barbies, keep them as long as possible, and be sure to store them properly – high heat can be harmful to the dolls, and you want them in good condition to prove to future generations that you did, in fact, play with Barbie, too.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

What’s The Point of Barbie Games?


Ever sit down with your Barbies and wonder why you play? I sincerely doubt it. Barbie games are naturally fun and appealing to girls, otherwise they would never have been as popular as they are today. But while you might not wonder about Barbie games, older generations do. In fact, the people who now wonder at the value of Barbie games were the same ones defending their Barbies to their parents just a few decades ago.

Imaginative Play
The biggest advantage of Barbie games is the imaginative play that comes through when you put a voice and personality to your dolls. The more you use your imagination, the more likely you are to be a problem solver and be able to think “outside the box.” This is especially powerful in college and someday when you’re working.

Innocent Fun
The Barbie games are good, clean fun. You can’t argue against the (now) wholesome image of Barbie and her many stellar occupations. Barbie isn’t known for having wild clothing or a sultry, sexy image. She’s all about becoming the first plastic president of the United States and that’s something everyone can get on board with. At the very least, it’s fun to play that sort of game with your Barbie dolls.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

How Many Barbies Do You Own?


Ever wonder how you measure up in Barbie games? The real test is how many Barbies you actually own.

A Single Barbie
If you only own a single Barbie you’re either very dedicated or very detached from the fashion games. It might be that you play with your single Barbie constantly and love everything about her or it could be that she was a gift and you honestly don’t care about her. (If that’s the case, give her to someone who does – a little sister, perhaps.)

2-4 Barbies
If you have a modest Barbie collection, you’re in the norm. Most girls have at least two different Barbie dolls – usually ones with different features, or perhaps a Barbie and Ken doll. A handful of Barbies make it more fun to play together, especially if you have friends over.

5+ Barbies
Unless you have sisters or cousins who have gifted you with all of their reject Barbies you’re looking at a bit of trouble once you cross into the realm of five or ten Barbies. Having that many makes it hard to focus on the Barbie games and might very well be a sign of a fickle mind – you just can’t decide who’s right for you.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Barbie’s Due for a Birthday!


The month of March will be very big for Barbie. She turns fifty and will have a massive celebration throughout New York. Fifty models will showcase fifty designs created especially for Barbie throughout the years and those same designs will be available for the Barbie dolls from select New York toy stores.

Famous designers such as Vera Wang are creating gowns and clothing lines for the Barbie-like models to wear. Wang will be creating a bridal gown that retail for $15,000 although you can buy a scaled down version for your Barbie doll at $150. The celebration will include many other designers although it not yet clear who they will be.

When Barbie arrived on the scene fifty years ago, the Barbie games she created were far different from the baby dolls that had dominated the scene before that point. Barbie was the beginning of a fashion doll revolution that has taken off and is not growing all over the world with the introduction of the Bratz dolls seven years ago and fantasy fashion dolls of many kinds from doll makers around the globe.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Barbie Games Are Losing Ground to the Bratz


It’s a sad day when a bunch of punk princesses can beat out the queen of the fashion dolls, but sadly that day has come. The Bratz have carved a steady hole into Barbie’s profits and now Mattel, the company that creates Barbie dolls, has confirmed they they lost almost half of their revenue last year.

This is likely due to many factors. The first is the desire of families to scale back spending in light of the current economy. A small Christmas season can certainly create a loss of profits. But far and large, the biggest problem with Barbie profits is the Bratz games.

Barbie games have always been popular with dreamers. Beautiful gowns and princess hair styles are second nature to four and five-year-olds. But when it comes to older girls, they want something with a bit more realism. Even though the Bratz dolls appear to have just walked out of a video game, the large-eyed creature better represent modern culture than the Barbies – especially to the trendier crowd. Barbie games might be classic and beautiful, but they aren’t especially trendy.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Three Ways to Improve Your Barbie Games


Like playing Barbie game online? If so, you’re not alone, but you might be missing valuable opportunities to improve your game. There are simple ways to improve your Barbie dress up games online, although there is a very high likelihood you’re doing just fine on your own.

Try New Combinations
Don’t be afraid to try new things. Barbie games are great because they have so many different outfits and clothing combinations you can use. However, if you keep making bland, matching outfits, you’re not getting into the spirit of the game. Try pulling together something a bit more elaborate.

Use a Completely Different Style
Sure there hasn’t been a goth Barbie released to the public, but you might very well have the first gothic attired Barbie in your town if you get creative playing online Barbie games. See just how that blonde haired princess would look in black and silver. You might be surprised!

Relax and Have Fun
Finally, don’t worry about what kind of game you’re playing. You might have a hang-up about playing Barbie games rather than something more “macho” online. Don’t worry about it. Barbie games are just as fun as everything else – perhaps even more so.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

She’s So Blonde and Beautiful


If there were ever a doll who deserved a song, it’s Barbie. And I don’t mean the silly little Aqua song. I’m referring to a song, or an ode, to all that Barbie games have become throughout the world. Who knew that a small plastic and rubber doll could have such a world-wide impact.

Barbie blew into the lives of little girls everywhere decades ago, and she hasn’t changed much. Barbie games are fun because, despite her rather generous proportions, Barbie is a girl who could be real. She’s not a baby doll and she lets you do what you really want to do – dress her up in fabulous outfits.

Barbie has inspired many girls to pay a bit more attention to their own style and when Barbie began taking on so many careers, she even got a bit more interesting to those who hadn’t cared for her empty-headed fashion nature previously. Now that Barbie is a doctor, a lawyer and a veterinarian, she’s deemed acceptable for any girl to play with. The fact that she’s obviously intelligent while also attractive is a nice testament to the times we live in.