Passport-wielding, chihuahua-bearing Mexican Barbie sparks outrage

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:34:00 +0000

A new Mexican Barbie in Mattel’s “Dolls of the World” series has sparked outrage for what opponents argue is an offensive depiction of Mexican culture.

According to Fox News Latino, the new line of Barbie dolls was launched to appeal to a more “diverse generation” of customers and boasts a number of dolls from Latin America. But the Mexican Barbie, its newest addition, sparked a particular backlash when journalist Laura Martinez mocked it on her blog, writing, “The folks over at Mattel are so smart, that not only they have come up with a Mexican Barbie, but they have given her all the possible tools to go around the U.S. the world undisturbed [sic].”

Personal tech upends the toy market

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 19:49:00 +0000

Children have played with dolls for millenia. It was a good run.

Mattel is the maker of Barbie and Hot Wheels, but this year its top selling toy is a plastic cell phone case, according to the Financial Times (subscription required):

Whether a new Kindle Fire, or a hand-me-down iPad, analysts predict 2012 will be the year children as young as three-years-old will unwrap tablets at trendsetting rates. And that has the traditional toy companies scrambling to stay relevant.

“The top two guys, Mattel and Hasbro, they are terrified,” said Sean McGowan, managing director of equity research at Needham & Company, an investment banking firm. “They should be terrified, but the official party line is they’re not terrified.”

Salon.com > Mattel

Passport-wielding, chihuahua-bearing Mexican Barbie sparks outrage

Personal tech upends the toy market