Torturing Barbie - a rite-of-passage passed down through the generations

Interesting report from the UK Times on a revealing study that began as "...an in-depth look by psychologists and management into the role of brands among 7 to 11-year-old schoolchildren," and then quickly changed it's focus to widespread Barbie-bashing, when it uncovered the big fun so many children had in vivisecting, scarring, stabbing, pulverizing, burning and microwaving the iconic brand toy. The researchers at the University of Bath were "...taken aback by the rejection, hatred and violence she provoked when they asked the children about their feelings for the doll. Violence and torture against Barbie were repeatedly reported across age, school and gender. No other toy or brand name provoked such a negative response."

Comments

[buckeye Girl]

Yep, that sounds about right. Things my sister and I enjoyed doing with Barbies:

1. Having them held hostage by the Ken dolls in the Dungeon of Men (the Camper Van)

2. When I got tired of playing, i always had my doll kill herself by jumping off the roof of the house or drowning in the swimming pool. I figured no one could convince me to stop playing if the doll was dead.

[zoe]

I never tortured/mutilated my Barbies! They did have lots of sex tho.

[Bill W]

The furthest I went with my sister's Barbie was removing her eyelashes with peanut butter. (I was a resourceful tyke.)

[Snarfyguy]

My friend has a .22 rifle which we took to a friend's country house once and used for target practice with some Barbie and Ken dolls.

Good clean fun!

[Mark Allen]

Bill W - for some reason I can not picture you doing that. But who knew? Peanut butter? It's the delicious paste with 1,000 destructive uses!

[toper]

We did freeze her in jello once.