Mattel Hopes Barbie Facelift Will Show Up Younger Rivals†

Wall Street Journal, October 21, 2009 — his was supposed to be the year that Barbie finally regained her tiara as the queen of the toy aisles. After many false starts, Mattel Inc. thought it had found a way to make the iconic fashion doll once more a must-have for girls of all ages — and to boost the company's flagging revenues as well. It is spending millions of dollars to promote its new "Fashionista" Barbies, even hiring a choreographer-to-the-stars to create a dance called "The Barbie" for a video that had its premiere on the "Today Show" and was posted on YouTube.

Toy Makers Reach Into Product Attic†

Wall Street Journal, March 3, 2009 — To cope with slumping sales, toy makers are trying to breathe new life into some old brands.

This year, Zizzle LLC is rolling out a doll called P.J. Sparkles that has a tiara that lights up and a dress that can be transformed into pajamas. But the line isn't new: It was retired by Mattel Inc., its original manufacturer, nearly 20 years ago.

Bratz loses battle of the dolls

Bratz dolls are facing removal from all shops after a US federal court banned parent company MGA Entertainment from making the Barbie rival.

BBC News, December 9, 2008 — The court issued the order after Barbie-maker Mattel won a landmark copyright-infringement case against MGA in August.

Bratz designer Carter Bryant had been found guilty of developing the Bratz brand while still working for Mattel.

Mattel aims at preteens with Barbie Web brand

Toymaker turns to tech as sales slump for iconic fashion doll

Associated Press, April 26, 2007 — Mattel Inc.'s Barbie is joining the Internet age. The nation's No. 1 toymaker Thursday unveiled Barbie Girls, a multipronged brand that features a free Web site, BarbieGirls.com, that will allow children to create their own virtual characters, design their own room and try on clothes at a cyber mall. This summer, Mattel will introduce a Barbie-inspired handheld MP3 music device to interact with the Web site and unlock even more content.