HELLO BARBIE
“I’m a Barbie girl in a Barbie world
Life in plastic, it’s fantastic!
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere
Imagination, life is your creation”
.. and so goes the song from Aqua…
Well, I just covered the story on the Shanghai opening of the world’s first Barbie Department Store in China. And I have to admit that I was too ”Barbied-out” by the time I left the store to file my report.
It was surreal.
Sure I like the colour pink. It’s my trademark colour when I golf. But pink everywhere in a store.. can be jarring to the senses actually!
Located at the main shopping strip of Huai Hai Road the concept store boasts 6 floors of merchandise and services. Richard Dickson, Senior Vice President of Barbie Brands, did not want to tell me how much Mattel spent on the store other than it is a multimillion dollar project (and he was referring to USD).
When I first heard about the Barbie Store opening in Shanghai last year, I was unsure how to react.
Growing up, I had my “Playmobile” and ”Hello Kitty” stationary. But never a Barbie doll. However, I do have a vivid memory of giving my cousin’s Barbie a crew cut, which prompted such a violent reaction from her!
“Tell me when the Barbie store opens, I will burn a Barbie doll outside its door,” said my sexy-savvy entrepreneur girlfriend. Well thank goodness she left for her secondary school reunion back in Singapore, the same day the store opened. Otherwise, her little stunt to protest Mattel’s Barbie marketing messages would have made the news worldwide.
A legislator in West Virginia, Jeff Eldridge (D) has even tried to ban the sale of Barbie dolls. It reads: “It shall be unlawful in the state to sell “Barbie” dolls and other similar dolls that promote or influence girls to place an undue importance on physical beauty to the detriment of their intellectual and emotional development.”
Well, I’m unsure how successful he will be in getting the bill passed.
So why does Barbie evoke such strong emotions in women and men?
Does the doll actually make young girls think that physical beauty is the one over-riding and most important factor in life? Recalling my own days as a girl, I was not attracted to the advertising or persuaded by the promotions. Maybe Barbie’s fashion sense did not appeal to me. Maybe I didn’t watch enough TV and missed the ads on air.
But the Barbie concept store takes on a different approach.
Not only can you brush her hair and dress her many ways, you can also start looking like Barbie, with designs from the famous stylist of Sex in the City, Patricia Fields. And eat what Barbie eats?? A café designed by Australian celebrity chef, David Laris. Need some R&R? Get pampered at the Barbie Spa. And if you find your dream Ken, you can wed in a US$15,000 Vera Wang wedding dress, sold exclusively at the Barbie Store in Shanghai.
This is, after all, Barbie World!
I think this is clever marketing, especially since Mattel saw their sales figures last quarter fall by 46% and worldwide sale of Barbie fell 21%. But banking on China consumers for Barbie’s comeback? Only time will tell how successful this gamble will be.
While I must admit that the Barbitini cocktail, a martini concoction created by David was rather delicious, I still have no affinity for the doll. And I won’t be buying the doll for my nieces or friend’s kids.
Give me Hello Kitty anytime.
March 11th, 2009 at 11:11 am
burn barbie burn!
March 12th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
The Achilles’ heal revealed. Hurm … Exposing her to lots of pink color will actually induce her to submission. That’s a good tip there!
Once paralyzed due to the pink effect, I can press on with the “Did you order the Code Red?” line repeatedly until she cracks further still under pressure. *evil laugh* *mwahahaha*
My gawd! Playmobil … I had such a good time playing with those tiny figures — and breaking countless of them — back then.
Quote: ” … giving my cousin’s Barbie a crew cut, which prompted such a violent reaction from her!”
*slapping the hand’s back* Bad girl, bad girl … Barbie’s hair is such a sacred relic. Count yourself lucky for not being made a sacrifice after committing the blasphemous act. Sinful, sinful …
Quote: ” Tell me when the Barbie store opens, I will burn a Barbie doll outside its door.”
Owh! What a missed opportunity! Otherwise, there would have been a video of the act on YouTube by now.
Video tags: Lady torch Barbie doll in Shanghai then throw tantrum by rolling over the floor yells out I want to go I want to go.
Quote: ” … And I won’t be buying the doll for my nieces or friend’s kids.”
You’ve just made yourself a fresh bunch of young enemies … Congrats !!! I can imagine all the nieces and friends’ kids faces go sulking after reading the public declaration.
Final quote: ” Give me Hello Kitty anytime.”
Leave your address. I’ll send you crates of it.
Moments of temporary sanity:
The opening of Barbie’s 6-storey, first dedicated store in Shanghai CN, certainly must have been a highly strategic move on Mattel’s part.
Lackluster sales figures back home should have given the company sufficient compelling reasons, to launch an inroad into China.
The perceived willingness and ability of the Chinese consumers to spend on Barbie, compared to their American counterparts is also hoped to offset whatever losses that have been made due to the slowed sales in the US.
Overall, Barbie’s massive foray into China certainly wouldn’t be the end of it. She must have set her sights on to capture the hearts of many more fans in China, if not the rest of Asia in a very big way!
P/S: I’m eager to see how and what local versions of Barbie will pop up on the local China market soon after this. Will Barbie be able to withstand the intense competition from the “locals”? Only time will tell …
March 14th, 2009 at 9:56 am
I think the blond head doll isn’t really much of a concern as the accessories
she sports.
Can’t they have a glamourless Barbie?
If I’m a doll designer I’ll configure the following features on Barbie.
1. Resize the Barbie with more “meat” on her body.
2. Less “bling-bling” and glamour.
3. have different ethnic versions, brown eyes, dark hair etc.
4. better still have an interchangeable body in modules ,head,hair, legs etc.
I won’t want my nieces to think that being blue eyed, blond and glamouress is the ideal beauty.
March 15th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
The final pic:
Hello Kitty on the left easily trounces Barbie, based on the scarf alone. hehehe !!
March 28th, 2009 at 9:11 am
Hey you,
Do write about Shanghai’s involvement in Earth Hour, later on in the evening.
Some pictures too would be nice. — Phantom / PH –
April 7th, 2009 at 5:19 am
hello Glenda,
6 floors at the glory of barbies dolls ? I can’t imagine that ! If I go there with my daughter, I think I can sleep in the building !
Yes , Barbie does always dream the little girl ! And parent want that their children dream. So Barbie, Ken and friends have still a good future
Good adress to remember for a next trip in Shangai. I’m always impressed by the size of shopping complex in Chinese cities and all majors Asians cities. Such different of my small village of 650 villagers hihi
What do you think about Star Wars figurines ? Is it no an other succes of Mattel ?
April 8th, 2009 at 10:36 am
Looking at the photo above, you resemble my science teacher from Anderson Sec School many years ago. I wonder if she is related to you.
It was good to see your happy face on CNA, don’t get to see you often now.
All the best to you in Shanghai and may you find peace & happiness wherever you go.