Mattel’s (MAT) Barbie: The Death Of Imagination

The new Barbie from Mattel (MAT) has an MP3 player in it. The place where children store the Barbie connects to the internet to get games and songs. And, the new Barbie website is an e-commerce and multimedia destination.

Mattel may have to do all of these things to the Barbie to sell toys, but it is a shame.

The days when children could use their imaginations, and nothing more, when playing with toys allowed children to stretch whatever capacity they might have had for creativity. Now, they can listen to Prince.

Douglas A. McIntyre