Bratz

By hortense According to Ruth La Ferla of the New York Times, the Liv and Moxie lines (along with Barbie's new "Fashionista" line) veer from the limousines and bling of the Bratz era. The Liv dolls, she notes, are "positioned as the anti-Bratz, decked out in denim jackets and tooling around on tiny moto...

By Intern Katy Can these girls take Barbie? Toy company Spin Master is betting yes. The "Liv Dolls" are designed to look more like real girls than Barbies or Bratz ("no collagen," said their creator) and each has a trademark flaw. [BusinessWeek]

By hortense Apparently hoping that parents will forget the original lyrics to Aqua's stupid bang-you-over-the-head with sexual innuendo 90s hit "Barbie Girl," Mattel has released an "official" Barbie video for 2009, featuring a revamped version of the tune. It's...interesting.

By hortense We stayed up for Tracy Morgan, but the real highlight of last night's SNL was Kristen Wiig's Barbie, who appeared on Weekend Update to discuss her 50th birthday, those damn Bratz, and, of course, Ken.

By Dodai Photos: Barbie Turns 50 [Time] Tattoo Barbie Raises Concerns [UPI] The Forbes Fictional Interview: Barbie [Forbes] What Would A Real Life Barbie Look Like? [BBC] Barbie At 50: In The Pink [Economist] China: First All-Barbie Store Opens [NY Times]

By Moe I'm supposed to be in court in Riverside County, California right now. See, a few years ago I wrote this thing about how the Bratz dolls, the first dolls in the history of slutty-looking dolls to unseat Barbie for slutty looking doll hegemony (and the career ender of numerous highly remuner...

By Jessica The woman with the best makeup wins in Bratz world! Babble.com points us to the "educational" Bratz "Election Perfection" version of the Quantum LeapPad learning system, which seems like it's a computerized sort of notebook filled with learning games. Kids today with their technology!...

By Anna We're thankful for it (even if we aren't Tori Amos fans) because the dollyfication of American culture is everywhere, from M.A.C. Cosmetics' Barbie Loves M.A.C. campaign, to the new Paper Dolls-meets-The Real World show The Agency, to the Pussycat Dolls, to a ridiculous Barbie interview in t...