Thu, March 12, 2009
Toy manufacturer Mattel unveils its latest Barbie at the Nuremberg Toy Fair as the celebrations marking the doll's 50th birthday begin.
The most famous plastic doll of all, "Barbie" is turning 50. While Mattel is celebrating the brand's enduring appeal with a new 'Anniversary Barbie', recent sales figures have disappointed suggesting the doll may have to evolve yet further to stay in step with the current climate.
NAT SOUND OF 1959 COMMERCIAL SAYING (English)
"Barbie, your beautiful. You make me feel my Barbie Doll is really real."
It's been 50 years since the first Barbie doll hit the market. The creation of Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler, the doll was positioned as a neat petite girl's toy with a figure that would fit any fashion. Sale price, 3 dollars. Favourite colour - pink.
Well, at least some things don't change. This was the scene as the Nuremberg Toy Fair got underway in Germany, kicking off a year of celebrations marking the milestone for the world's most iconic doll. That said, the doll's latest look courtesy of German designer Philipp Plein is more grown up and understated.
Barbie brand manager Richard Dickson.
SOUNDBITE: RICHARD DICKSON, GENERAL MANAGER AND SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF BARBIE, SAYING(English) :
"I think Barbie has been so successful because she represents girls' dreams."
While all the talk here is of Barbie's enduring appeal, Mattel's most important property has gone through a tough spell of late. Numbers released by the company just two days ahead of this event show sales of the doll falling 21 percent in the fourth quarter.
The company's international President Bryan Stockton hints that that disappointing performance has amounted to something of a wake up call.
SOUNDBITE: BRYAN STOCKTON, PRESIDENT INTERNATIONAL MATTEL, SAYING (English) :
"Well Barbie has always been mindful of value and creativity so one of the things that we are planning to do with Barbie is to make sure that we have some new fresh ideas that are facing the realities of the economic turmoil and trying times everybody is going through. So I think you'll see Barbie reflects some of the concerns of people and some of the lifestyle changes that people are going through because Barbie has always been a reflection of the culture and the environment."
Perhaps Austerity Barbie is not too far off.
