Barbie Games and Young Girls

Barbie was originally designed for older girls. The games were perfect for grade school girls who were tired of playing with baby dolls and who wanted something more realistic to play with besides paper dolls. When Barbie games were introduced, they were a huge novelty that caught on very fast. Today these girls play with the Barbie games online, but you’d be hard pressed to find many eight-year-olds at home with their Barbie dolls on a daily basis.

Instead it is the little girls who love the Barbie games. Toddlers and preschoolers are the most common owners of Barbie games and it’s not a bad thing by any stretch. With a huge collection of fashion dolls to choose from today on what used to be the pink aisle, Barbie games stand out thanks to their collection of princess and fantasy dolls. There simply isn’t a large selection of mermaid or fairy dolls that can be dressed up and actually played with. Barbie games have managed to catch a toe-hold on that market pretty effectively.

The Innocence of Barbie Games

The makers of Barbie games have worked hard to find ways to market the dolls in a casual, almost innocent way. The Barbie games feature the tall blonde bombshell with the tiny waist and large chest, but somehow her sexuality has been played way down. It might be that the world is simply a changing place and that today what we consider sexy and bold isn’t necessarily the same thing that caused a stir when the blonde doll was introduced, but I think it has to do more with some very clever marketing on the part of Mattel, the maker of the Barbie games.

Mattel is careful to position the Barbie games in an innocent light because the company is no longer marketing to grade school girls. Those girls are too savvy and world-wise to be interested in dressing up plastic dolls (although they have been known to play with the dress up games online.) The Barbie games are now being marketed to younger girls. Without asking Mattel, it’s reasonably clear that the Barbie games are being sold to preschoolers – three and four-year-olds more than anything else. Why else would most of the Barbies be princess or pop culture characters popular with this crowd?

Barbie Games and Gifts

I’m having a hard time giving Barbie games as gifts these days. It’s a strange phenomenon really, but it has less to do with the Barbie games and more to do with the girls I’d be giving the gifts to. For years I was buying gifts for three and four-year-old girls. In that age group, it seems like you can’t go wrong with a princess Barbie doll. But then something changes and it’s hard to tell if the kindergarten girls are still into Barbie games or not. Some have moved on and others are still there, but it’s always a gamble.

Not only are some girls not as thrilled with a Barbie game, the parents of these girls can be a bit hesitant to be excited about a Barbie as well. The connotation of the Barbie games with a ditzy blond and high fashion can be a bit much to swallow now that we all want our children to grow up strong and secure in their own right. Of course, Barbie games aren’t going to cause problems for anyone, and I still go for a pretty Barbie toy when I can, but there’s always that hesitation that makes me stop and think about what I’m doing.
 

Barbie Games at the Mall

There used to be a toy store inside the mall. When I was younger, I’d walk around the mall with my friends looking in the various stores for ways to spend my measly allowance. I’d find goodies in the inexpensive accessory stores and there was always something interesting to buy in the novelty shops, but my favorite way to spend some money in the mall was always the toy store. It was there that I could easily get away with my love of Barbie Games.

Like all good toy stores, there was most certainly a pink aisle right down the middle of the store. On the pink aisle, you’d find all kinds of Barbie games. There was the original Barbie doll dressed in a swimsuit and the Barbie dolls dressed up in different occupations. You could find Barbie games for every purpose or occasion, and even though I felt too old to actually buy the Barbie games for myself, I was certainly not too old to wander down the aisle just checking out what was new and different. It’s a habit, I’ll admit, I’ll still have when I shop in any store that has one of the lovely pink aisles.

Playing Barbie Games after School

I like to watch my younger sister come home from school. She’s excited about learning and since she only has a few minutes of homework every evening, she’s able to spend plenty of time playing with her favorite toys – the Barbie games. I can sit at the table working on my homework for extended periods of time while she plays quite contentedly in the next room. The Barbie games make me smile because it’s nice to see the innocence that comes with the early years of school.

My little sister is like many young children. She’s young enough to enjoy school and not be frustrated by it. It’s all new to her and she loves her warm and friendly teacher who thinks of fun projects and experiments to do in class. She loves to dress up for classes and to carry her Barbie games lunch box. And when she gets home, she just picks right back up with the Barbie games she was playing the day before. While I’m happy watching her be happy, I’m also just a tiny bit jealous of how carefree she is playing – enjoying herself and totally free of anything that resembles stress. It’s a charmed life with her Barbie games and I find myself charmed by it as well.