they're barbie girls, in a barbie world.

An interesting article on The Washington Post examines Mattel's efforts to reach out to other economies, in light of lagging sales in our failing one.

This international toy manufacturer has its sights focused Eastward, toward the 1.3 billion potential consumers in China.

Trying to find a new consumer base didn't surprise me at all, with the current financial situation. What did make me pause, however, is the age demographic that Mattel is targeting.

The manufacturer of Barbie is trying to seduce 20-30 year old urban, professional women to their sparkly, rose-colored world. The new six-story flagship store in Shanghai has accessories, upscale gourmet chocolates and a wedding dress designed by Vera Wang.

"Chinese consumers barely know anything about Barbie except that Barbie is a pretty doll," the general manager of Barbie Shanghai was quoted as saying. The notion that Barbie is only a play thing for young girls has been left behind in North America, and Mattel is attempting to rewrite her story.

They're targeting girls of all ages, from wide-eyed 6 year olds to their more jaded mothers with the idea that Barbie-land is paradise. To do this, they've included a spa and a restaurant along with pink everything in their brand new, overwhelming (to me at least) store in Shanghai.

25 year old Cui Xiujao says "Barbie attracts me because she's very feminine and independent. She's in charge of her own life. And she has many different roles. But most important are her pretty clothes."

The store seems to be a success so far, as mobs of young women have been flocking there every weekend. If Mattel can pull off marketing Barbie to 20-somethings, I'm going to be more than impressed. Barbie's been around forever with few changes, and the brand needed some major revitalization. Changing their target market from 8 and younger to 20 and older takes the company in a completely different direction, which was necessary after Mattel's sales were down 11% in the fourth quarter of last year. If the company succeeds in getting 30 year old women to buy into their glitzy, pink, princessy world, more power to them.