"Barbie" news and stories

When a colleague mentioned she bought this doll for her niece (who loved it, for the record), we were mesmerized with horror and glee. Barbie has come a long way from the basic townhouse days when we knew her -- now she can be anything from a fashionista to a race car "cutie."

Barbie has apparently become a foodie as well. Her kitchen is fully stocked, and she has all the camera gear needed for a full-on cooking show. To be honest, we think her skirt is questionably short for actual cooking, but that aside she could conceivably pass as a Sandra Lee-Giada hybrid. And yes, we kind of want one for the office . . .

Barbie, as you may know, turned 50 earlier this year. If this slightly belated bit of promotional whimsy is any indication, plenty of you still want a piece of her.

To celebrate the doll's 50th, Dylan's Candy Bar created "Barbie Loves Dylan's," a line of chocolate and candy outfitted in colorful graphics befitting the belle's pop-art and pop-cultural legacy. We love the way these chocolates are packaged, with through-the-years pix inspiring affectionate memories of both "The Brady Bunch" and yearbook photos of days (and unfortunate hairstyles) gone by.

It's rare to come across chocolate whose packaging wouldn't look out of place next to a Warhol, and we applaud whatever graphic design genius was behind this. But if Barbie taught us anything, it's that beauty is skin deep, and that lesson unfortunately applies to the chocolate bearing her name. It tastes as plastic as Barbie herself or, in the words of one judge, "like drugstore Easter candy." Like Barbie herself, this chocolate could last 50 years ... in the back of a pantry.

For $14, a better move might be to pop the candies into a frame on the bedroom wall. 'Cause Barbie also taught us that when substance fails, style triumphs.

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If ever you found yourself chewing on your Barbie doll's head (presumably, when you were three years old), now you can do the same thing as a more mature person with a Barbie popsicle. These Barbie-sicles aren't found in stores - oh, no no no - you make them yourself, and Objects of Desire shows you how.

All you need is a bit of plasticene to shape the mold, a Barbie doll, flavored syrup, and popsicle sticks. I'm not sure if this is meant to appeal to men, women or children, but whichever it is, make sure you make a Ken-sicle, too. I believe the instructions would be the same.

More popsicles:
Fear Factor popsicles
Making your own popsicles
Prevent popsicle problems
Catch those popsicle drips

A chain of Canadian restaurants can continue to use the name Barbie's, despite complaints from toymaker Mattel. Canada's Supreme Court recently decided that the Montreal-based steak restaurants have nothing to do with the doll. Mining the decision for a bit of humor, Justice Ian Binnie read a dictionary definition of Barbie as "a female who is superficially attractive in a conventional way, especially with blue eyes and blond hair, but who lacks personality," Reuters reported. "In that regard, the association of the Barbie doll with food might be taken as a warning of blandness," he added. The same court also ruled that a Canadian line of women's clothing can continue to use the name Cliquot, which is only one c away from the name of the famous champagne house. Bloomberg also reports.