The iconic Barbie turns the big 5-0 next year, but Mattel is refusing to let her scamper tip-toed into the sunset. Though the unnaturally proportioned plastic doll generates more than $1 billion in annual revenue, the product's brand manager admits, "We lost our way...We had lost a whole piece of the business, the older girl." So just in time for the recession, Mattel is giving Barbie a makeover that includes fresh trademark-pink packaging (hue PMS219), a more global aesthetic inspired by Vogue magazine, an edgier look to appeal to today's tweens, and flagship store experiences like those mastered by the company's American Girl brand.
Read it at The Wall Street Journal
