Barbie Games and Fun

There’s no way around it, Barbie games are just fun to play. For games as simple as they initially appear, many wonder what sort of appeal the Barbie games really have for the girls who seem to play them religiously. The answer is far more complex – and simple – than you might think.

Barbie games are simplistic. Thanks to the simplicity of the Barbie games, you can enjoy playing games without having to level up or save your work. You can start a new project and finish it in a few minutes or labor over a design and corresponding story for an hour and still be completely finished with the creation.

Barbie games are creative. There aren’t too many truly creative games online, but Barbie games are one of the most entertaining. To play Barbie games, you select a doll and then focus on the fashion and style for that doll. The end result can easily be a work of art.

Barbie games are fun to share. The beauty of Barbie games are easy to share with others. Simply email the picture or share it on a forum. Talk about your designs and enjoy seeing what others have created.

Barbie Games Off in China

Mattel, the company that produces Barbie games, did a bold thing in China. It opened a huge flagship store for Barbie games in the country targeting young professional women. The store has Barbie fashion dolls, of course, but there are fashion lines by Barbie and make up lines as well. There is even a Barbie bar in the store selling special adult beverages in a special Barbie line.

Unfortunately, the store isn’t doing very well just yet. Industry analysts have commented that the store has trouble on two counts. One, the Barbie games and fashion targeted at the young professional women is too sexy – not the cutesy little outfits these women prefer. Another failing is the location of the store. By having a separate storefront, Barbie games aren’t getting much foot traffic. It would have been far better for the Barbie games to be sold in a giant flagship store inside a mall where more Chinese women and girls would walk past and be enticed to comes inside. Barbie games have a strong following in China, but Mattel has yet to capitalize on that.

Barbie Games and Good Times

Some of my fondest memories of toys growing up were related to Barbie games. My two sisters and I would settle down with the Barbies and play all kinds of games that weren’t just about fashion. We had Barbies who rode horses and Barbies that lived in mansions. I remember dragging the Barbie dream house out of my room so that everyone could play with it and my sister would throw in the horse and a few of the prettier dresses.

The younger sister had some of the more interesting characters to contribute. She was Skipper, Barbie’s little sister, and she was the only one who didn’t have a Ken doll to play with. I had the blonde Ken for my beautiful Barbie doll and my older sister had the dark haired Ken doll, who I believe was correctly named Derek. Our boys didn’t have “real” hair the way the boy dolls do today. They had plastic hair which was just fine with us – much more conservative that way – a perfect prince for our princess Barbie games.  

Barbie Games and History

Barbie games are such an interesting marker of history. To be successful over fifty years, as Barbie games have been, the dolls must be in line with the times and desirable to the young girls who enjoy them and their mothers who like to find the right things for their children to play with. Barbie games are very much in line with American history and it’s fun to watch to progression of fashion over the years as the Barbies have changed.

Without spending too much time on her shrinking waistline or growing chest, Barbie’s fashions and career choices are the most interesting to this blogger. I think it’s fascinating that the styles of hair and clothing change as much on Barbie as they do on magazine covers and runways. The earliest Barbie had a high ponytail and a striped bathing suit. She was followed by a bouffant Barbie in a tight suit. The seventies Barbie was a bit earthier and gradually we got the Barbie we know and love today.

Barbie Games and Collections

I keep getting various ideas about how to collect Barbie games to use in collections down the road. I’m not a collector by nature, but occasionally, I’ll think of something fun to do with old toys and Barbies are one of those. One of the most interesting things I’ve considered is displays of Barbies in all their various forms of dress.

I’ll admit that I love Barbie dolls and how glamorous they can look in their pretty dresses and designer outfits. I also like the Barbies that have a purpose such as the veterinarian Barbie, the pilot Barbie and the doctor Barbie. The whole idea is appealing to me on a girly level, and one of these days I’m going to break down and actually start collecting the dolls to display in my office or around the house. I do think they would need to be displayed however. The one Barbie I kept from my youth experienced total hair loss after being stored in a hot attic. It was a shame, really.
 

Barbie Games and Window Displays

I just read a bit about a woman in New York who was wandering in her apartment and discovered her daughter’s old bag of Barbie games in the closet. Living in a first floor apartment building, she decided to use those Barbie games as part of her Christmas decorations. She created a window display of the Barbies dressed up in their holiday finest to show in her window.

Over the year, the displays have gotten more elaborate with ice skating ponds and wedding scenes being created from items she has on hand or has purchased throughout the year. The displays in her windows have become a Christmas time novelty. This year, she started the display in early December with a wedding ceremony for Barbie and Ken complete with guests and special flooring. About midmonth, she transformed the celebration to be the reception of the wedding with Ken playing a Grand Piano and plenty of guests.