2010 marks the 95th anniversary of the beloved Raggedy Ann doll, and toy stores have had plenty of the popular children's dolls on display throughout the year.
Raggedy Ann was the product of a father's love for his daughter. American writer Johnny Gruelle from Cynthiana, Kentucky, drew the face on an old rag doll for his daughter, and soon the doll became a character in a series of books written and illustrated for young children by Gruelle. The cute character was created in 1915 as a rag doll illustration with red yarn hair, button eyes, and a triangle nose.
Barbie has worn many hats over the decades — fashion model, astronaut, veterinarian, presidential candidate, rock star, CEO, and occasionally all of them before lunch. But alongside the ever-changing careers and couture, Mattel also gave the Pink Plastic Princess something else through the years: unforgettable slogans. In this nostalgic retrospective, we’re stepping back through the decades to revisit the iconic taglines, catchy jingles, and ambitious marketing campaigns that helped shape Barbie’s public image from 1959 to the present day. Some were genuinely inspirational. Some were wonderfully overdramatic. And a few sound unintentionally hilarious in hindsight. From “Teenage Fashion Model” to “You Can Be Anything,” Barbie’s slogans didn’t just sell dolls — they sold entire eras of fashion, ambition, fantasy, and girlhood. Paired here with custom fashion doll illustrations, this retrospective explores what America’s Eyernal Style Icon was teaching generations of children… wheth...
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...
Deb’s Fantastical Frames had a display set up at the 10th Annual Handmade Nashville Holiday Market craft fair in Bellevue, TN today. Unfortunately, a storm was rolling in and people were packing up early. I caught Deb on her way to her vehicle and snapped three photos to share of the beautiful 3-D fairy displays she makes from frames and boxes. Each mixed-media display is complete, but if you know me, you know I love the Barbie micro minis and the “You Can Be Anything” Barbie minis, so I was just itching to drop a couple of minis in each display for fun. Note to self: keep a Barbie mini on hand at all times for moments like these. “ I just feel like my frames are a window into a magical fairy world where each frame tells a story of its own,” Deb says about her creative work. Frames average $125 for an ornate or large frame and $85 for ones like the little boy fishing. Deb can be reached by email at debsfantasticalframes@gmail.com for more info about...
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