when i was a little girl i wasn’t necessarily interested in all the things that fall into the “little girl” category. my favorite place to be was the sandbox in our shared back yard, or climbing trees and fences. my favorite outfit was a baseball cap, my old worn overalls (with tons of pockets for all sorts of things i’d squirrel away), and comfy sneakers. my favorite toys were dinosaurs (still are), legos, lincoln logs and gi joes. i loved matchbox cars and remote control racers. oh, i had quite a few squashy stuffed animals (some of them still kept today) that were cherished and loved. and the requisite my little pony treasure trove…but those were for my toy soldiers to ride on, of course. or to stage battles in the sandbox.
i had barbie dolls, of course, but was always pretty much ambivalent towards them. the ken dolls were disturbing to look at or play with and usually ended up decapitated or torn to pieces for realistic ‘casualties of war’ or so my dinosaurs had something to nom nom nom on (jurassic park toys were the best, and my dream come true at age 12). the barbies got painted or drowned or at the very least an interesting haircut. the clothes and fashions didn’t interest me. what did, were the tiny little accessories. barbie-doll-sized phones and furniture and foods. i loved dollhouses because everything miniature and exquisitely detailed fascinated me. barbies were cast aside routinely over organizing mini-closets and decorating faux-apartments (side note: i converted my daddy’s old liquor cabinet to a deluxe barbie house when i was 10, mainly to showcase all the tiny appliances and furniture).
anyway…the point is, i was never really interested in dolls for the sake of dolls. cabbage patch kids were too bulky and cumbersome and boring in the face of my lego minifigs (OH MY GOD THEY HAD MONKEYS WITH THE PIRATE SETS AND I LOVED THEM!!!) and dinosaurs and building blocks. video games and frolicking out doors and building and drawing things
barbie never really resonated with me as something fun, or reflecting my interests. this has changed, recently. just now, in fact.
they are releasing a special edition black canary barbie doll. comics and barbies together? i’m mildly intrigued! of course, everyone is freaking out about the appropriate level of what is essentially an S&M barbie, what what-ever! honestly, is a torpedo boob’d blonde conformo-icon of impossible to attain physical and beauty standards even the least bit appropriate for impressional young girls in the first place? was barbie ever?! no. and this is far worse than the backlash over the “risque” barbie lingerie that mattel has offered for years. so…what-ev. seriously. maybe it’s more the notion of mixing boy things (comics) with girl things (dolls) and the uncomfortable territory that treads on for conservatives. besides, how many little girls actually get and play with collector barbie dolls? those are usually geared to a much older age group, and in a lot of cases: males. so again…what-ev!
this is the first barbie doll i think i would not be ashamed to own because it is so campy and ridiculous and also, comics! even though, i’ve never been a huge fan of black canary, i am a huge fan of fishnets.
and really, would people be freaking out so much if it were wonder woman? or batgirl? actually…i wouldn’t mind a catwoman barbie…but NOT the ill-fated, boring-as-shit, embarrassing-for-everyone-present halle berry version. i’m talkin’ about the head-to-toe vinyl, will lick-you-then-kick-your-ass michelle pfeiffer version. rowr! and maybe an iron man and edward-norton-as-the-hulk doll, too. bigger than the gi joe sized action figures that are usually made, with moar accessories, too! then i could stage full scale hulk vs iron man vs spiderman vs t-rex battles on the floor. with nacho dressed up as godzilla…
um, er…I AM NORMAL!!! though i do miss my he-man toys…
anyway,
you know, though, i would totally kill to get a replacement jurassic park t-rex with removable dino damage. i fuckin’ loved that lil guy, and carried him around with me everywhere. sigh.
