芭比娃娃
维库，知识与思想的自由文库
6个分类: 正在翻譯的條目 | Barbie | Fashion doll | Playscale figures | Fashion | 玩偶
| Barbie | |
|---|---|
| Image:Barbie logo.png Current Barbie logo |
|
| 首次登場 | March 9 1959 |
| 背景資料 | |
| 職業 | See "Barbie's careers" |
| 創作 | Ruth Handler |
芭比娃娃是截至20世紀最廣為人知及最暢銷的玩偶，由Ruth Handler發明，於1959年3月9日舉辦的美國國際玩具展覽會（American International Toy Fair）上首次曝光。芭比玩偶由Mattel, Inc. 公司擁有及生產。芭比娃娃及其它相關配件是以一比六的比例製作，此比例為娃娃屋模型的最大號，也稱為playscale。 [1]
目录 |
[编辑] 發展
羅絲·韓德勒發現她的女兒芭芭拉（Barbara，Barbie是簡稱）喜歡玩紙玩偶，而且比較喜歡玩像成人而不是嬰兒或小孩的玩具，而當時大部份的立體玩偶都是以嬰孩或兒童的形象出現的。羅絲深明成人形象的玩偶有市場發展空間，所以跟她的丈夫，Mattel公司的其中一個創辦人艾律提出芭比娃娃的意念，可惜艾律和公司的其他決策人都對此計劃興趣不大。羅絲·韓德勒說，「能跟一個有乳房的玩偶玩樂對一個小女孩的自我形象是十分重要的。」
在1956年，羅絲與芭芭拉及Kenneth往瑞士時，她在琉森一個店舖櫥窗中發現一種名為Bild Lilli doll的德國玩偶。該種成人形象的玩偶與Ruth Handler意念中的玩偶不謀而合，於是她購買了三個Bild Lilli doll，她將其中一個給送給芭芭拉，另外兩個則送往Mattel。Lilli doll是以一個受歡迎的漫畫角色為藍本而設計，她出現在Reinhard Beuthin在報紙連載的漫畫專欄中，是一名獨立自主的職業女性。Lilli doll由1955年首次在德國發售，原本目標顧客是成年人，但後來亦受兒童歡迎，因他們能用另外發售的服裝為玩偶裝扮。
回程往美國後，羅絲在工程師Jack Ryan的協助下，再次著手設計玩偶，並以女兒芭芭拉的名字為玩偶起名為芭比。芭比娃娃於1959年3月9日在紐約的美國國際玩具展覽會上首次曝光，此日期成為芭比娃娃的官方生日日期。Mattel在1964年取得Bild Lilli doll的版權後，Bild Lilli doll正式停產。首個芭比娃娃綁著馬尾辮，身穿黑白斑馬紋泳裝，並有金髮及深褐色頭髮兩種。初期芭比以「青年時裝模特兒」為綽頭，她的衣服由Mattel的時裝設計師Charlotte Johnson設計。芭比娃娃推出後首年售出了約三十五萬個。
羅絲相信芭比娃娃的成人外型是非常重要的。初期的市場調查顯示部份家長並不喜歡玩偶的明顯的胸部。芭比娃娃的外型多次改變，最明顯的芭比娃娃的眼睛在1971年調校成向前望，而不是似最初向一邊掃視的型態。
芭比娃娃是其中一個最先使用電視作推廣的玩具，此模式後來廣為其他玩具所用。據統計，芭比娃娃在超過150個國家有售，並已售出超過10億盒，Mattel稱每秒鐘就會售出3個芭比娃娃。
芭比娃娃及其相關的產品的標準比例是約一比六，此比例亦稱為playscale。芭比的產品共不限於玩偶和玩偶的衣飾，亦包括芭比品牌下商品，如書本、時裝及電子遊戲等。芭比曾出現一系列的動畫中，並於1999年的動畫《玩具總動員 2》中客串。
芭比娃娃另一獨特之處在於，她成為了一個文化標記，而且得到玩具界中罕有的榮譽。1974年紐約時代廣場的一部份被名命為「芭比大道」一星期。1985年，後現代藝術家安迪·華荷製作了芭比的圖象。
[编辑] Biography
芭比的全名是 Barbara Millicent Roberts，過去這些年來她被賦予相當多的同伴，最被熟知的就是她的帥男友[肯 / Ken (玩具娃娃)|Ken]] (Ken Carson)，他第一次登場是在西元1961年，如同芭比一樣，肯也是使用了羅絲·韓德勒兒子的名字。芭比與肯之間分分合合的關係相當的知名，他們在2004年也宣布暫時分開的消息。在芭比社交圈中其他不同種族且長期來往的朋友還包含了Hispanic 泰瑞莎(Teresa), 非裔美籍人 克莉斯堤(Christie) 與史提芬(Steven) (Christie的男友), 以及Kayla。芭比完整的朋友清單，可見 see the List of Barbie's friends and family.
According to the Random House novels of the 1960s, her parents' names are George and Margaret Roberts of Willows, Wisconsin. Barbie has been said to attend Willows High School in Willows, Wisconsin and Manhattan International High School in New York City (based on the real-life Stuyvesant High School).
芭比有紀錄的寵物曾有過13隻，包含了貓、狗、馬兒、一隻熊貓、一頭獅子和一隻斑馬。她擁有粉紅色的敞篷車、拖車、吉普…等車。也擁有一張飛行員執照，當她沒有擔任空服員在機艙服務時，會去操作商用客機。[2]
[编辑] Controversies
Barbie's popularity ensures that her effect on the play of Western children attracts a high degree of scrutiny. The criticisms leveled at her are often based on the assumption that children consider Barbie a role model and will attempt to emulate her.
- In September 2003 the Middle Eastern country of Saudi Arabia outlawed the sale of Barbie dolls, saying that she did not conform to the ideals of Islam. The Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice stated "Jewish Barbie dolls, with their revealing clothes and shameful postures, accessories and tools are a symbol of decadence to the perverted West. Let us beware of her dangers and be careful." [3] In Middle Eastern countries there is an alternative doll called Fulla who is similar to Barbie but is designed to be more acceptable to an Islamic market. Fulla is not made by the Mattel Corporation. In Iran, Sara and Dara dolls are available as an alternative to Barbie. [4]
- The word "Barbie" has come to be used as a derogatory slang term for a girl or woman who is considered stupid, most famously in the song "Barbie Girl". In 1992 Mattel released Teen Talk Barbie, which spoke a number of phrases including "Will we ever have enough clothes?", "I love shopping!", and "Wanna have a pizza party?" Each doll was programmed to say four out of 270 possible phrases, so that no two dolls were likely to be the same. One of these 270 phrases was "Math class is tough!" Although only about 1.5% of all the dolls sold said the phrase, it caused a public outcry. [5]
- One of the most common criticisms of Barbie is that she promotes an unrealistic idea of body image for a woman, leading to a risk that women who attempt to emulate her will become anorexic. Critics have argued that for a woman to have Barbie's body, she would need to be 7 feet 2 inches tall, weigh 115-130 pounds, have 30 to 36 inch hips, an 18 to 23 inch waist and a 38 to 48 inch bust. Additionally, she would lack the 17 to 22 percent body fat required for a woman to menstruate. In 1997 Barbie was redesigned and given a wider waist, with Mattel saying that this would make the doll better suited to contemporary fashion designs. [6]
- "Colored Francie" made her debut in 1967, and she is sometimes described as the first African American Barbie doll. However, she was produced using the existing molds for the Caucasian Francie doll and lacked correct ethnic features other than a dark skin. The first African American doll in the Barbie range is usually regarded as Christie, who made her debut in 1968. [7] [8] Black Barbie and Hispanic Barbie were launched in 1980.
- In 1997 Mattel joined forces with Nabisco to launch a cross-promotion of Barbie with Oreo cookies. Oreo Fun Barbie was marketed as someone with whom little girls could play after class and share "America's favorite cookie." As had become the custom, Mattel manufactured both a white and a black version. Critics argued that in the African American community Oreo is a derogatory term for a person like the chocolate sandwich cookie itself, meaning that the person is black on the outside and white on the inside. The doll was unsuccessful and Mattel recalled the unsold stock, making it sought after by collectors. [9]
- In May 1997 Mattel introduced Share a Smile Becky, a doll in a pink wheelchair. Kjersti Johnson, a 17-year-old high school student in Tacoma, Washington with cerebral palsy, pointed out that the doll would not fit into the elevator of Barbie's $100 Dream House. Mattel announced that it would redesign the house in the future to accommodate the doll. [10] [11]
- In December 2005 Dr. Agnes Nairn at the University of Bath in England published research suggesting that girls often go through a stage where they hate their Barbie dolls and subject them to a range of punishments, including decapitation and placing the doll in a microwave oven. Dr. Nairn said: "It's as though disavowing Barbie is a rite of passage and a rejection of their past." [12] [13]
[编辑] Parodies and lawsuits
芭比時常在流行文化中被提及並且成為被諷刺的目標parody. 部分顯示出的內容包括了:
- 在西元1997年Danish流行舞蹈團體 Aqua 發行了一首名為 Barbie Girl的歌曲. 當中的歌詞包括了 "你可以梳我的頭髮(You can brush my hair)/隨處脫掉我的衣服(Undress me everywhere)" ，並且使用了近似於粉紅芭比的圖騰。Mattel公司抗議這已經構成了商標 / trademark侵害並且提起了毀謗訴訟（於西元1997年11月11日）。這場Mattel與MCA唱片公司Records的訴訟在經過多次的法庭爭辯之後最後在2002年七月被駁回不予受理. [14]
- A commercial by automobile company Nissan featuring dolls similar to Barbie and Ken was the subject of another lawsuit in 1997. In the commercial, Barbie is lured into a car by a doll similar to GI Joe, accompanied by Van Halen's version of the song You Really Got Me. Mattel lost the copyright infringement lawsuit. [15]
- Saturday Night Live aired a parody of Barbie commercials featuring the fictional "Gangsta Bitch Barbie" doll and a "Tupac Ken" doll. [16]
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno displayed a fictional "Barbie Crystal Meth Lab" which mocked how Barbie usually has a career that is "in keeping with the times or in this case, in keeping with society's current problems."
- Malibu Stacy is a parody of Barbie in the cartoon series The Simpsons. In the 1994 episode 'Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy' Lisa is disgusted by the "sexist drivel spouted by Malibu Stacy", leading her to market an alternative "Lisa Lionheart".
- In 2002 a judge refused an injunction against Susanne Pitt, who had produced a doll called Dungeon Barbie in bondage clothing, stating "To the court's knowledge, there is no Mattel line of S&M Barbie." [17]
- In 1999 Mattel sued the artist Tom Forsythe over a series of pictures called "Food Chain Barbie", which included a picture of a Barbie doll in a blender. Mattel lost the lawsuit and was ordered to pay $1.8 million in costs to Mr. Forsythe.[18] [19]
[编辑] Collecting
Mattel estimates that there are well over 100,000 avid Barbie collectors. Ninety percent are women, at an average age of 40, purchasing more than 20 Barbie dolls each year. Forty-five percent of them spend upwards of $1000 a year. Vintage Barbie dolls from the early years are the most valuable at auction, and while the original Barbie sold for $3.00 in 1959, a mint boxed Barbie from 1959 sold for $3552.50 on eBay in October 2004. [20] On September 26, 2006, a Barbie doll set a world record at auction of 9,000 pounds sterling (US $17,000) at Christie's in London. The doll was a Barbie in Midnight Red from 1965 and was part of a private collection of 4,000 Barbie dolls being sold by two Dutch women, Ietje Raebel and her daughter Marina. [21]
In recent years Mattel has sold a wide range of Barbie dolls aimed specifically at collectors, including porcelain versions and depictions of Barbie as a range of characters from television series such as The Munsters and Star Trek. [22] [23]. There are also collector's edition dolls depicting Barbie dolls with a range of different ethnic identities. [24] In 2004 Mattel introduced the Color Tier system for its collector's edition Barbie dolls, ranging through pink, silver, gold and platinum depending on how many of the dolls are produced. [25]
[编辑] Barbie versus Bratz
In 2001 MGA Entertainment launched the Bratz range of dolls, a move that would give Barbie her first serious competition in the fashion doll market. In 2004 sales figures showed that Bratz dolls were outselling Barbie dolls in the United Kingdom, although Mattel maintained that in terms of the number of dolls, clothes and accessories sold, Barbie remained the leading brand. [26] In 2005 figures showed that sales of Barbie dolls had fallen by 30% in the United States, and by 18% worldwide, with much of the drop being attributed to the popularity of Bratz dolls. [27]
[编辑] See also
[编辑] Further reading
- Lord, M.G., Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll. Paperback ISBN 0-8027-7694-9.
- Rogers, Mary F., "Barbie Culture". Paperback ISBN 0-7619-5888-6.
- Knaak, Silke, "German Fashion Dolls of the 50&60". Paperback www.barbies.de.
- Beckham, Victoria (Foreword), John, Elton (Foreword), The Art of Barbie. Paperback ISBN 0-9537479-2-1
- Essays, Guys'n'dolls: Art, Science, Fashion & Relationships. Paperback ISBN 0-948723-57-2
[编辑] Notes
[编辑] External links
- The Official Barbie Website — Owned By Mattel
- New York Times: "The Barbie Way of Knowledge" by Dave Cullen
- Washington Times: "Religious police take after Barbie" by Paul Martin
- St. Petersburg Times Floridian: "The doll that has everything - almost", an article about the "Muslim Barbie" by Susan Taylor Martin
- Salon.com: "The Littlest Harlot" by Tracy Quan
- "Renaissance Woman: Artist, Inventor, Developer" -- interview with an ex-Barbie designer first published in Fashion Doll Quarterly
