It’s Barbie Week at The Daily Beast’s Obsessed, commemorating the doll’s pop-culture history, our preferred Barbie memories, and a particular significant motion picture. Read all of our protection here!
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, out later on this month, marks the doll’s very first live-action version in her 64-year history, however it’s far from the very first media analysis of the ageless toy. There are animated movies, television shows, and even YouTube vlogs. Yet none have actually been as satisfying as the PC video games from the 1990s and 2000s, where gamers can enter Barbie’s stylish shoes and go on amazing experiences.
Barbie’s tradition of video gaming software technically started in 1984, with Barbie for the Commodore 64 computer, in which Barbie generally drives her yellow convertible and shops for a date with Ken. But the franchise got appeal with the 1996 release of Barbie Fashion Designer on PC. As Barbie, gamers would pick from a menu of various clothes designs and devices based upon a particular kind of trip. The gameplay was easy, however the possibilities were unlimited: Whether you were wearing Barbie in an attire for a dream date or trip, there were a wide range of colors and patterns to pick from. Wanted Barbie to match an ascot with athletic leggings? Go ahead! The clothing might be as wild or as elegant as gamers desired, and my Barbie generally dressed out of package.
Then, when you were all done choosing her clothing, Barbie would sashay down the runway to design them in 3D. With Barbie Fashion Designer, I—as did lots of other kids at the time—ended up being a capitalistic #BossBabe. I would print out my styles and hang them on my playroom walls, producing my own store where the finest styles were the most costly.
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In its first two months, the game sold more than 500,000 copies and earned over $14 million —outpacing the popular first-person shooter Doom. It went on to sell more than 1 million copies by 1998. The success of the kid-friendly Barbie Fashion Designer surprised companies that believed that computer games were a male-dominated market, including Barbie-maker Mattel itself. The company was initially against the idea of developing software based on the brand, until it hired designers Andy Rifkin and Nancie S. Martin to create Barbie Fashion Designer. Rifkin was inspired by his daughter E.J. who enjoyed creating custom and tactile clothes for her Barbie dolls. Turns out, millions of other girls did too.
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Several of the games that followed were beauty-based games, similar to Fashion Designer. There was Barbie Magic Hair Styler (1997), where you designed Barbie’s hair and makeup for various experiences like slaying a group conference at the workplace or going to an outfit celebration. Depending on my state of mind, her appearances would vary from improved to crazy. Sometimes I would slice all of Barbie’s hair off, offer her blue highlights, and embellish her cheeks with purple blush. Barbie Nail Designer (1998) likewise had a kaleidoscope of alternatives: shimmering gems, sticker labels, or your own rainbow polish mixture. While some might argue that these glamour video games perpetuate a stereotypical idea of femininity, I discovered them to be a remarkable outlet to try out self-expression. As a woman who went to Catholic school with a stringent policy of uniforms and no nail polish, makeup, or precious jewelry, it was liberating to play these video games. By offering gamers limitless options for Barbie—looks that might be edgy, official, romantic, cool, or stylish—we had the ability to attempt brand-new things and curate a sense of design that was totally your own.
Playing with Barbie in these methods was a best form of escapism, and her interactive fairy tale adjustments were the most fantastical. Barbie used her most beautiful clothing in these video games. In Magic Fairy Tales: Barbie as Rapunzel, from 1997, she put on a streaming hennin, puffy yellow sleeves, and seafoam green ball dress. All the colors were so brilliant, particularly those of the legendary animals, like a mommy and child dragon, sea goddess, and a troll.
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Barbie: Magic Genie Adventure (2000) took players to a magical Arabian kingdom filled with genies, faeries, and snake charmers. Barbie wasn’t simply a princess in this video game; she was a real genie on a flying carpet. She skyrocketed through elaborate palaces covered with flashing gems, a sandy sanctuary, and a city nestled in the clouds. Barbie: Magic Genie Adventure was more than a point-and-click experience—the CD-ROM likewise included a truly adorable, diamond-encrusted genie bottle you needed to rub throughout the video game IRL to fix the puzzles. Most notably, like in Magic Fairy Tales, Barbie was not a damsel in distress however the hero of her own story. She taught young gamers how to deal with difficulties and fix puzzles with guts, quick-thinking, and empathy.
Other Barbie video games were more grounded in the real life, showcasing a range of professions to desire—much of which involved taking care of animals. Barbie Pet Rescue from 2000 included Barbie as a smart and tender-hearted business owner who saves lost animals around her neighborhood, supplying them medical check-ups and cuddles. The video game made gamers seem like they had an important effect as Barbie’s assistant, assisting her develop apply for the family pets, call them, and update their records. Barbie Pet Rescue permitted us to establish smart administrative abilities while likewise delighting in cute furry good friends.
Barbie likewise showed herself to be an accomplished marine biologist with a hot pink scuba match Adventures with Barbie: Ocean Discovery (1999). The undersea scenes were an amazing collage of intense reef and lively sea animals backed by positive calypso-style music. I constantly feared encountering Captain Barnacle, Barbie’s enemy, who was likewise looking for the concealed treasure. He would attempt and trap and offer the innocent fish. He had a growing voice and hid his confront with a helmet. The stress in between Captain Barnacle and Barbie was palpable, leaving me on the edge of your seat up until the breathtaking conclusion, where Barbie found an undersea Crystal City.
The finest video game where Barbie hangs out with her animal good friends is Barbie Riding Club from 1998. There was a woman in my school who had a horse, and playing this video game was the only method to suppress my seething jealousy. I would live out my equestrian dreams by picking from a row of white, chestnut, black, or sandy appeals and christening them with names like Buttercup or Duchess. Playing Riding Club was sweet, yet hypnotic; I would actually get lost in the easy tasks of feeding your horse from an apple tree, brushing their hair, or listening to their clopping hooves as Barbie roamed the picturesque routes. As tranquil as Barbie Riding Club was, it likewise constructed to an amazing ending, where gamers would discover a wild horse and her foal on a concealed course.
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Even though I dreamed of riding horses, I was painfully inept at physical activity. I avoided participating in gym class as often as possible, but I still loved 1999’s Barbie Super Sports. With alternatives to play sports like snowboarding and rollerblading, Suport Sports resembled an arcade video game where gamers make points for carrying out various techniques, like smashing into snowmen or sliding up a halfpipe. The mission for points was addictive—and sometimes annoying—however it was actually satisfying when Barbie nailed her relocations. Barbie Super Sports likewise granted you with a medal based upon your ranking at the end of each barrier course. But my preferred part of the video game was still tailoring Barbie’s clothing.
Hands down, the best Barbie computer game I played was Detective Barbie: The Mystery of the Carnival Caper (1998). Everything about this video game was god-tier: the slinky music, the neon-flared fairground, and the trips you might really go on, like the Ferris wheel, carousel, and Tunnel of Love. But as much as I enjoyed this video game as a kid, I was likewise frightened by the scary burglar that skulks the carnival premises. He was a shadowy figure that appeared when I least anticipated it. Detective Barbie 2: Vacation Mystery (1999) was simply as enjoyable and frightening, occurring at an elegant seaside inn that appears like Disney’s Grand Floridian. As Barbie, I would comb through the gorgeous and extensive seaside premises—consisting of an observatory, greenhouse, and a hedge labyrinth—searching for the dark perpetrator.
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These mystery-solving games emphasized that, despite common misconceptions, Barbie was a brave young woman who used her smarts and athleticism to bring criminals to justice. Without hesitation, she would ride a dirt bike, hop on a jet ski, and even hang glide to capture the suspect in the pulse-pounding finales. Through the process of piecing together clues, questioning characters, and unveiling hidden secrets, the Detective Barbie series empowered players like me with independence and self-assuredness.
While Barbie has been criticized for her unhealthy body image ideals, traditional gender roles, and unattainable perfection, that’s not what I, or numerous of other gamers, saw in the digital Barbie I pertained to like. In her highly in-depth worlds, I might discover brand-new interests and enthusiasms, let my imagination and creativity cut loose, and try out various identities. While anybody can delight in Barbie computer game—they still make them, with recent entries consisting of the apps Barbie Color Creations and Barbie Magical Fashion—they are particularly boosting for girls, teaching that there is more than one meaning of womanhood. Our desires to strike the slopes, research study dolphins, or get wed are similarly legitimate. Barbie’s entry into the digital age provided me the tools to discover and welcome my real, distinct self. For a kid who was actually insecure about her appearances and not fitting in, these video games were a present. Barbie assisted me see all the fantastic various instructions my life might take, as long as I had more self-confidence in myself.
