BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?

Subject: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: Newport Boy
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 05:49 AM

Esther Addley, in today's Guardian Diary:

So it's 18 days and counting to the big one. Yes, here at the Diary, it's all about Barbie's 50th anniversary on 9 March, a timely opportunity to celebrate five whole joyful decades of dead eyes and tippy-toed anorexia. And to mark the happy day, an email arrives from The Spa PR Company:
"Barbie, who (whisper it) must've had work done because she's looking a little plastic, reveals her secrets to staying young..."
Appended is an image of the doll, with arrows to her nose, teeth, lips and breasts, each labelled with the name of a cosmetic surgery clinic that may have lent a hand. And annotating her groin - good golly, miss dolly! - the charming text: "laser vaginal rejuvenation", with the name of a clinic offering just such a service.
We call Spa PR.
"We just thought we would use Barbie's birthday as a fun way to bring attention to LVR," says a representative.
We call Mattel UK.
"Wow," says a spokeswoman.
And whaddya know, some moments later an email arrives from Spa PR:
"We would like to retract the press release issued in error from our office this morning regarding the 50th birthday of Barbie and request that all information contained in the release be disregarded. This was sent without authority or approval from parties concerned and we apologise immediately to Mattel and all those mentioned for any offence this may have caused."

Permit us to say: we at the Diary will always defend Barbie's right - or indeed that of any other plastic toy - to have an unrejuvenated wotsit. You're welcome, madam.


Opinions, please.

Phil

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: GUEST,LTS pretending to work
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 08:16 AM

Aww.... shame... it's about time that ghastly creature was outed for all the work done on her... and those hair extensions too!

Although one wonders what the equivalent 'rejuvination' would be for Ken who, as far as I'm aware, has never had anything to rejuvinate.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: SINSULL
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 08:17 AM

Barbie's a bitch. She had those cute little punk dolls taken off the market because little girls liked their edgy sexiness more than her pristine serenity.

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: SINSULL
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 08:22 AM

I would love to see a fifty year old Barbie with sagging boobs, fallen arches and her butt dragging around around her calves. They could have a whole new line of undergarments - girdles, body shapers, trusses, support hose for her vericose veins.


Maybe she needs to be 70 before this would really apply...

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: frogprince
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 10:40 AM

A few years back, a couple of women started redoing Barbies into their own versions: Hooker Barbie, Trailer Trash Barbie, maybe some others; the piece-de-resistance was Drag Queen Barbie, a Ken in Barbie clothes. I saw them on TV. They said they knew they were bound to get busted for copyright violation, but in the mean time they were having a blast.

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: Rapparee
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 11:05 AM

Gee, I thought that there was a laser treatment? available to Ken.

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: Peace
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 01:51 PM

"Permit us to say: we at the Diary will always defend Barbie's right"

She has a divine right. Her left ain't bad, either.

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: Peace
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 01:56 PM

I wonder what would happen if she mated with Barney?



But then, how could she?

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: GUEST,Chongo Chimp
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 02:01 PM

She ain't got the necessary parts to do that. Neither does Barney.

Damn good thing, isn't it?

- Chongo

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: Jeri
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 02:22 PM

I see Barney and Tinky-Winky (or whateverhisnameis) a more likely couple.

Mary, there's probably a market for grandma dolls. I know that when I was a little kid, I did NOT like to be hugged by bony people. I liked my old-lady-hugs warm and fluffy and smelling of baked goods. Never knew my grandparents, but there were plenty of other relatives and family friends. So there might be a chance for a plastic surgery and designer dresses grandma Barbie, but I like the idea of a Cabbage Patch granny with big boobs and possibly little plastic removable teeth.

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: Peace
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 02:31 PM

Madison Avenue sure has screwed up our conceptions of what constitutes good looks or 'beauty'. Scary when one thinks about it.

************************************************

Years back after Falwell (that 'religious' nut) said that Tinky Winky was gay I went looking for my youngest daughter's Tinky Winky doll. I was laughing lots when I found him. He was in the closet.

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 02:33 PM

Did he come out after that?

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: Peace
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 02:35 PM

Hell, LH, I still don't know if 'he' was a he or a she (I looked). Kinda like Barbie.

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 02:37 PM

Nothing there, eh?

Be glad, man. Just think what would happen if the damn things could reproduce!

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: Peace
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 02:55 PM

They were cloned.

I'm thinking that that thing on the green one's head was meant for Ken. Any ideas?

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: frogprince
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 02:59 PM

A guy I worked with a few years ago said his kid had an "anatomically correct" set of Barbie and Ken. He said that the plastic was just stiff enough to keep Ken "about half erect".

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: Amos
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 03:12 PM

Mad Ave has seriously dinged a lot more than that--including any sense of what is real, any ability to sort out what is important versus what is not, and any version of integrity as a value over appearance.


A

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: Peace
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 03:13 PM

I get spam that has the answer for that . . . .

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: Don Firth
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 03:17 PM

Falwell claimed that the triangle on Tinky Winky's head (supposed to be an antenna for the television screen in his tummy, isn't it?) is a symbol of homosexuality (did he consult with Pythagoras on this?) and that purple is a "gay color" (does that mean that royalty is gay? "Royal Purple" and all that). And that Tinky Winky carried a purse (on the show, whenever he carried it, it was called his "magic bag").

I think that says more about Falwell than it does about Tinky Winky.

Then, of course, there's Bert and Ernie. They slept in the same bed!!

Sin and depravity is everywhere!!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: Peace
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 03:19 PM

WHERE WILL IT END?

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: Rapparee
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 05:28 PM

Well, if I hadn't posted it would have ended there.

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: frogprince
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 05:56 PM

Tom Paxton replied to the Tinky Winky nonsence some years ago

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: Hollowfox
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 07:04 PM

I just got done reading a review of an upcoming book called Toy Monster: the Big Bad World of Mattel by Jerry Oppenheimer. It's apparently an expose of just how strange Barbie's creation really was. Sounds interesting.

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: Rapparee
Date: 20 Feb 09 - 07:00 PM

Well, there I was listening to NPR the other day and lo! and behold! they had a program on about...BARBIE!!

Seems like Barbie evolved from a German sex toy.

Really.

No shit.

I'm not kidding, you know.

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: Ebbie
Date: 20 Feb 09 - 09:23 PM

I seem to recall that a mother got the idea and designed the dolls. Her son and daughter were named Ken and Barbie. ?

Subject: RE: BS: Apology enough, or should Barbie sue?
From: frogprince
Date: 20 Feb 09 - 10:45 PM

I've heard Repaire's version for years, from what looked to be credible sources. But then again, "credible sources" have been taken in more than once.