Tech & Biz

Slutty Barbie vs. Pro Barbie

by mtippett | August 22, 2007 at 07:52 am

4668 views | 38 Recommendations | 8 comments

It always offends me when big companies think they own a generic word. Fights over language often take place in the byzantine world of domain registries as was the case of (one of my personal favorites) Ta Ta's vs. BodaciousTaTas.com. The latest case of corporate bullying involves Mattel who is going after a porn star (always an easy target).

NEW YORK - Toy maker Mattel Inc. went to court Tuesday to declare that the name of its clean-cut Barbie dolls doesn't belong on a model's pornographic Web site.

In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Mattel said the Web site for an adult entertainer named China Barbie has tried to benefit from Mattel's success with the 48-year-old line of dolls, which includes Barbie's sister, Skipper, her best friend, Midge, and Skipper's boyfriend, Kevin.

The irony is that the current incarnation of Barbie is so close in style to an actual porn star. Have you been to a toy store lately? I'll just say that you could hardly be blamed for mistaking today's Barbie as an adult entertainer. ...I'll see if I can crowd source some photos.

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Victoria Revay

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 08:18 on August 22nd, 2007

mtippett, this is awesome. I somehow inherently think of a stripper when I hear the name Barbie. I don't know why.

generaldecay

at 09:03 on August 22nd, 2007

... which includes Barbie's sister, Skipper, her best friend, Midge, and Skipper's boyfriend, Kevin.

There's an entire village of them?! I had no idea! Oh my!

Nicole Billard

at 12:24 on August 22nd, 2007

Didn't Mattelll steal the name Barbie in the first place? Hmmmm, is there a 50 year old Barbara out there that would like to sue them?

Alternatively, they could acknowledge that 'Professional Barbie' could still be associated with any profession. I think this is a great example of modern sue-chosis...

pgaliba

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 15:10 on August 22nd, 2007

mtippett, I like this story. It's good stuff.

PEP

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 16:55 on August 22nd, 2007

mtippett, great stuff, and right on target.

Barry Artiste

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 17:29 on August 22nd, 2007

mtippett, Good story, Of course the Urban Myth we all knew growing up was why Barbie, shall we say became a woman of loose morals, and devotee of the brass stripper pole.

I mean come on, when her long time ambigously male companion in forty odd years together never once touched her goodies, we as well as Barbie finally figured it out, especially that Festive day in 1972 when Skippers Kevin gave Ken a mahvelous christmas gift, which Ken screamed with deelight and wore that pink knitted sweater fashionably knotted around his neck daily for 35 odd years. That was the last straw for Barbie, thus her downward spiral into the seedy world of adult entertainment. Apparently a week later much to Skippers dismay, Kevin ran off with GI Joe, breaking Ken's heart reducing him to eating gallons of Baskin's Robbins and living in his parents basement, where he enjoys "Rough Trade" with local Tow Truck drivers. Of course these are all rumour and innuendo in this vicious circle of a "Train Wreck" gone horribly wrong for Mattel. Perhaps that is why today we have Teletubbies.