Bye Bye Barbie: Why She Might Be Out Of Business

By Fusion Staff  |  April 17, 2014 | 4:24pm
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Barbie is never far from controversy. Whether she’s getting sexy on the cover of Sports Illustrated, having a musical dedicated to her or told that she’s promoting unrealistic body issues, the doll can’t stay out of the headlines (though sometimes they are positive, such as the African American Barbie dolls that broke barriers).

But now she’s making news again, for more than just salacious reasons.

She’s going broke.. well, in terms of sales. Sales on Barbie dolls are down 14%. Mattel sales are down overall. The Associated Press reported that Mattel said that, “Weak sales of Barbie and markdowns to clear out excess inventory left over from a sluggish holiday season led to an unexpected first-quarter loss.”

What’s a plastic girl to do?

We explore just why Barbie’s popularity is declining in the above video.

 
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