Barbie's new flava: Hip-hop [Mattel comes out with new "flava dolls" which exhibit hip-hop culture]

South Florida Sun-Sentinel ^ | July 30, 2003 | Stephanie Ashman

[yonif]

With their bling-bling glittering through the plastic of their stylish boxes, they dish out attitude on the Barbie aisle.

Happy D., Kiyoni Brown, Liam, P. Bo, Tika and Tre. Hip-hop culture in a box.

Setting out to give older girls a reality check, this month Mattel introduced Flavas, its first doll designed to catch the eye of a modern tween (8- to 12-year-olds).

Wendy Wedemier-Hinds, 33, of Miramar, says when she looks at the dolls, "I automatically think of hip-hop."

Even the name Flava (hip-hop slang for personal style) is trendy. "It's Barbie with a twist," says Robert Rosenberg, manager of Toys "R" Us in Pembroke Pines.

[JennysCool]

Happy D., Kiyoni Brown, Liam, P. Bo, Tika and Tre.

Coincidentally, also the names of our next six hurricanes.

[Paul Atreides]

Happy D., Kiyoni Brown, Liam, P. Bo, Tika and Tre.

Whut?

[Hank Rearden]

Selling stupid has worked for a long time.

[anniegetyourgun]

Gee, I do hope they ran these names by Sheila Jackson Lee first. Could we get Barbie with tracklines in her arm too? Or maybe a Ken doll with his own computer and downloadable porn? Yeah, now that's what 8-12 year old girls need more of.....

[Paul Atreides]

I thought Liam was a guy's name.

[strela]

Do you get a little pill bottle of Rohypnol to feed to the doll at a rave?

[Humidston]

ROFLOL!!!

[philetus]

nothing wrong with selling stupid if stupid's buying.

[Humidston]

Ohhhh, that was good too! LOL!!

[FourPeas]

This is certainly what I'd want my 8-12yo daughter playing with:

[Paul Atreides]

A diverse selection, the Flavas crew includes Hispanics, blacks and whites. "With these dolls, kids can identify with their culture," said Wedemier-Hinds.

God forbid they have a black Barbie modeled after Condi Rice.

[yonif]

Ping.

[Tijeras_Slim]

J-Lo Booty Barbie...

[mhking]

Sometimes, it's better to leave well-enough alone....

Black conservative ping

If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)

Extra warning: this is a high-volume ping list.

[King Prout]

ohhhh, noooooooo!
laughing too hard to begin to describe the lunacy of this idea.

[Paul Atreides]

LOL!

[Darksheare]

"Real Teen Barbie"
Complete with planned parenthood pamphlets, aborted baby, and std's...

[Reeses]

Modern 12 year olds are into different flavas.

[King Prout]

oh, SNAP! crack-hos inna box! dats de shnizzy, dawg!

[cyborg]

Complete with hair weave as well...

[cyborg]

Hip hop is making so much money hand over fist... it is common business sense. Anything hip-hop related is making mad money.

If someone needs a doll to identify with their 'culture' then they have problems or their parents do. I didn't need West Indian or Italian dolls to 'identify' with my culture. This is just a distraction from the real issues. If a stupid ill-dressed, ugly looking doll is supposed to symbolize black culture, then they're being as stereotypical as any other bigot. I played with Barbie dolls as much as anyone else. My mother gave me all kinds of dolls to play with. Why can't people let kids have a childhood?

[quietolong]

Teen Prostitution; Trends Show Kids Getting Younger, More from Middle-Class Homes

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/961578/posts


‘This Could Be Your Kid’

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/961536/posts

[Mears]

Liam is one of my grandson's names and it is Irish. What the hell is it doing on this doll?

[cyborg]

Don't be so impatient! That's the doll's slave name. There will be black muslim accessories to compliment the doll's name change over to Rashan-X. Pfft... you must be old.

[anniegetyourgun]

Oh, now you go too far.

[Paul Atreides]

What?

[dwd1]

Excellent...For those young ladies not sure if they are a hoochie mama...This will help them resolve that question...

With all due respect to Jeff Foxworthy...

If your boyfriend knows the color of your panties but he doesn't know the color of your eyes....

You might be a hoochie mama...

If you jeans are on so tight, people can tell that you did not shave your legs this morning.....

You just might be a hoochie mama...

If you like going to professional basketball games with no underwear....

You might be a hoochie mama....

[anniegetyourgun]

A barbie modeled after such an accomplished, educated, smart, and capable black female? Surely, you jest. Are you saying there are African-American parents who would actually want their daughter to grow up to be like that?

[King Prout]

pet rocks, anyone?

[Paul Atreides]

I'm sorry (hanging head in shame).

[dwd1]

Well, if there aren't enough things to worry about negatively influencing my 14 year old...

[Tax-chick]

Oh, that's a prize-winner! Welcome to FR!

[dwd1]

I do...

But sometimes, that is where I feel like I am truly a minority....

[Ganymede]

As a black woman, I'm going to say this is completely insulting and degrading. We do not need our next generation venerating or in form celebrating "hip hop." Not my children certainly . . . when and if I ever have any.

[dwd1]

It's my Texas sense of humor coming out...

Thank you for the reply...

[Tijeras_Slim]

This one's popular in San Francisco...

[Tijeras_Slim]

You're gonna get along fine around here. :)

[Paul Atreides]

LOL! That's funny, but I have no problems believing that some liberal parents would buy it for their kids so that they could "understand the plight of homeless people."

[dwd1]

As the father of a 14 year old, I can assure you we are going to have a long discussion about the fantasy world that people live in on Saturday nights and the real world that we have to live in the rest of the time.

Hip-Hop is part of pop culture but as a lifestyle, it is just as unsustainable as disco was...We simply have to issue a reality check that doesn't bounce....

[King Prout]

did you mean this:
http://www.attrition.org/gallery/other/barbie/
or what?

[Tijeras_Slim]

One for the PETA folk...

[rockfish59]

FRO HO!

[Tijeras_Slim]

It posted OK. I've never seen that happen before, guess they don't want their images posted elsewhere.

[dwd1]

Well, if you can keep the Muleshoe jokes to a minimum...

Thank you very much...I knew that watching Hee-haw would pay off one day...
Blue skies...

[Tax-chick]

Could we get Barbie with tracklines in her arm too? Or maybe a Ken doll with his own computer and downloadable porn?

They're waiting for marketing results on this product, first.

What are parents thinking, buying this stuff for little girls?

Those of you without little girls may not realize that Barbie is really NICE. She has three little sisters, and takes them on camping trips and to ballet lessons, and reads them stories ... this whole thing makes me very sad about the lives adults seem to want for girls.

[Paul Atreides]

There are plenty of accomplished black men and women who would be great inspirations to children. However, they are conservative, and therefore don't exist in certain eyes. It is a real shame. The same goes for Hispanics and Asians.

[dwd1]

However, take away that tumbleweed on her head...She appears to be a little on the cute side...

[Tijeras_Slim]

Forget Hip Hop...

[Paul Atreides]

I remember, as a kid, watching Saturday morning 'toons and seeing Barbie commercials. Barbie was depicted as an astronaut, a doctor, a veterinarian, etc. Now, it seems that they are presenting Barbie as a 'ho, regardless of race.

What with all the gay crap flooding the media lately, I shudder to think what they'll do with G.I. Joe.