Begin rant. A few days ago I posted about Moschino Barbie, and my confusion about her popularity. I stand by my opinions, but I apparently am standing with egg on my face, because guess what? Moschino sold out less than an hour after she was launched! Don't believe me? Here's the link.
Much to my chagrin, this doll was designed by Jeremy Scott, the very man whom I had hoped would design a doll in the future. Like I said in the previous post, this doll isn't bad, but it's disappointing considering what a Scott-designed doll COULD have looked like! Scott has done dresses emblazoned with Bart Simpson, totem pole faces, and rainbow-colored bricks. The brick dress is my favorite, because it reminds me of Print Aplenty, one of my favorite Mod Barbie fashions. In fact, having seen Scott's brick dress, I can't help wondering if Print Aplenty was his inspiration. Maybe I'm wrong, but it certainly is an interesting prospect. LOL, digression!
The commercial for this Barbie also leaves me shaking my head for a number of reasons, and the discussion on that will take up the bulk of this post. The commercial seems to imply that this doll is appropriate for kids, and she's not. The Barbie Collectors website says specifically that this doll is for the adult collector. This is something that I've always felt passionately about. In the past there have been drop-dead gorgeous dolls for collectors like Barbie Basics Model #10, Blond Diamond Barbie, Katniss Everdeen, and Tokidoki Barbie. All of them were intended for adults as well, and yet parents had a fit about "messages" that they were sending. Model #10 wore a neckline that was too deep, Blondie wore a fur coat that raised the hackles of militant animal rights activists, Katniss was believed to promote violence and Tokidoki's tattoo supposedly promoted deviant lifestyles. If you look closely at the Barbie Collectors entries on all these dolls (Tokidoki no longer has one), you will notice that the page says "For the adult collector." I wish the website said "THESE DOLLS AREN'T FOR KIDS, YOU DUMMIES!!!" instead. Anyway, the same is true of Moschino Barbie. She's a doll for adult collectors, and yet the commercial seems to imply otherwise.
But wait, there's more! The children also bother me...or rather, it bothers me how they've been made to look and act like little grownups. The three children, two girls and one boy, are perfectly put together. They all have adult-style makeup, professional hairstyles, and clothes that look like designer kiddie threads. You and I both know darn good and well that kids don't normally look like that. They wear jeans, T-shirts, dresses, and tennis shoes. Their hair is usually windblown and gathered up in braids or ponytails, or it's allowed to hang free. The lack of childishness in these children disturbs me.
The childrens' speech also reflects this quasi-adult theme. The first line is delivered by the blonde girl, and she gushes "She's the most Moschino Barbie, EVERRR," in a tone that sounds both vapid and melodramatic. She sounds like she's forcing herself to get excited about this doll. The boy's turn is next, and he does no better. "Moschino Barbie is SOOOOO fierce," he says, and he too sounds like he doesn't believe what he's saying. The black girl gets the next line, and she does a little better. She closes her eyes and sighs "I looove you, Moschino Barbie." That's more along the lines of something I'd expect a child to say to a doll, but again, the delivery falls flat. The last line goes to the boy, who holds a tiny telephone to the doll's ear and says cheerfully, "It's for you!" Much better, little boy. That's how kids are supposed to play with Barbie dolls.
But wait, there's more! The children also bother me...or rather, it bothers me how they've been made to look and act like little grownups. The three children, two girls and one boy, are perfectly put together. They all have adult-style makeup, professional hairstyles, and clothes that look like designer kiddie threads. You and I both know darn good and well that kids don't normally look like that. They wear jeans, T-shirts, dresses, and tennis shoes. Their hair is usually windblown and gathered up in braids or ponytails, or it's allowed to hang free. The lack of childishness in these children disturbs me.
The childrens' speech also reflects this quasi-adult theme. The first line is delivered by the blonde girl, and she gushes "She's the most Moschino Barbie, EVERRR," in a tone that sounds both vapid and melodramatic. She sounds like she's forcing herself to get excited about this doll. The boy's turn is next, and he does no better. "Moschino Barbie is SOOOOO fierce," he says, and he too sounds like he doesn't believe what he's saying. The black girl gets the next line, and she does a little better. She closes her eyes and sighs "I looove you, Moschino Barbie." That's more along the lines of something I'd expect a child to say to a doll, but again, the delivery falls flat. The last line goes to the boy, who holds a tiny telephone to the doll's ear and says cheerfully, "It's for you!" Much better, little boy. That's how kids are supposed to play with Barbie dolls.
Lastly, I have some issues with the boy's presence in the first place. As stated above I'm a conservative, and I don't enjoy this gender-neutral nonsense being shoved down my throat. I might not feel this way if the little boy in this commercial acted like he was genuinely having fun. The problem is that he just doesn't seem to be enjoying himself. His first line of dialogue sounds overly passionate, the way people do when they're lying about how excited they are about something. His smile doesn't look real either. His second line of dialogue is much better, as he gets into the spirit of pretending Barbie has a phone call. However, it's too little, too late for me. I feel sorry for this little boy, and for the two little girls too, for that matter. Watching them be forced to love this doll for the sake of money and political correctness makes me cringe. Yeah, they're probably being paid, but how much fun are they having with this insanely expensive doll that just stands there and looks pretty? It makes me yearn to take them all outside and do a remake of the Bubble Angel Barbie commercial. Oh, how I loved that commercial! The children run around on a cute, kid-friendly set, and in their hands are brightly colored Barbie dolls that double as bubble wands! That's the type of commercial that I want to see kids in, the type where they're allowed to run and laugh and play make-believe all they want. I could easily see a little boy having fun that way, and I wish the little boy in the Moschino commercial could've gotten to do that. It probably would've been the same pay, but noooo. He and the girls ended up in studio that was probably brightly lit and either too hot or too cold, being paid to recite lines that sounded fake and inappropriate for children.
I am RagingMoon1987, and I stand by my comments. End rant.
I am RagingMoon1987, and I stand by my comments. End rant.
OMG, I had not seen this commercial before. It actually made me laugh a little. What was Mattel thinking?! These dolls are clearly for the adult collector. (Plus is says so on the site and in the catalog). I can't imagine any parent buying a doll for $150 and giving it to a kid who would likely destroy it within minutes (or at least a couple of days). Same thing for the other collector dolls you mention in your post! But I guess some people are just idiots and what can we do about it?! BTW, I thoroughly enjoy reading your blog and your commentary. I find it very entertaining. And, it is your blog after all!
ReplyDeleteSome folks just never learn, I guess. They think that all dolls are for kids, which just isn't true. Thank you for the positive feedback on this post, by the way. I was feeling a bit antsy about it since my opinions aren't always the "right" ones.
DeleteVery weird to see a kid-focused commercial for a $150 doll, but I suppose they must have some marketing research behind it? Wild. But I suppose there are plenty of parents who spend upwards of $100 on 18" play dolls, so maybe they're trying to tap into that market?
ReplyDeleteThat said, I will confess though that I like seeing boys in ads for dolls and girls in ads for action figures. Nothing to do with politics - I was a girl who loved "boy" toys and I have a friend whose son loved Barbies when he was younger, and I think it's cool to see companies show that they're aware that their market isn't always divided as all those blue and pink aisles would imply. YMMV.
I liked boy toys too. My favorite things were Matchbox cars, dinosaurs, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Like I said above, I wouldn't mind seeing a boy in this commercial if he genuinely acted like he was having fun. Maybe he is. Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions, but none of these children really act like they're enjoying themselves. All they really do is sit and talk about the doll.
DeleteIn the boy's defense, he's the only one playing with the doll the way a kid should. He takes the telephone and pretends Barbie's got a phone call, and that's great. I love kids that can play make-believe and I think it's a shame that these kids didn't get to do that more in this commercial.
Heh, I just think that most child actors just aren't very good, so I figure they're all just in "acting mode".
DeleteThat's very true. I guess I should cut the kids some slack on the acting bit; they're at least trying.
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