Barbie's 50th Birthday

  

With all that's going on in the world today, Mattel felt it necessary to let us know that it's Barbie's 50th birthday and they're throwing a huge party in her honor.  Hmmh, let me see, the Dow has lost half it's value, home prices continue to fall and foreclosures are on the rise. Well, I guess as long as Barbie's dream house is not in foreclosure, all is well with the world....my bad.  Maybe Mattel lost the memo, but right now, having a party with Barbie should be the last thing on the agenda.  And anyway, didn't  Mattel recently lay off a bunch of employees.  I know that they laid off no less than 1,000 last year and they are laying off more this week.  I think that common sense is missing in this equation. When you lay off workers in the numbers we have seen, you don't throw a party for a doll.   This is not just any party, designers have weighed in on the design and the rooms are decorated in true Barbie fashion.   I watched on television and saw the party palace, which is in Malibu, and quite honestly, it's great for a doll, but it's largely pink and a bit eccentric.  Maybe it's a marketing ploy, but it seems a little rediculous to me.  Oh yes, since Mattel sales have slumped in the United States, they have opened a new store in China. Talk about hedging your bets.  I still love Barbie, but I think she should take a birthday holiday, or at least had the sense to scale it down a bit.