babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
Can Barbie save us from whooping cough?
My kids’ closest friends recently came down with whooping cough. They seem fine most of the time, and then they start coughing and hacking. Sometimes they cough so hard they throw up. Tears run out of their eyes. It’s pretty tough to watch, and they expect it to continue for up to six weeks.
None of these kids were vaccinated because their mom doesn’t trust vaccines. She’s part of a growing number of parents who are choosing not to vaccinate their children because they’ve been misled about the science behind vaccination.
The anti-vaccine movement is as old as vaccines themselves. But recently it’s gained momentum through the outspoken activism of celebrity Jenny McCarthy.
Jenny is charismatic, passionate and beautiful. She’s a great spokesperson for her movement. Pro-vaccine advocates are struggling to get their message across as well, with only doctors, scientists, public health officials and school nurses on their team.
What they need is a star to take up the cause. A blonde powerhouse adored by parents and children. What vaccine advocates need is Barbie.
Barbie Gets Tattooed.
First off, this is not your average everyday Barbie. She’s not a vet, she’s not a nurse, and she’s not from Malibu. This Barbie is pink haired, has a cactus as a pet and is adorned with a slew of tattoos — something that is getting some parents pretty riled up.
The collector’s Barbie was designed in collaboration with the Japanese inspired Italian designer tokidoki. This doll is more for the collector set and joins other collaborations with designers like Kate Spade and Bob Mackie and isn’t really being marketed to children. But Barbie is still totally associated with little girls and childhood, so it’s no wonder that a handful of parents were outraged by this edgy new doll.
Some of the irate comments they’ve made include (via Ms. Twixt: Positive Experiences for Tween Girls): Continue reading »
Do you let Barbie into your house?
Last year, “Santa” brought my kids the thing they most wanted in all the world: a complete set of Disney Princess Barbie Dolls. Of course, Santa had help in this project from me, the feminist mom who once swore I’d never let one of those busty dolls cross the threshold of my home. Santa might have gotten the kids’ letter asking for them, but it was me who bought them off eBay, wrapped them up, and stuck them under the tree with a pretty bow on them.
Clearly, I am not the mom I thought I’d be before I had kids. Nor am I as committed to my ideals as the mom who wrote in to Motherlode asking for advice on how to keep Barbie out of her three-year-old’s hands.
Bratz dolls redefine demure
Barbie did her best to get rid of her rivals, but the Bratz dolls are back and coming to a store near you.
If you are the parent of a young girl, you probably already know the story, but let’s recap: In 2008, a jury ruled that Bratz maker MGA Entertainment had essentially stolen the concept for Bratz dolls from Mattel. After that, the dolls we love to hate pretty much disappeared from the toy store shelves. But in July, a federal appeals court overturned that earlier ruling and cleared the way for MGA to resume manufacturing the dolls. Continue reading »
Barbie really can do anything. The fantastic, plastic doll now has an incarnation as a secret-camera toting spy.
Video Girl Barbie comes with a hidden camera in a necklace. The tiny camera can shoot up to 30 minutes of video. While Mattel is pushing the toy for “budding filmmakers”, it’s uses for budding spies, private eyes, blackmail artists and lawyers should be obvious.
Is it possible to produce a healthy Pop Tart?
Kellogg’s is going to try to do just that.
A low calorie “healthier” version of some of your favorite junk foods could be available in the next few years.
As part of her “Let’s Move” campaign to fight childhood obesity, First Lady Michelle Obama announced yesterday that food and beverage manufacturers have agreed to cut 1.5 trillion calories from food and drink products by 2015. They’re aiming to cut the first 1 trillion by 2012, according to the Associated Press. Continue reading »
While Barbie has been making strides to break the glass ceiling of corporate America (hey, Barbie’s a computer engineer!), a new line of Mad Men Barbies promises to set Barbie back to the subservient “don’t speak unless unless spoken to” gender roles of the 1960′s. Continue reading »
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Wendy Michaels 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
19