Barbie
Purpose statement: The purpose of this speech is to inform the audience about Barbie.

INTRODUCTION: I. Did you know in every second of everyday, two Barbie dolls are sold somewhere in the world? A. Barbie was invented in 1959 by Ruth Handler. B. She was introduced to the world at the American Toy Fair in New York City. II. Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for fifty years. A. She has been the subject of numerous controversies and lawsuits, often involving parody of the doll and lifestyle. B. In recent years, Barbie has faced increasing competition from the Bratz range of dolls.

BODY: I. History A. Ruth Handler watched her daughter Barbara at play with paper dolls, …show more content…
3. In April 2009, the launch of a "Totally Tattoos" Barbie with a range of tattoos that could be applied to the doll, including a tramp stamp, led to controversy. Mattel's promotional material read "Customize the fashions and apply the fun temporary tattoos on you too", but Ed Mayo, chief executive of Consumer Focus, argued that children might want to get tattooed themselves. IV. Parodies and Lawsuits A. Barbie has often been referenced in popular culture and is frequently the target of parody. Some of these occasions include: 1. In 1997, the Danish-Norwegian pop-dance group Aqua released a song called Barbie Girl. It contained lyrics such as "You can brush my hair / Undress me everywhere" and used graphics similar to the pink Barbie logo. Mattel argued that this constituted a trademark infringement and filed a defamation lawsuit against MCA Records on September 11, 1997. In July 2002, Judge Alex Kozinski ruled that the song was protected as a parody under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. 2. In 1993 a group in the United States calling itself the "Barbie Liberation Organization" modified Barbie dolls by giving them the voice box of a talking G.I. Joe doll, and secretly returned the dolls to the shelves of toy stores. Parents and children were surprised when they purchased Barbie dolls that uttered phrases such as "Eat lead, Cobra!" and "Vengeance is mine." 3. In 2004, Mattel filed a lawsuit against