Mattell makes Wiccan Barbie - Is this right?

ThePhoenix · Oct 20, 2003

Miss Shelby said:
You guys think Wiccan Barbie is bad? Check this out.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/12/23/1040511005507.html

What's next, bondage barbie? Honestly some of these things really annoy me. Consumerism is a nasty, horrible thing.

Rae · Oct 20, 2003

Oh please..."witchcraft" has nothing to do with making love potions, or spending money on silly Barbie dolls.

I agree with Phoenix...I'm offended by the blatant consumerism (and the idea that drinking sugar water is good for you) of this doll. It's far worse than anything else about it.

feral · Oct 20, 2003

Wiccan barbie? The perfect thing to take to the next spiral scouts meeting!!!

http://www.spiralscouts.org/

Elusivia · Oct 20, 2003

Wiccan Barbie...You should always read the fine print before you label your disgust....

"Barbie (registration symbol) is a registered trademark of the Mattel Corporation and the image of Barbie may be protected under copyrights or trade dress of the Mattel Corporation. The work appearing on this website are a parody of Barbie and the values she represents. Accordingly, references to Barbie and depictions of Barbie in these works are descriptive of the contents of the work and are made under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law which protects the unauthorized creation of a derivative work "for purposes such as criticism (and) comment." The U.S. Supreme Court held that parody may be considered as a "fair use" of copyright in Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc., 510 U.S. 569 (1994). Neither this website nor the content of this website is in any way sanctioned, sponsored or approved by the Mattel Corporation. The Mattel Corporation has not in any way authorized this website or the content of this website."

Mylinkay Asdara · Oct 20, 2003

I think it's both versions (Secret Spell and Wiccan Barbie) that they are worked up about, although... I still don't really understand why. As a card carrying Pagan myself... I can tell you that neither Barbie would influence a child to actual Paganism. Might make them romantisize it for a bit and ponder it, but the reality is nothing like the doll and once they realized that they probably would just throw the doll away and move on with life.

Pete Harcoff · Oct 20, 2003

Zoot said:
It's lucky no Wiccan Barbie actually exists. Children would end up growing up to be Wiccans! God knows I wish someone had got to my sister in time, before her toys influenced her. But, alas, she is now a My Little Pony. Fortunately, I'm now a tranforming robot, so it doesn't really bother me.

Hehehehe, oh man. *wipes tear from eye*

Good thing I wasn't drinking anything when reading that last sentence or it would've ended up all over my monitor.

notto · Oct 20, 2003

Mylinkay Asdara said:
I think it's both versions (Secret Spell and Wiccan Barbie) that they are worked up about, although... I still don't really understand why. As a card carrying Pagan myself... I can tell you that neither Barbie would influence a child to actual Paganism. Might make them romantisize it for a bit and ponder it, but the reality is nothing like the doll and once they realized that they probably would just throw the doll away and move on with life.

Do YOU have a dragonfly?

MrsMom · Oct 21, 2003

notto said:
Do YOU have a dragonfly?

Heh. Only one of the dolls has a dragonfly. The other has a butterfly, and the third has a bird.

I went to the toystore and everything I told you in the first post is correct, right down to "It's a night of white magic and spells for the Secret Spells trio!". Mattel knows exactly what they have done - they have created a doll patterned after a Wiccan. I tried to find the bible-carrying Barbie but there isn't one.

If there's no problem with Barbie practicing witchcraft, why does she have to hide it? Quote from the box: "No one suspects that this ordinary school girl, is actually one of the Secret Spells girls!" Another quote from the box: "Barbie hides magic supplies in a trick school book!" She comes with a cauldron, pretend "poisons", a wand and potion bottles ("Mix potions you can really drink!"). There is no doubt what this doll is designed to teach.

It always amazes me that Americans are constantly trying to get Christianity out of children's lives but promoting Paganism and witchcraft is okay. That's what the Wiccan's believe, right? Wiccan is a religion? Well then if it's okay to have Wiccan religious play then it should be okay to have Christian religious play.

I've seen this doll pushed on eBay as a "holloween" present, a "wiccan" doll, a "witchcraft" doll - people know how to sell it to the populace! So go ahead and bury your heads in the sand. If Mattel gets away with this believe me they will push the envelope further next time.

Rae · Oct 21, 2003

Uhm...actually, MM, Wiccans in general and Pagans do NOT believe in proselytizing. So no, "promoting" our religion isn't okay.

Yeah. The doll's designed to teach that drinking sugar water is "secret" and "special" and "magic," none of which are real.

yen · Oct 21, 2003

I still don't see this as some Wiccan doll, more likely a Harry Potter spin off for girls and Mattel just wanting to make a few bucks. The potion is no different than kool-aid, just a sugary powder you mix with water.

As for the "secret spells" she is hiding, that's just a sales gimmick. It's no different than all the "secret" stuff you can find marketed to girls. Parents still know about it don't they? Obviously it's not all that hidden, it's written all over the box. Not like they are selling the doll marketing it as a normal one so parents will buy it, with the kid knowing secretly it's some spell barbie.

I believe it's all up to the parents as to how your kid is with this stuff anyways. I grew up with a variety of toys, some probably deemed violent, and I play what many would consider violent video games. After all this, do I promote violence or engage in it myself? Not at all. My parents raised me right, knowing right from wrong, and I abhor the use of violence and guns for anything.

I detest Barbie all together however, as it is an unrealistic doll to start with, and shows girls that beauty and materialism is okay. I don't see you causing a stir about that though, when I would think that is equally as wrong and against Christianity?

Bottom line is, it's a sales gimmick, a Harry Potter spin off to make a few bucks. In my opinion, if you raise your kids right teaching them right from wrong, there shouldn't be any trouble. Besides, kind of ironic a Christian parent will buy Barbie for their kid, but not the secret spells Barbie. In reality, aren't both of them wrong to start with? Is it okay to buy a doll that promotes good looks and materialism any better?

Knight · Oct 21, 2003

Personally, I see the whole barbie thing as rather silly anyway. If I wanted to be overly critical then I could say that she teaches little girls many other things that are bad. Materialism, vanity, selfishness, etc....

Would I buy a "Wiccan Barbie" for my daughter? No. (Of course, she's far too young to care about such things right now.) I choose to be a parent and decide what toys are good for her to have. Bottom line: If you're offended by this version of Barbie then maybe you shouldn't buy it for your child nor allow anyone else to. Be a parent.

Inspired · Oct 21, 2003

Doing a C&P from my post in the other thread on this subject, I got permission from myself first.

What I still find interesting is this, I have googled it everyday since the first thread about this came up, I cross refferenced "secret spells barbie" ( the name it is called at web desk) and "mattel" here's what comes up.

Your search - secret spells barbie site:mattel.com - did not match any documents.

Suggestions:
- Make sure all words are spelled correctly.
- Try different keywords.
- Try more general keywords.
- Try fewer keywords.
Also, you can try Google Answers for expert help with your search.

here's the barbie homepage http://www.barbie.com/ no such barbie.

But mysteriously ut's availbale at ebay, sporting a mattel logo on the box
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2958906455&category=15953#ebayphotohosting

Well surely Toys R US must have it right? I mean they still carry lawns darts and we all know how safe that is, I mean who wouldn't want there kids putting a plastic loop at their feet and having their friend hurl a razor sharp metal stake at them while taunting them that they can't throw hard enough?

But alas...

Toys search results: we were unable to find exact matches for your search for secret spells barbie .
Would you like to search again?

Where exactly is the general public going to buy this doll in the first place?

MrsMom · Oct 21, 2003

I saw dozens of these dolls at Toys R Us. Just because they haven't updated their search engines online doesn't mean this doll doesn't exist. It is a Mattel product. Why they don't have it on their barbie.com website is beyond me, but the fact is, whether you want to believe it or not, the doll does exist and it is a Mattel product, not some "knockoff". There are even commercials for it (that's how I found out about the doll in the first place, by seeing the commercial). Inspired, I'm sorry but I simply can't figure out why you find this so hard to believe. It took me all of five minutes to walk into Toys R Us and verify it.

Apparently other groups are growing concerned. You know, Barbie has done a lot of things. There's Veterinarian Barbie, Stewerdess Barbie, Doctor Barbie, School Teacher Barbie and even an Astronaut Barbie but I can't for the life of me remember a Barbie that was "a schoolgirl by day" but something else at night. Again, if it's okay for Barbie to practice "white magic" (read:"witchcraft" if you will, it's just another word for it and it's clearly on the box), why does she have to hide it? We're not talking diaries and secret crushes on boys. We're talking secret activities designed to be hidden from school and parents. Because we all know what would happen to Barbie if she tried to practice "white magic" at school now, right? Rituals and spellbooks hidden in her locker?

If they made a "Christian Barbie" or even a "Secret Bible" Barbie ("She's a normal schoolgirl by day, but at night she reads the bible and recites the Pledge of Allegiance with the words 'Under God' real loud!"), then I probably wouldn't complain at all. But "Bible Barbie" simply wouldn't sell to the Britney Spears-Midriff-Showing bunch, now, would she? Catholic School Barbie would be a joke. But make a Paganistic Barbie and the country rejoices (and the forums will defend Mattel!).

*shrug* Go figure. I guess I expected too much.

Inspired · Oct 21, 2003

Yea, um so I went back to the Mattel site after I emailed them, and they've updated there site with the planned release date of the doll, 2004.

http://www.barbie.com/parents/girls_today.asp

MrsMom · Oct 21, 2003

Heh. What is on the Mattel site was there before you sent an e-mail. The doll has already been released, and the doll can be found at ukbarbiecom under the name "Charm Girl Barbie". Here's the verbage from that site:

Charm Girls Barbie® and her friends Christie® and Kayla® are regular high school girls that have special powers! The dolls have a fashion transformation that turns each of them into magical enchantresses. Girls can help Barbie® and her friends create "magical" mixes for love, luck, or happiness. They can actually drink the magical mixes, too! Each set comes with a mixing spoon, "magic" pot, recipe booklet and two packets of ingredients and a plastic pet, too!"

Mattel knows exactly what they are promoting. These dolls are witches.

"Swan Lake" barbie is magical but she's a character in a fairy tale. She's a princess 24/7 and isn't ashamed to say so. "Secret Spells" Barbie is "normal" by day and a witch by night. It's her Vocation.

So now everyone has all the information I can gather about this doll, correct and verified. Again, look the other way if you want, but I think it's horrifying and is just one more way that big business and the media worms their not-so-trusted values into our homes.

Plant a seed, nurture it, and it will grow. Flower or weed, it will still grow. What kind of seeds are we planting?

Pete Harcoff · Oct 21, 2003

Charm Girls Barbie® and her friends Christie® and Kayla® are regular high school girls that have special powers! The dolls have a fashion transformation that turns each of them into magical enchantresses.

A lot of kid's fantasies play to the whole idea of having secret powers. It sounds a lot like Sailor Moon, if you ask me.

MrsMom said:
Mattel knows exactly what they are promoting. These dolls are witches.

No they're not. I've read up on Wicca/Witchcraft, and any resemblance to real Witchcraft is quite the stretch. What these dolls are promoting is pure fantasy.

Again, look the other way if you want, but I think it's horrifying and is just one more way that big business and the media worms their not-so-trusted values into our homes.

Out of curiosity, do you feel the same way about Mary Poppins and The Wizard of Oz?

Inspired · Oct 21, 2003

http://ukbarbie.com/

has nothing to do with Mattel, it's a personal site.

MrsMom · Oct 21, 2003

Inspired said:
uk barbie . com
has nothing to do with Mattel, it's a personal site.

It's "uk dot barbie dot com". Important to leave in the dots. You can get to uk . barbie . com by clicking "worldwide barbie" on the official Mattel www barbie.com link you provided us earlier. I'm not allowed to actually provide links in posts until I have 15 posts. That's not my fault and I refuse to "spam" just so I can post a link.

Honestly, you are very stubborn, Inspired. Quite frankly, I'm tired of defending myself against you. It's like trying to talk to a brick wall. For the last time: the doll exists, it's a Mattel product, and everything I have said about the doll including the write-up on the box is 100% true. If you don't care about the issue or are not interested in it then for pete's sake find something else to do. I get the feeling you are delibrately trying to confuse the issue by posting all these links to other products and websites you assume I must be discussing, and saying that because you don't think the doll exists, it must not exist. I'm not sure why you choose to muddle up my issue, as I am a first-time poster and surely have never caused you any harm, but after your last post it is obvious you have something to prove. I'll just let you at it then and find another set of forums to chit-chat in. After this headache I won't be reading or posting at christianforums.com anymore.

Very confused,
MrsMom

yen · Oct 21, 2003

MrsMom, I don't see you responding to my post though. Don't you think it's hypocritical to buy Barbie for your children, but stop because they come out with a spells Barbie? I mean after all, the original ones promoted some very bad values as well (beauty, materialism, etc) that I believe are against Christianity. Is it okay to support Barbie and those habits, so long as she isn't doing magic?

The doll should have never had support to begin with. :/

No gods · Oct 21, 2003

MrsMom said:
It's "uk dot barbie dot com". Important to leave in the dots. You can get to uk . barbie . com by clicking "worldwide barbie" on the official Mattel www barbie.com link you provided us earlier. I'm not allowed to actually provide links in posts until I have 15 posts. That's not my fault and I refuse to "spam" just so I can post a link.

It would have caused a lot less confusion if you would have posted the name of the link correctly, even if this site won't let you create a link. Personally, I read it as www.ukbarbie.com, just as inspired did. I'll post the correct one for you: http://uk.barbie.com . Now, having found the correct site (as I couldn't find any reference to it on the first site I went to), I noticed that the barbie is listed under the "trendy" listing. I would guess these dolls are basically patterned after the television show "Charmed". The show "Charmed" is not related to Wicca at all. These dolls are not created as a religious or political statement. They are created to make money off a currently popular show and a trend toward "magic" stories.

MrsMom said:
After this headache I won't be reading or posting at christianforums.com anymore.

Very confused,
MrsMom

That's a shame. You shouldn't base a decision on such limited exposure. Oh well.

Mattell makes Wiccan Barbie - Is this right?

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