1959 - The first Barbie Doll was sold by Mattel Toy Corporation.
I loved playing with Barbies growing up. My sisters and I would set up huge Barbie cities. I had an amazing 3-foot high dollhouse with an elevator, and for my 12th birthday my mom gave me the ultimate Barbie car- a turquoise and silver 57 Chevy. I loved that car. My younger sister and I played with it until it fell apart. A few years ago I found one on eBay in mint condition - it's still in the box! I couldn't resist it.
I think Barbies are great - they work fine motor skills to dress them, and cognitive skills to create their "lives." Our Barbies were musical superstars and would put on concerts frequently. I know a lot of people really don't like Barbie and what they feel she stands for - an unreal body type and need for perfection. I never felt that I had to grow up to be just like Barbie. And I never felt less than perfect. Instead, I learned to use my imagination and talk out ideas.
In these days of high-stress, it'd be great to sit down and let Barbie and Ken and Skipper and all of their friends work out real-life problems. I think that's why Second-Life type video games are so popular. I guess playing with dolls isn't dumb if they're images on a computer screen.
No comments:
Post a Comment