Fashion Dolls 101

For more than sixty years, the Barbie brand has done far more than sell dolls. Through television commercials, toy packaging, catalogs, movies, and massive global marketing campaigns, Barbie slogans have reflected changing ideas about fashion, femininity, careers, confidence, empowerment, and imagination across multiple generations.  From the glamorous optimism of the 1960s to the empowerment messaging of the modern era, Barbie’s advertising evolved alongside American culture itself.  Some slogans focused on beauty and style. Others encouraged girls to dream bigger, aim higher, and imagine limitless possibilities. Together, they created a surprisingly fascinating timeline of changing cultural values — all wrapped in bright pink branding and perfectly accessorized marketing. In this second installment of our ongoing Barbie slogan retrospective, we move from the late 1990s into the present day, exploring Barbie’s millennial reinvention, her shift toward inclusivity and career-f...

By Nick Goode, Commercial Director at Sage One. The whole hobby-to-business proposition is a little misleading—primarily because we need to rethink the word “hobby.” When we hear it, we think of those fun, voluntary pastimes that bring us enjoyment and help us make the most of our free time: reading, collecting stamps, community theatre—they’re all things that we do because we enjoy doing them. But is simply enjoying stamp collecting enough to translate your hobby into a successful, thriving, and sustainable career? What we’re really talking about here is “passion.” When your hobby becomes something all-consuming—that thing you think about all day long during work and jump right into as soon as your time is yours again—that’s more than a hobby; that’s a passion with potential. And that passion is what represents something that can be both personally and professionally sustainable. Here are a few areas to consider before taking the leap. Social Media—It’s Alread...

, 15th anniversary of Pink Anger: Barbie fans vs. Mattel The Barbie doll reached the height of its collectibility in 1997 with even new dolls commanding staggering prices on the secondary market . In 1997, Barbie was responsible for 80% of sales in the doll segment of the billion dollar toy market. Read about one of the factors that caused a drop in popularity and sales for Barbie. Article at: 15th anniversary of Pink Anger: Barbie fans vs. Mattel - National Barbie Collecting Examiner