According to Forbes, Barbie’s sales have dropped 14 percent, and sales have dropped for three straight quarters. While some believe the durable plastic beauty is just in a slump, others believe Barbie may, after more than 50 years, be on the outs. Business Insider has called Barbie obsolete.
Some believe Monster High dolls are more popular now because they offer a cohesive world and clear narrative. Barbie dolls, be they teachers, surfers or astronauts, essentially inhabit their own separate worlds: “In a world saturated with narrative media [suggests Barbie collector Nikeeyia Howell], perhaps children simply aren’t ready to wrap their heads around the idea of dozens of different Barbies that each occupy their own parallel universe, Quantum Leap-style,” writes The Daily Beast‘s Samantha Allen. (The Daily Beast)
Paul Asay has written for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for PluggedIn and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He recently collaborated with Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, on his book The Good Dad. He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and his two children. Check out his entertainment blog at Patheos.com/blogs/WatchingGod or follow him on Twitter.