Mattel just doesn't get it, do they?

Notice anything? No ethnic dolls; more blondes! And Mattel wonders why it's losing to Bratz and Moxie and Liv and....

Above is the promo pic for the lastest wave of Fashionistas - what the hell is Mattel thinking?

No AA doll; no Hispanic doll. No Asian doll - although to be honest, they got rid of those ages ago. (Some thing about "Asians not buying Asian dolls" according to Mattel - Yet Integrity/Fashion Royalty is selling Asian dolls like Kyori and Takeo for $90 bucks a pop, so someone is buying them!) Hell, there's no REDHEADED doll, something I was hoping for!

Does Mattel even go to the stores to see what's selling? At my local Target, the only Fashionistas you can find on the shelves are the blonde ones! The only reason Fashionista Ken sold out is that he is a CUTE boy doll (blondness notwithstanding.) Brunette Sassy and AA Artsy are LONG GONE, and when they manage to get more in, they are the first ones gone.

The Rocawear dolls - all AAs - are also LONG GONE, and not just at Target but at Wal-Mart as well. (Hoping TRU still has the ones I want!)

Now I admit, I live in an ethnically diverse area, but from what I'm hearing on the doll boards, it's not just ethnic collectors collecting them.

I'm no Bratz fan (I only have a few of the Bratz boyz) - but for all the sluttishness of Bratz, they had the market covered. In each release, there was always an AA doll and an a Hispanic doll (at least I'm assuming that's what Yasmin was.) There were also Asian Bratz, maybe not in every release, but in every other one. Every single Bratz wasn't BLONDE either - there were plenty of brunettes to choose from. And the new Liv dolls and Moxie Girl dolls are following suit.

So Mattel's solution for increased competition is make more bland, look-a-like, blonde dolls, only distinguishable by their hairstyles and crappy outfits. And they wondered why they were slaughtered in the marketplace?

Mattel just doesn't get it, do they?

The other day there was news that Barbie was getting a new career in computer science. Normally I'd be overjoyed at the idea of "Geek Chic" Barbie, but what was the picture? Another blonde, blue eyed Barbie wearing too much pink!

And they wonder why Barbie is losing shelf space at the stores?

The world has changed since Barbie debuted in 1959, but apparently it's still 1959 at Mattel.

2010 - A Doll Odyssey!

The new year just started, and all I want to do is read, sleep and eat!

Was going to tackle my doll collection today - one of the New Year's resolutions is to thin down (yet again!) the hordes that reside in the Doll Nation. And not just the hordes, but all of their STUFF as well!

However, I'm scared of making a mistake like the time I gave away a Barbie desk and then realized - hello! - there are hardly any Barbie desks! So now I think long and hard before I give away any Barbie furniture.

Dolls, on the other hand, are easier for me to get rid of. Since most of the Doll Nation's denizens come from the thrift store, I have no qualms about sending them back to the thrift store. But with this year's monetary outlook, I'm not buying any dolls unless they are on the WANT LIST for a while! And even then, I won't always buy them - like that Ginger Spice doll I found in the box at the thrift store for five bucks. Even though she was on "the list", I didn't get her cause I found diorama stuff I wanted more.

I sent FORTY dolls back to the thrift store in my clean up back in the fall - at about 2 bucks each that represented $80 bucks down the drain! But I have to admit that most of them were from the early days of thrifting when I was like WHOO HOO! DOLLS! at the thrift store. So mistakes were made and lessons were learned.

This year I resolve to stick to Mattel dolls since I like them the best. No more expensive mistakes like the lone Fashion Royalty doll I now have (anybody want to buy Something Hot Kyori?) Even though I like FASHION dolls like the Barbie Basics, I don't like FASHION (ie $70 bucks and up) dolls like Fashion Royalty dolls. I like to play with my dolls, and although they are pretty (some of them) and articulated, FRs just seem like the only roles they can play are snooty, snotty fashionable people. Silkstones have been accused of having an attitude, but mine sit around and gossip, kick off their high heels, wear fuzzy slippers, and occasionally cook (horrors!) in Silkstone Manor. (Yes, Silkstone Manor has a kitchen! Imagine that!) They also have jobs, although I can't figure out for the life of me what they do for a living!

And they don't complain about wearing (gasp! clutch the pearls!) playline clothes. A lot of the owners of FRs act as though they're slumming if they dress their dolls in anything but FR clothes and (expensive) handmade creations. Personally, I'm not going to spend more on a doll's clothes than I do on my own clothes! I'm funny that way!

But I hereby resolve to get the Doll Nation into some semblance of order for 2010. Either the dolls get into dioramas and displayed or they are GONE. The furniture gets used or it is GONE. I forsee having a big ass sale this year - but then I've said THAT for the past two years. This time, I mean it!

We'll see how I've done when January 2011 rolls around!