Here We Go

You knew this was coming, right?

Backlash!  Horror!  Panic!

Omigod! Barbie has tattoos!

Clearly, this is a disaster of biblical proportions.


Ray Stantz: Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!
Egon Spengler: Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes...
Winston Zeddemore: The dead rising from the grave!
Peter Venkman: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria! 

Let's look past the fact that this doll has a $50 price tag and is intended for collectors. Let's focus on the tattoos. (Which, in today's society, aren't really all that shocking any more, are they?)

But, hey, there's no such thing as bad press. I saw on BarbieCollector.com this morning that Tokidoki Barbie is sold out.

Barbie Goes Green (Officially)

In it's tussle with Greenpeace, Mattel is bowing down. Activists had accused the company of packing their products from hardwoods taken from rain forests and launched a well-publicized campaign against Mattel.

Now, by the end of the year, Mattel plans to use recycled material or sustainable fiber for 70 percent of its paper packaging. The company hopes to further increase that number to 85 percent by the end of 2015.


Read more about it here.

Do you think the change in Mattel's packaging will have any affect on collectors? Those of us who are MIB don't want to see packaging deteriorate or weather poorly over time.

Tokidoki Time

I have to admit that I have never really gotten in to Tokidoki's style or art. It pops up from time to time through partnerships with other brands, and it always seems to be really popular. (I saw those LeSportSac bags with Tokidoki prints everywhere.)

The brand was founded by designer Simone Legno in 2003, and it includes collaborations with Karl Lagerfeld, LeSportsac, Onitsuka Tiger, Marvel, New Era, Hello Kitty, Fujitsu, Levi's, Smashbox cosmetics, Xbox, T-mobile, Fornarina, Skullcandy, Medicom Toy -- and now Mattel.

The Tokidoki Barbie features the brand's funky style. She's wearing a  pink miniskirt, crazy-looking leggings and skull-and-bones black top. Naturally, she's got a large bag from the brand and lots of accessories from bracelets to shiny shoes. I actually like the pink Bob. She has on a leash a little dog(?) dressed like a cactus. His name, apparently, is Bastardino. And get ready for a conservative-mommy backlash: she's got tattoos on her arm!

On the Tokodoki website, there are a number of Barbie items, which actually are pretty cute. The brand does a better job of creating fun and funky Barbie accessories for adults than Mattel does. Of course, despite the cuteness, you won't see me walking down the street in any of them. A tote bag for $58 and a cotton tee for $55 is a bit rich for me.