Have you heard? Barbie's changed.
Updated: Sep 16
Dolls of the mid twentieth century all had the same basic concept. Their bodies were complete with just five points of articulation, they came with a singular outfit, and in the most advanced cases their eyes might blink when you lie them down. Today, when you walk through the toy aisle of a store like Target, you see a wide variety of dolls and their playsets. The Our Generation Ice Cream Truck comes with 128 accessories. Each Rainbow High doll comes with her own closet full of outfits. Barbie can be found participating in every career under the sun, including esthetician, ice skater, pilot, and unicorn trainer.
A theory has come up through debate amongst childhood specialists. Toys have become a form of marketing that can reach directly to the intended audience. Instead of producing a commercial, which a child may or may not watch, brands can ensure that their identity is absorbed subconsciously by the child through the medium of play. The growth of the toy industry can be attributed to the popularity of children’s media and vice versa.
Sandra Chang addressed this subject in her 2003 Masters thesis at Concordia University. She defines the difference between pretense and pretend play as this: Pretend play means a child is simply copying a scenario they’ve seen before (think reenacting a scene from a movie, maybe even using the toys made for that movie). Pretense play, on the other hand, means a child takes examples from real life and attempts to process them in their own way through play. Examples of this include “house” or “school”. Pretense play involves a greater amount of cognitive processing from a child, meaning they will be able to experience these scenarios with better control in the future. Essentially, any game with a structure based in reality, but otherwise endless possibilities for creative choices are the best for kids. The common phrase used to describe products most helpful to this play is, “90% Kid and 10% Toy”, as stated by Dr. Hersh-Pasik, a Psychology professor at Temple University.
Interestingly, one of the toys that moves children farthest from this “pretense play”, is a doll. Specifically, the dolls available today. Josh Golin, leader of Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, argues that 8 Barbie’s 2015 “You can be anything” initiative is a main culprit. He explains, “Rather than any Barbie could be anything, if you wanted your Barbie to be a certain thing, you had to buy that specific Barbie. And then of course you also had to buy the accessories.” In looking at Mattel’s website, his point seems to be proven. The dolls’ playsets and outfits leave little room for ambiguity in playing. Ballet Barbie is complete with a sculpted-on pair of pointe shoes and painted tights, meaning that changing her play setting isn’t as easy as swapping out her clothes. The doll’s specifically curated style reminds you that no matter what scenario you put her in, there is a way you should be using her.
Another example of this hyper-specific play is seen in the cult-classic brand, Polly Pocket. In theory, the concept of the doll is ingenious. By bringing the portable playset along with them, a child can have an outlet to process their emotions “on the go,” but this opportunity is extinguished by branding, just as Chang details in her report. Almost half of the compacts sold through the brand are based on a show, movie, or franchise. This means that the child has either been given the toy after showing interest in its media source, or will become interested in it after being influenced by the play set. Either way, this brand association will favor pretend play rather than pretense. The cycle is seemingly endless. Watch. Buy. Play. Repeat. Polly becomes a distraction and advertisement rather than a tool for behavioral growth.
It’s been shown that a combination of both childhood marketing and the absence of nuance in play can hinder emotional development in kids. The question now is: Does anyone even care? Will dolls continue to become so hyper-specific that they eventually blend with the media they’re based on? Hope is seen through an article published in 2025 in The New York Times entitled, “The Best Dolls”. The images of these toys include both baby and standard dolls, all dressed in simple clothing that children themselves might wear. There are no accessories solely determining their job or circumstances, and no brand affiliations. These toys aid play instead of inhibiting it, meaning the doll can be brought along into the scenario the child wants to unpack, instead of deciding it. Though it is potentially less profitable for them, these brands are giving control back to the kids. They trust that they are able to make decisions in their play that don’t require a detailed background or given situation.
