There is something you may not know about me……
Confession: I have a secret fascination with Barbie.
I am sure it goes back to my childhood.
And really?
I am a bit embarrassed about it but here is the thing:
I had four Barbies growing up. My favorites were Malibu Barbie and a “Miss America 1970 something Barbie” (who actually had a short brown wavy bob). I admit, I longed for the Barbie Dream House with the pink elevator, but that was not in the cards.
You see, all my Barbies had a good life but they lived under my bed with makeshift furniture and no windows. Poor things, they did not have a car, boyfriend or very much clothing.
Fast-forward the clock from my childhood to 4 years ago: I am now the mother of two young girls.
My oldest decided quite early in life that she was NOT a Barbie Fan, but that did not stop my dream.
When my youngest started to express an interest, I quickly embraced the opportunity to build the perfect Barbie family.
Unlike the ’70s, where Barbie was pretty much white and blonde; she has come a long way in the past 30 years. I was determined that the “Barbies” who came to live in the Badal household would represent diversity. We had been given the “Traditional” Blonde Barbie so I was eager to build her a group of friends from all walks of life.
I started with the African Queen Barbie.
She had a short Afro and wore a cape with her African colors. She was one of those dolls you were supposed to keep in the box but we never did. Instead, we had great fun introducing her to modern day clothing (which was quite a departure from her tribal garb). She also moved from her African Village into our Modernized New York Penthouse Barbie Apartment. (Ironically, this NYC Penthouse is currently located in the basement of my Albuquerque Home).
I then discovered “Pregnant Barbie.” She was a true find.
She actually had a shell of a stomach that magnetically attached to Barbie’s tummy and a baby fit in it. She was quite something! (If only having a baby was that easy.) Of course, at that time, we had yet to get a “Ken” so how Barbie got pregnant was always a mystery. Luckily, we never went there and I ended up giving the Barbie to a good friend of mine who is an OBGYN.
I found a Trailer Trash Barbie but opted to not buy her as she was a beer-guzzling cigarette-smoking doll and I feared that she might be a bad influence on the other girls.
I found a Mulan at a second-hand store and quickly scooped her up. (Asian Barbies are hard to come by if you have not noticed).
Then there was the Twilight series. How could I possibly pass up on Edward, Jacob, and Bella?
Edward actually had glistening skin (after all, he is a Vampire Barbie) and Jacob sported some pretty serious muscles that would put good old Ken to shame. Jacob even has a tattoo! (hmmm…I guess Tattoos are ok for the man but not for the woman!).
You may be wondering where I am going with this.
Well, last October, Mattel introduced Tokidoki Barbie.
She is a Fashionista Barbie with
tattoos all over her body (back, chest and arm). She sports a “mean” pink bob and has a green dog (if that is what you call it) named Bastardino (love the name).
My dear friend, Eleanore, who writes the “LifeTart” blog, quickly ordered me one knowing how I would LOVE her and she would fit right with the rest of the Barbie Clan.
Sadly, Mattel stopped manufacturing the dolls as she was viewed as a “bad influence” to young girls.
Eleanore was able to get one Tokidoki Barbie and I had great fun looking at her in her box over the weekend. The $60 Barbie is now worth anywhere between $400-$700 depending on who will pay for the collector doll.
It is sad that Mattel has succumbed to this type of pressure.
I personally view Tattoos as an artistic expression. I have many friends and family members (mother included) with tattoos. They are all wonderful people who have influenced me in very positive ways.
Although my business, Flawless Skin Spa, offers laser tattoo removal, we support the tattoo artists and people with them in our community. We have one thing to say to Mattel:
” Bring Back Tokidoki Barbie Mattel!”
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