When good toys go bad IX: Barbie's Fashion Fever fosters bad credit
By Darren Murph 
posted Oct 9th 2007 3:42PM
posted Oct 9th 2007 3:42PM
[Via Gearlog]
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Seriously??? Barbie toy reviews are what Engadget is now reduced to? SERIOUSLY????
I know for real. What do you expect the toy to do - "We are sorry, you have played with this card x times. Please purchase new Barbie Fashion Fever to continue playing."
It's not a toy review. Obviously you don't read and have no sense of comprehension. Engadget's saying that the toy is sending the wrong message to the young girls (and questionable young boys) out in the world by telling them that, despite how much they shop to buy clothes, they'll "never run out of money" because of the credit card. Would you want this message sent to your kids? I sure as hell wouldn't.
Yeah, but at least it's not yet another post about the latest iPhone/iPod Touch hack, or someone else whining about iBricks.
Technology effects everyone, even young children (which, obviously, involves toys). Engadget doesn't have to cover ONLY silver-on-black painted PDAs, computers, cameras, etc. They can cover any other piece of technology they want, and not just big-people toys.
This device exposes children to the technology of credit cards in a false manner, which can, in effect, lead to the misuse of the technology by these kids in the future.
My advice to you: if you don't like these types of stories about technology being incorporated into children's toys creeping onto the Engadget website every once in a while, then just skip over them or stop coming. You won't be missed.
FrankliD
why do the boys have to be questionable! wuz your prrrroblem?
@Bob
Why would a boy playing with Barbie be referred to as 'questionable'?
If a girl liked playing with toy trucks and GI Joe would you also refer to her as 'questionable'?
I read and comprehend that I'm on the Engadget website... not ParentDish! why the hell is a technology blog posting tips on parenting???
OR:
(1) don't give them a 'shared' credit card
(2) teach them financial responsibility, don't let them get it from a toy
More than parents, though, retailers like Best Buy, Macy's, Kohls, etc. should be worried about what kids could learn from this. If kids don't have the financial responsibility to control their own spending when they grow up, retail institutions that make large amounts of money by lending to customers won't make shit, cause the customers won't be paying it back.
ds
actually, retailers are ecstatic when people with less-than-reputable credit scores sign up for their credit cards. they make far more money off of delinquent payments (sometimes upwards of 30% APR) than they do off of responsible clients who pay off their balance in full each month.
and the lenders don't really care about their clients' solvency: they can recoup if their clients file for bankruptcy, and then grant reapprovals the very next day for the same cards they couldn't afford the first time around.
...it's a vicious cycle...
Also, the only way people learn financial responsibility is by being given the opportunity to actually be responsible with money.
A child is not going to learn to be responsible with money if he / she never has any money to be responsible with.
Yeah, retailers love it because they aren't the ones taking the hit when the kid goes broke; the credit card company pays the retailer, and then they do the collecting from the kid with the card.
This is why credit card companies target college freshmen; they want someone just naive enough to rack up some debt without a real understanding of how the card works, and they know that the parents will swoop in to try to rescue their child (and maybe the child's credit rating) when the card hits its limit.
My daughter wanted one of these when she saw the commercial. I put the big nix on it. I told her that she should look for the Barbie bank/savings account. Seriously, what sort of message are they trying to get across to girls? This is not what I want my daughter to play with.
Uhm, to be good American citizens?
Next week on FOX, Barbie evicted from Dream House, Ferrari impounded, Skipper caught in kiddy hooker crackhouse mess. Ken available for comment: "Man, I'm all out of Prozac"
Surprised that there isn't a big Visa, Mastercard or American Express logo on that card...
These toys just get more absurd by the day.
If Barbie doesn't pay back her debt, is Big Fat Tony gonna come break her kneecaps? And what does Ken have to say about Barbie going out on the town and spending all his money?
Don't forget Barbie is the name brand here, she makes all the money to buy clothes with, Ken is just the gold digg'n skank!
OMG, Loban... where did you get your credit card! lol
Plastic toys in general, are a complete waste.
I mean, toys get used for the first few days, tossed aside somewhere. Then weeks later, it get stashed into a box or closet. Several years later, it gets put up in a garage sale, or even worse - it just goes in the garbage.
I'm talking about dolls, plastic figures, cutesy dollhouses, racing cars, the whole lot of them made out of plastic.
You'd also have to consider the Kids Meal toys they put in at fast-food joints. They get opened once, and the next moment, they're plopped into the trash can. Most likely because they hold little quality and interest to a child. So much plastic waste comes from this.
Then there's also the factor of unsafe procedures done in countries that manufacture these. Lead paint, small parts end up in a kid's throat, parts missing, etc. Which is quite sad, that more ends up in our garbage.
It's also a waste of people's money, plastic toys ending up in the garbage most of the time.
It's just sad. I would advocate that we ban plastic toys, or at least the overuse of them.
I think something more digital, like a video game, or even the Internet, would provide a much better form of entertainment, without killing the world.
Just expressing my thoughts.
Some 20+ years later I still break out my "plastic" Lego :P
Hell yea. Kanex, mechano and erector set ftw.
Maybe instead they can give a daily "credit" when the kid goes beyond their daily limit they are charged overages and 21.99% APR, in a week they will be denied there ability to purchase more clothes!!
I love shopping!
I do think these kinds of toys send the wrong message to children. Ultimately though, it's up to the parents to decide what is best for their children. I would like to note how old those girls in the commercial look, which is funny to me. They look as if there going into their teens...What teen plays with dolls anymore?
To those who complain about what Engadget reports, you need to seriously consider your small place on such a vast website. One comment on one page in a website that consists of thousands of pages of material generated daily for your reading benefit doesn't give you much room to talk. Furthermore, if one story is such a thorn in your side that you have to pull the rug from under all of Engadgets previous work. I suggest getting up bright and early, browsing unlimited numbers of websites, forums, newsprints, and breaking news stories...not in one, but in several different places across several different continents. Sift through all the BS that might be news and post it on your website. Sound complicated? I thought so.
If you can't report the news, you have no right complaining about what is being reported in the news.
That's all I have to say about that.
fyi, most commercials for barbies/brats/lps have nearly-teenage girls in them. young girls like feeling older, like the product more; it's like playing with a big sister's makeup-- it's only cool because the older kids do it.
just my two cents. :)
Call me old fashioned, but hell... I think I will go and buy my daughter a pink Cricket Rifle. Its what all 10 year old girls want for Christmas.
I can't believe that someone hasn't already said it...
You'll shoot your eye out kid!
you'll shoot more than your eye out with a cricket! but those are so fun... (not the pink one of course, at least not for me lol)
donald scott makes a good point. The credit card is from this fictitious "fashion fever" store, If I were a retailer I probably would not sell this toy unless I had some pretty extreme methods for shaking people out of their debt stupor. This looks to be some job security/insurance for debt collectors. P.S. I liked this article, it was interesting.
"I love shopping. You never run out of money"
best. quote. ever. ??? maybe.
I saw this on TV and thought the same thing. It gives kids the idea that they can run up a credit card but not have to pay anything back. Yeah kids...You can use a credit card....but have you heard of something called "Interest?"
This is bullcrap, *I* sent an email to the Consumerist.com TIP email line about this A MONTH AGO and got nothing back, and just couple days ago, they write about this with a thank you to another person! BAH! Well, guess what, here's another TIP.
THE GAME OF LIFE there's a new version and it uses CREDIT CARDS too! WITH A REAL VISA LOGO!!!!!!!!!
And the credit cards in THE GAME OF LIFE is replica of a REAL CREDIT CARD, with the Real Visa Logo, 16 digit number, and everything! I sent this to consumerist.com along with the Barbie tip too.
This is just a sad reflection of society. Most people who read this comment will take offense when I say "It's not 'OKAY' to have a car payment."
Too many people have fallen into the trap of thinking there isn't a problem of being in debt.
Many "retail establishments" actually make more money from their credit cards than they do from the friggin' merchandise they sell!!
When I say these things to people I hear about "Good debt verses bad debt" and usually somebody pipes in and tells me how *smart* they are and how they use the system to their advantage. It's BS. People just need to learn to live within their means and this toy depicts a terrible change that has occurred in society of the past 100 years. Too many people are enslaved by debt and they don't even know it.
This kind of toy is just too much.....
I want to buy a house so i get a mortgage= good debt
however i also want to pay it off as quickly as possible to avoid as much interest as possible. most likely the house will increase in value therefore i can make money off it and increase my equity as well.
Truly the best part in the commercial is the little girl's voice that says, "I love shopping, you never run out of money." But you have to hand it to Mattel for honesty. They don't even try to disguise the fact that they are teaching kids complete financial irresponsibility.
She didn't even have to show her I.D.!
noone shows id anymore. actualy if the card is signed then you dnt have to show id. Not to mention the fact that many places dont even make you sign recipts except on purchases above a certain amount...
in some places (Nevada) you still have to show ID.
You know Barbie doesn't worry about paying her credit card bill... because "math is hard!"
I wish people had better things to do then get up on their soapbox and start beating their chest about the latest Barbie or whatever other "think of the children"-ism they can come up with. Since when was it such a bad thing to let kids pretend? Whether it be playing spaceman, cowboys and indians, or super hojillionaire... IT'S PRETEND!!! It's such a pity that the real world gets shoved down kids throats at an earlier age each generation; let them have their fake credit cards and spend all the fake money they want. It's the parent's job to teach about financial responsibility, not Matel's. If anyone needs a good parenting, it's the parents who freak out when they see a harmless toy and think of it as the end of the world. When I was young (1980s), we climbed trees, fell out of them, broke bones (our own and other's), and spent all the Monopoly money we could stuff in our pockets and guess what, WE LIVED ANYWAY. On top of all of that, my parents actually acknowledged my existence for more then to tell me to do my homework or grow up and act like an adult. They actually PLAYED RIGHT ALONG WITH US! Spend some time with your kid, teach them the right things to do BY ACTUALLY DOING THEM YOURSELVES WITH YOUR KIDS and don't worry so much about the toys.
I couldn't agree more, it seems like today kids are forced into reality earlier and earlier. Just let the kids have their fun there will plenty of time for them to grow up and learn the harsh facts of life. Kids need to hold on to their childhood as long as they can, they don't need to be rushed into becoming jaded cynical adults. After all there is already enough pressure put on kids nowadays without someone taking their dolls away from them.
I wouldn't let my kids play "Pretend" with a toy crack-addict kit, toy cigarettes, toy S&M or anything else that had them modeling dangerous and self-destructive behavior.
In our house, when the kids want to buy something expensive (a puppy, an XBox, etc.) we start a jar and everybody saves for it. This Barbie toy could potentially undo everything we've taught them about managing money. Yes, it's that bad.
If all it takes is one toy with a fake credit card to undo all the "teaching" you've done then I believe you haven't taught them a darn thing at all. If you couldn't have a toy like that in your house and explain in a manner that your children can understand and identify with that all the money and then some that "comes out" of a credit card must eventually go "back in" then you are seriously lacking in some very basic parenting skills. When one of my nephews told me he wanted a credit card like I had after seeing me use one, I told him "sure, I'll be your credit lender" and explained how credit cards worked with a roll of nickels. Once it got to the part where he had to pay me more nickels then I'd given him, he swore off credit cards for life, and HE'S SEVEN! Seriously folks, grow up a little, start thinking / acting like a parent and let your kids enjoy the short wonderful time that is youth.
@Tony
Yeah, but you can't actually be superman when you grow up. You can, quite easily, get into debt.
You're right, it's incredibly easy to go into debt and never come out... unless you have a parent(s) that don't waste their time whining about toys like this and teach their kids about proper budgeting and spending. Face it, every one goes into debt, period. Whether it's for a house, a car, college, medical needs, lunch money, or whatever else life throws at you, at some point your child will owe someone money. Teach them how to do this responsibly and not get in over their heads and they're off to a great start; hide reality from them and then when they DO end up in debt, the only advice they have is from VISA or MASTERCARD, companies who don't care for squat about YOUR child.
If I had a child, I'd probably buy this toy just so I could use it as a teaching tool... unfortunately most people don't see playtime for what it really is, a fun classroom where kids learn more than in all their formative schooling (except for maybe college, but I'm not quite sure on that one either).
The women of tomorrow will make Credit Card companies live forever.
Let's see, a good reason for Engadget to post this story, hmmm, oh! I know! Because many of you wouldn't care about Parent sites, and if this is a way to get through to you and to make you aware of what your kids are playing with, then good. I guarantee there's plenty of moms and dads out there that care more about their iPhone, Vaio, or whatever other new gadget on the shelves than what their kids are playing with. Good job Engadget, hope when I have kids you still do this, cuz who am I foolin! :-P
Look Ma! No Cash!
(Look Ma! No Credit!)
But seriously, it's not like Engadget is calling for political or legal action, they're calling for parental supervision.
"I love shopping! You never run out of money!"
Lordy...
For Gods' sake people it's only a TOY I doubt this will have any impact on the spending habits of the children playing with it. Because by the time they are old enough to get a credit card they will have taken at least one economics class in school or heaven forbid their parents have taught them the value of a dollar. Also with the attention spans of most young kids these days they will probably get board with the thing long before it makes any lasting impression on them.
The problem is that they don't seem to understand. When I see the average saving rate in the negative, it tell ms me one thing: people are living beyond their means
I saw this awhile ago and found a site that has it to view.
Daily Show: Trendspotting with Demetri Martin, Credit Cards
Check this out, if your pre teen or tween is not hip to the credit card wait till they are in college, its a great segment.
http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/63612/detail/
Calm down, people. It. Is. A. Toy. No need to get all self-righteous and start a protest.
Did you play with toy guns when you were a kid? That looked like real guns? I sure did. And as of yet, I've never shot anyone, nor have any of my childhood friends that I know of.
I also remember having fun with candy cigarettes. And my dad smoked. But have I ever puffed on a cigarette even once? Nope.
This toy is the same thing. You can't tell me if it came with cash instead of a credit card, your little girl would say "Sorry, Barbie, you don't have enough money." She'd just take the cash out of the till and back into Barbie's purse.
A credit card is a financial tool that we all use. No toy is going to corrupt a child alone; parenting skills come into play too ya know. Relax, it's just a toy.
Here is a toy that I actually played with years ago, although there is a lot you can learn from it did I? Not really, I still managed to lose. The game is called Bargain Hunter, the object of the game is to buy a list of "things". You start with some cash and a "Plasticard", first to make all purchases without going bankrupt wins.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/2431
Ok I may not be giving good advice but alternatives can be useful....right? Just trying to help. :)
Sounds awfully like the new monopoly where you swipe your card
Hey guys,
This is just a toy for kids, this is not real.
Arent you supposed to get offended in the same manner when a boy gets a gun to virtually kill someone ?
I mean, it s not like Barbie doll showed her nipple :P
Barbies will never end
more?
http://www.barbiesbabe.com
Note to parents: if you'd like your kids to learn good credit, don't give them a credit card period. Seriously. No fourteen-year-old needs a credit card, or unlimited access to shopping funds.
Have you heard of TyGirlz? These dolls grant special access to a website (www.tygirlz.com) that allows you to accumulate fun money in games, which can be used toward giving your online avatar a make-over or furnish their virtual home. I work with Ty Inc., so I know my daughter is safe while learning to "spend" wisely.
How is this even an issue?
I have this crazy idea...
Despite what toy companies, movie studio, television networks and musicians are saying and doing, I implore parents to TEACH THEIR CHILDREN.
I know, I know... it's pretty f*cking crazy! But seriously, what a wacky, wonderful world it would be if everyone just talked to their kids and didn't abandon them to the media.
I agree that the media sends bad messages. That's their JOB. If it was YOUR job then you'd stop, but it's NOT. So quit your goddamn bitching and just TELL YOUR KIDS what's right and wrong. You can't shelter them from media and media is NOT going to change, it'll only get worse, as there is a lot of money to be had in saying and doing risque things and encouraging crazy behavior.
Protect your kids as much as you can, correct the misconceptions that are created by the media, and stop blaming everyone else and villifying entities you have no control over (nor ever will).
Truly on course.