Gone are the times when Barbie would be displayed in full page warehouse, Kmart and Deka adverts in junk mail catalogues. As a child, I used to love looking at the junk mail catalogues and poring over the Barbie adverts just dreaming of owning all that was advertised. There was so much to look at!
Gone are the times when Barbie would be displayed in full page warehouse, Kmart and Deka adverts in junk mail catalogues. As a child, I loved looking at the junk mail catalogues and poring over the Barbie adverts just dreaming of owning all that was advertised. There was so much to look at!
What was even better than looking at adverts was going into the store an looking at the vast display of dolls and accessories available. The range was incredible, not only was there Barbie but Barbies friends and family dolls were available too. Nowadays there's only a few Barbies and a couple of Ken's. Where have Barbies friends and family gone?
I was most horrified on a recent visit to Kmart to discover that there was only a very tiny spot down the doll aisle that had Barbie on display. There was hardly anything to look at! What's happened to Barbie in the New Zealand market and is it like this worldwide?
According to stuff.co.nz (2018) "
Venerable brands such as Mattel's Barbie and American Girl are showing their age." whatsmore, Mattel has plunged from global No. 1 to No. 3 after four straight years of revenue decline, including a 12 per cent slump in the last quarter of 2017 (https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/world/102749829/the-worlds-stopped-buying-toys) so where does this leave Barbie? is she on her way out for good? will kids of the future not be familiar with the blonde icon we know as Barbie or will she revive herself back to the days of full page adverts and fully stocked shelves?
