February 19, 2005
New Barbie prepaid cell phone
Business Week [via YPulse] writes about a Barbie prepaid cell phone -- a real working one, to be presented at the American International Toy Fair this weekend in NY, which is different than the text messaging Barbie phones written about before, where the doll came packaged with two cell phones for text messaging (one for the doll and one for the little girl).
"The new Barbie-brand phones aren't toys at all, but real phones. Mattel expects them to appeal to 8- to 14-year-old girls and will offer them in all stores that carry Barbies, company executives told Business Week Online.
The initial rollout of the Barbie-brand phones is slated for April, and such nationwide stores as Target, Wal-Mart, and Toys 'R' Us will have them on shelves starting in July.
In a nifty cross-promotional move, a teen actress in a not-yet-named Hollywood movie will brandish a Barbie phone around that time.
The phones are the first prepaid -- meaning the user prepays for calls -- cell phones targeting the "tween" girl market.
It also boasts three stick-on faceplates -- so a girl can dress up her phone with a leopard-colored sticker to match her purse, for example -- nine exclusive wallpapers, and three exclusive ring tones. "
Click here for picture of phone (it's a Nokia) and it's faceplates on Engadget.
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