Bankrupt Barbie

Controversial toy on the market for the 2007 holiday shopping season is Mattel's Barbie Fashion Boutique toy, which includes a no-limit credit card.


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http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/when-good-toys-go-bad-ix-barbies-fashion-fever-fosters-bad-cre/

When good toys go bad IX: Barbie's Fashion Fever fosters bad credit
Posted Oct 9th 2007 3:42PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Note to parents: if you'd like your tweens not to run up extraordinary bills on the shared credit card when they head out to the mall, start by passing on Barbie's Fashion Fever Shopping Boutique playset. This innocent looking package allows youngsters to shop 'til they drop with fake plastic, but rather than actually hitting a credit limit and getting rejected, the card delivers the wrong message by simply allowing kids to spend as much dough as they'd like without any negative consequences. Take a look at the commercial after the jump.

[Via Gearlog]


Youtube Commercial:
YouTube


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At first glance, upon seeing commercial, I was pretty let down to see this toy hit the market, given the overwhelming debt problem we're currently seeing in the US. But thinking about it a little further, am wondering if people are more sensitive to this type of imaginary play because it might hit a nerve tied to their own spending/credit experiences. Is this toy going to mold 6-8 year old girls into overspending, bankrupt young adults? Is it the toy, or is it the ease with which young adults can obtain an open line of credit, coupled with what they've learned from their parents?

How many video games exist which encourage high speed driving, which upon crashing, instantly restores the driver and vehicle to precrash perfection? Are kids who play these games growing up to believe they are invincible on the road? Is it the game, or a teenager's natural tendency to believe they're invincible?

Toys and games have always promoted imaginary play, sometimes involving behaviors which, if practiced as an adult, would have negative results.

Should Fashion Boutique Barbie be shunned this shopping season, or should parents rely more on their own examples, than a toy's influence.

Or, should we push the requirement to instruct our youngsters in the practice of responsible spending prior to handing them the credit card, much like we instruct them in the practice of responsible driving, before handing them the license?

Originally posted by SJ247
Controversial toy on the market for the 2007 holiday shopping season is Mattel's Barbie Fashion Boutique toy, which includes a no-limit credit card.


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http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/when-good-toys-go-bad-ix-barbies-fashion-fever-fosters-bad-cre/

[i]When good toys go bad IX: Barbie's Fashion Fever foster ...[text shortened]... nstruct them in the practice of responsible driving, before handing them the license?

Originally posted by slimjim
I've never given any of my nine kids the credit card. To do so would be the defination of stupidy.

Originally posted by SJ247
Controversial toy on the market for the 2007 holiday shopping season is Mattel's Barbie Fashion Boutique toy, which includes a no-limit credit card.


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http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/when-good-toys-go-bad-ix-barbies-fashion-fever-fosters-bad-cre/

[i]When good toys go bad IX: Barbie's Fashion Fever foster nstruct them in the practice of responsible driving, before handing them the license?

Originally posted by Palynka
[/i]You can't be serious about taking that seriously.

Originally posted by SJ247
Whoa sailor, I'm looking for feedback, as to whether or not it should be taken seriously. A lot of people apparently do take it seriously. I was admittedly sickened with the concept of a credit-card-barbie, yeah, but the bigger question is: Are parents overly sensitive to the toy, when they should instead put more attention into the examples they provide? There's such a "blame someone/something else" mentality these days.

It's not like Barbie used to be a good role model and now she's not. Anyone who relied on Barbie to parent their children before was equally insane as any would be now. Playing with Barbies as a child is one thing, but obviously its the parents role to make sure they don't grow up thinking their play world is the real world.

I am far from being a parent but this is extremely obvious to me. Am I missing somebody's point here? This seems pretty cut and dry.

Originally posted by The Dude 84
I am far from being a parent but this is extremely obvious to me. Am I missing somebody's point here? This seems pretty cut and dry.

The post that was quoted here has been removed

I think the present unhealthy level of consumerism in the world is a clear sign of the only naturally occurring conspiracy.

If I am the CEO of a Bank's Credit branch, my job is to answer for quarterly earnings.
QE's are driven by sales and strong customer retention.
I'm going to hire the most ruthless marketing executives and consultants to make that a reality.
Consequently we plunder any open market (and I do mean ANY).
And the people... we're stupid. We're self made sheep to this system.

There's no public high school curriculum to cover asset management or debt consolidation. There's no "balance my checkbook" classes. Far from it. We're taught how to *earn* and *spend*, and we're hammered on 24x7 from every conceivable angle for how imperfect and ugly we are and how desperately we need to buy stuff.

A lot of people shrug their shoulders and say, "It's the individuals responsibility to be educated and think..."

Unfortunately, the individual does not have a Bank's CEO's budget to spend on counter marketing to their campaigns, and that's where that kind of attitude falls apart and we have the present condition.

Consumerism and materialism do not generate happiness. It generates debt and assets. People should understand how to manage both.

The post that was quoted here has been removed

Originally posted by SJ247
It would in most situations, but why is that?