The Ultimate Wedding Album

Um, this is just awesome.

No, really.

If you look up "awesome" in the dictionary, you will see a link to this.

Check it out.

Hail to the Chief

Barbie is ready to rock the vote and the presidential elections. She recently launched her latest bid for the White House and will hit the campaign trail (aka store shelves) this summer.

I have two previous presidential Barbies, and it's interesting how times have changed. The older one from 1991 is wearing a full ball gown, with an optional suit on the side. The doll from 2000 is shown wearing a skirt suit with a more conservative dress also in the box. A quick Internet search reveals the 2004 version is rocking a full pants suit with no dress, but the dress and skirt suit return again in 2008.

Mattel's Barbie I Can Be… President doll is on the road to the “Pink House” and is serving as the “B Party” candidate. Don't forget to follow her “glam-paign.” Barbie’s campaign platform calls for girls of all ages to “B inspired,” “B informed” and “B involved.”

Yikes, Mattel is really going over the top on corny here.

For this year's presidential run, Barbie is wearing a pink power skirt suit with red, white and blue trim. She's got a pearl necklace, too, and pink wedges. Allegedly, these shoes enable her to literally stand on her own two feet without support or the need for a doll stand, according to Mattel. Interesting.

Read about the 2012 presidential Barbie edition here, here, here, here and here.

Here's Katniss

Mattel has revealed the The Hunger Games Katniss Barbie -- making sure to note the doll is for the "adult collector," lest parents think Mattel is encouraging children to take out their other dolls with Katniss Barbie's tiny bow and arrow set.

Mattel chose to show Katniss as she is prepared to fight in her first Hunger Games battle. She wears a black hooded jacket with orange trim, a black t-shirt, green cargo pants and brown boots. Of course, she comes with a bow and arrow and the mackingjay pin. Her hair is done in the signature Katniss braid.

The release of the doll is timed with the release of the Hunger Games moving on DVD in August. She is available for $29.95.

While I have not seen the movie, the doll appears to mirror the style and outfit of the motion picture's Katniss. (And the timed release of the DVD and doll seems to support this.) Certainly, this will impact Mattel's sales of the dolls favorably, but perhaps they missed an opportunity by choosing to replicate the movie's concept of Katniss rather than creating their own.

Read about the doll here, here, and here.

"Bald" Barbie

Remember the social-media campaign encouraging Mattel to produce a bald Barbie in support of cancer patients? Turns out, it worked.

According to reports, Mattel will be producing a bald Barbie for children in hospitals, which is the only place they will be available. It will not be available in retail stores. Each doll will come with a selection of hats, scarves and wigs.

This is what Mattel had to say on its Facebook page about the doll:

Play is vital for children, especially during difficult times. We are pleased to share with our community that next year we will be producing a fashion doll, that will be a friend of Barbie, which will include wigs, hats, scarves and other fashion accessories to provide girls with a traditional fashion play experience. For those girls who choose, the wigs and head coverings can be interchanged or completely removed. We will work with our longstanding partner, the Children’s Hospital Association, to donate and distribute the dolls exclusively to children’s hospitals directly reaching girls who are most affected by hair loss. A limited number of dolls and monetary donations will also be made to CureSearch for Children’s Cancer and the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.

Through a thoughtful approach, we made the decision not to sell these dolls at retail stores, but rather get the dolls directly into the hands of children who can most benefit from the unique play experience, demonstrating Mattel’s ongoing commitment to encourage play as a respite for children in the hospital and to bring joy to children who need it most. We appreciate the conversation around this issue, and are interested to hear what you think!

Read about the doll here, here, here, here, here.