Barbie Porn
Precocious kids have been placing Barbie dolls in erotic poses and scenarios for decades. Some kinky folks take it a bit further, staging and photographing Barbie porn in a variety of genres. Mattel considers Barbie a valuable bit of intellectual property and has aggressively fought unauthorized representations, though some artists (notably Tom Forsythe) have fought back for the right to make fair use of Barbie imagery. With the Internet allowing decentralized, anonymous, temporary exhibition, Barbie porn has developed its own little subculture.
ARTICLES
A US appellate court has ruled against Mattel in a lawsuit over the pop song "Barbie Girl". Mattel argued that the song infringed on the Barbie trademark and that the song's sexual innuendo sullied the doll's image. The judge stated that Barbie was "not just a toy but a cultural icon" and that the song was a parody protected by the Constitution. In response to the increasingly hysterical war of rhetoric between Mattel and Universal, the judge also stated, "The parties are advised to chill." (Jul 2002)
A circuit court has denied a temporary injunction sought by Mattel against an artist who photographs Barbie dolls arranged in suggestive poses. Mattel argued that the artist, Tom Forsythe, is violating their trademark rights and "brand equity." The company wanted the court to bar Forsythe from selling his photographs and to order him to turn over all his negatives. Forsythe argues, "The way I see it, in a world increasingly infused with brand names, if we can't criticize brand names, then we don't have free speech." . . . Mattel has a history of aggressive legal action against unauthorized depictions of Barbie. . . . The ACLU is supporting Forsythe's defense against Mattel, arguing that Mattel frequently employs bullying legal tactics to quash legitimate fair use of the Barbie name and image
ABC News | Wired | ACLU (Feb 2001)
Lawyers for Mattel won their court bid to shut down BarbiesPlaypen.com on the basis of "dilution of a trademark by tarnishment." The judge in the case wrote in his decision, "The Barbie dolls, with their long blonde hair and anatomically improbable dimensions, are ostensibly intended to portray wholesomeness to young girls. The 'models' on the BarbiesPlaypen.com site - although many have long blonde hair and anatomically improbable dimensions - can in no way be described as engaging in 'wholesome' activities."
Info War (Jul 2000)
Sarah Phelan explores the history, cultural significance and competing interpretations of Barbie, by way of previewing a local event entitled The Great Barbie Makeover--Transforming the Image of the Image of Women sponsored by theMonterey Bay Women's Caucus for Art.
MetroActive Santa Cruz (Mar 1997)
Bizarre eBay auction: Raging Hormones Menopausal Prozac Barbie. The bidding's over, but the listing is worth a read before it disappears.
eBay
GALLERIES
Plastic Paradise has a great collection of
Barbie porn stories, pictures and videos.
Cat Sass features fifteen "humorous melodrama scenes" starring Ken, Barbie and friends.
Still image slideshow: Barbie lesbian bondage expose (down as of 7/9/01).
Cory Caplinger produced two Barbie porn
narrative pictorials entitled "House Call" and "The Price of Sex," and assorted pictures featuring other dolls (Chuck Norris, the Olsen twins).
Three minute video of Barbie and Ken having rough sex.
This is great: Barby is bad.
