Okay, so this is a truly weird post, and about six weeks too late, but I still figured it was worth mentioning. Better late than never, right?
For Leah’s birthday, she received what is perhaps the oddest doll I have ever seen: it’s called “Video Girl Barbie.” Feel free to follow the link at left, but first, read on.
Here’s the gimmick: Barbie has a built-in video camera. If you look at the pictures, you’ll see that she’s wearing a necklace with a rather large charm, for the simple reason that the charm is actually the camera’s lens. That sounds kind of cool—at least they camouflaged it a bit—but here’s where it gets odd: if you open the back of her shirt (of course it Velcros in the back!), her back consists of a preview screen and various controls. It’s a Robot Barbie! (I suppose her friends—who you still have to buy—call her “Robarbie,” but I digress.)
Of course, no video camera would be complete without a way to get the video out, so pulling up the front of her shirt reveals a USB belly button. Just attach the included umbilical cord—I mean, USB cable—and upload Barbie’s optical perceptions into your computer.
Is it just me, or does this toy fill a need that really doesn’t exist?
For Leah’s birthday, she received what is perhaps the oddest doll I have ever seen: it’s called “Video Girl Barbie.” Feel free to follow the link at left, but first, read on.
Here’s the gimmick: Barbie has a built-in video camera. If you look at the pictures, you’ll see that she’s wearing a necklace with a rather large charm, for the simple reason that the charm is actually the camera’s lens. That sounds kind of cool—at least they camouflaged it a bit—but here’s where it gets odd: if you open the back of her shirt (of course it Velcros in the back!), her back consists of a preview screen and various controls. It’s a Robot Barbie! (I suppose her friends—who you still have to buy—call her “Robarbie,” but I digress.)
Of course, no video camera would be complete without a way to get the video out, so pulling up the front of her shirt reveals a USB belly button. Just attach the included umbilical cord—I mean, USB cable—and upload Barbie’s optical perceptions into your computer.
Is it just me, or does this toy fill a need that really doesn’t exist?
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