Hallo Leute,

Ich habe gerade diesen Bericht von Joe Blitman empfangen (durch die V5 Liste).

Viele Grusse, Marianne.

-----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- Van: joebarbie@aol.com [mailto:joebarbie@aol.com] Verzonden: dinsdag 21 januari 2003 20:49 Aan: Vintage_Vinyl_Vixen@yahoogroups.com Onderwerp: [V5mail] URGENT - LINGERIE BARBIE MAY BE CANCELLED

As we've all heard or seen in the last month, the Lingerie Silkstone Barbie has come under media scrutiny and been the butt of lots of jokes and put-downs. Believe it or not, Mattel higher-ups are unhappy with the negative publicity and there's a very real possibility that the Lingerie #6 and a Model's Life Gift Set may be cancelled.

For those of you who care about this - either specifically, because you collect the Silkstones, or in general, because you can't stand Mattel ignoring the preferences of their adult collectors yet again - you might want to write to Mattel CEO Robert A. Eckert.

I couldn't find out his direct email address, but I'm assured by his assistant Alice Sato that if you write to him in care of her email address - alice.sato@mattel.com - she passes along everything she receives for his attention.

Can I offer a couple of diplomatic suggestions?

Be polite, but firm in your protest.

Point out that although Mattel has done countless things to alienate the adult collector in the last decade, the Silkstone line is the one surefire "hit" they've come up with.

Mention that the doll box clearly states that the doll or gift set is intended for 14 years and up. Remind him that the doll is not sold in Toys R Us, K-Mart, Walmart, Target or any of the other mass merchandisers where thousands of children scamper up and down the doll aisles every day. But, rather, they are sold in specialty doll shops or thru internet websites.

My impression is that unlike Jill Barad, who was very hands-on with the development of every item in the collectible Barbie line, Mr. Eckert only cares about the "bottom" line - educate him on the appeal of vintage Barbie items to the adult collector, and how the Silkstone line echoes the best of the vintage dolls and clothing (including garter belts and hose).

Let him know that the price point of the Lingerie dolls (under $50) is one of its most attractive features. Also let him know that if Mattel only sells "dressed" dolls (i.e. a Lingerie doll dressed in Black Enchantment), the doubling of the price would be a serious impediment to sales.

I'm sure others on this board will come up with myriad other "points of discussion" to include in an email to Mr. Eckert.

Time is of the essence here - the sooner you write, the better. And let your Silkstone collector friends on other chat boards know so the word can spread quickly that something we adult collectors like is in danger of extinction.

Joe Blitman

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