Barbie Turns Superhero After Magical Butterfly Kiss

[StewShearerOld]

Barbie Turns Superhero After Magical Butterfly Kiss

Mattel has announced Super Sparkle, a new superhero Barbie that the toy maker hopes will "inspire girls."

The <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/barbie>Barbie brand and I have never been friends. Even considering Mattel's occasional efforts to make the doll line a more positive force for young girls, there's just something about it that's always rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it's just its commitment to the world's most disgusting shades of pink. Sincerely, what is it with toy makers and having to wrap "girl toys" in the most putrid colors ever devised? Are they part of a conspiracy or something to gradually destroy the vision of the world's female population with overloads of pastel?

Whatever shenanigans <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/mattel>Mattel and its cohorts are up to, there are a few things I can think of that might make up for it. Standing tall at the top of the list? Giving Barbie superpowers.

According to a recent reveal at the Nuremberg Toy Fair, that's exactly what's going to happen. The product of a magical butterfly kiss, Barbie's new alter-ego Super Sparkle will be able to tap into super strength and flight abilities to fight crime and "inspire girls." That, at least, is the hope of Lori Pantel, vice president of global brand marketing for the Barbie brand. "The world of superheroes has historically been tailored to boys where the good guys beat the bad guys," said Pantel. "But we know that girls, too, enjoy empowered heroes but seek an outcome where the perceived bad characters transform to good and friendship is the lasting result. We thought it was time they were inspired by a new superhero that is playful, has extraordinary abilities and also uses her powers of forgiveness and friendship to defeat her foe - in a way that only Barbie can."

While I'm still not a fan of all the pink (it exists in more subtle tones guys), I will say that I appreciate the sentiments behind Super Sparkle. Granted, not all of the Mattel's <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98309-Barbie-Finds-New-Career-in-Information-Technology>female friendly Barbies have <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/138684-Negative-Reviews-of-Computer-Engineer-Barbie-Book-Tackle-Sexism>worked out perfectly in the past. That said, you have to at least give the company some credit for trying. Barbie fans interested in buying the new Super Sparkle doll will be able to find it in stores beginning in February.

Source: <a href=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/01/28/superhero-barbie-princess-power-inspire-girls_n_6563308.html>Huffington Post


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[Norithics]

I'll wait for the gritty Nolan reboot where the Barbie Dream Car comes with a chaingun.

 

[VanQ]

Besides the shitty character designs and animation and voice acting in the trailer,

"But we know that girls, too, enjoy empowered heroes but seek an outcome where the perceived bad characters transform to good and friendship is the lasting result. We thought it was time they were inspired by a new superhero that is playful, has extraordinary abilities and also uses her powers of forgiveness and friendship to defeat her foe - in a way that only Barbie can."

is total bullshit. Because Nanoha already did the shit out of this premise [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DefeatMeansFriendship] and is a far better role model for young girls than Barbie.

[sub]You're gonna get befriended. You're.[/sub]

 

[PsychicTaco115]

So they hope to inspire girls while obviously keeping with gender norms of girls liking everything princessey/sparkles and butterflies?

I mean, I know it's not supposed to appeal to my demographic but does it have to be so... that?

Wait this is going to be a MOVIE?? Like... In actual cinemas??

Oh shit... That's HILARIOUS

 

[Queen Michael]

"But we know that girls, too, enjoy empowered heroes but seek an outcome where the perceived bad characters transform to good and friendship is the lasting result.

Looks like somebody needs a subscription to Shonen Jump...

 

[Absolutionis]

So a bunch of feminist-marxists that think they idealistically know what's best for society are obviously going to hate on this movie because no girl ever should like pink and butterflies. Only when boys like this stuff and form a subculture, it's okay and check your cis-priviege.

 

[VondeVon]

"But we know that girls, too, enjoy empowered heroes but seek an outcome where the perceived bad characters transform to good and friendship is the lasting result.

So, a: Barbie's enemies won't actually be villains, presumably because Barbie couldn't handle that, and
b: We're reinforcing the 'women love to fix broken or bad men' trope? We're teaching little girls that if a man (or woman) is cruel, malicious or violent to them, it's nothing a bright smile and persistent affection can't fix?

We thought it was time they were inspired by a new superhero that is playful, has extraordinary abilities and also uses her powers of forgiveness and friendship to defeat her foe - in a way that only Barbie can."

Okay, so I'm picturing Batman using the power of forgiveness and friendship (and possibly the Bat Hug) to defeat The Joker and I have to admit...

It's pretty awesome.

But yeah, no. Empowered? Inspiring? Superhero? No. This is just more of the same Stepford Barbie. It doesn't matter if she's a mermaid, a fairy, a princess or a cape-wearing cosplayer, this is just the same show rolled out again. I'd lay money on 'Super Barbie' still solving her problems by asking her guy friends to do it for her.

 

[oldtaku]

Last desperate attempt to keep Barbie relevant. We don't need Barbie any more.

 

[Belaam]

Pairing "Nuremberg Toy Fair" with this brings up some weird connotations.

If only Super Barbie had been there decades earlier to use her powers of forgiveness and friendship on those characters perceived as Nazi bad guys.

As with pretty much all things Barbie, I will not be buying this for my daughters. There are far too many better options.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

And yet, it's still the exact same Barbie movie that they've been releasing for the past decade or so.

 

[Worgen]

Its weird that we already have something that did this much better and with magical multicolored talking horses and they knew when to stop talking about friendship and start just smashing shit.

 

[Veldel]

The first thing that came to mind after reading that is My Little Pony FiM and Twilight Sparkle.

I wonder how bad this movie will be at portraying stuff.

 

[Skeleon]

Barbie has taken up almost any career or role imaginable. I'm actually kind of surprised "super hero" wasn't among them before, but then I don't usually try to keep up with... that.

 

[small]

weirdly she looks like my boss from saints row 4, so i was waiting for barbie to beat someone to death with a giant sex toy in that trailer

 

[jackpipsam]

Its weird that we already have something that did this much better and with magical multicolored talking horses and they knew when to stop talking about friendship and start just smashing shit.

And they're making a spin-off comic all about that now too.
It's great, if that train keeps rolling Hasbro might start bringing out Toys of them as well

 

[Scarim Coral]

So superheronies like Wonder Woman, Zantana, She Hulk Catwoman and Ms Marvel (well Captain Marvel) etc are no longer good role models for little girls now?

 

[Teoes]

I will point out with glee that this headline appears in the Popular Forum Posts box as "Barbie Turns Superhero After Magical Butt"..

..after magical butt does what? The intrigue!

 

[Dr. Thrax]

I will point out with glee that this headline appears in the Popular Forum Posts box as "Barbie Turns Superhero After Magical Butt"..

..after magical butt does what? The intrigue!

I actually came here to post this same thing.
I was all intrigued because I just got "Magical Butt?! WHAT IS BARBIE DOING WITH MAGIC BUTTS. I MUST KNOW"
And then I was disappointed by the full thread title.

 

[reverse_rpm]

All hail Jesse Cox, prophet of the Space Butterfly, for he has forseen and fortold this.

 

[Thaluikhain]

So superheronies like Wonder Woman, Zantana, She Hulk Catwoman and Ms Marvel (well Captain Marvel) etc are no longer good role models for little girls now?

Oh, lots of people would argue that they aren't. Wonder Woman, for example, started off rathee dodgy, all she did was get tied up.

Oh, and Zatanna gets angry with people calling her Zantana. New52 did not do her character any good, anyway.