Mattel Launching 'Barbie Girls' MP3 Player
By Alan Wolf -- TWICE, 4/27/2007
El Segundo, Calif. — Mattel will introduce a doll-inspired MP3 player this summer based on a line extension of its famous Barbie franchise.
The 4.5-inch Barbie Girls device has 512 MB of onboard memory and an expandable miniSD slot that accepts up to a 2 GB memory card. The unit can play any non-DRM-encrypted MP3 or WMA files, comes loaded with Windows Media Player 11, and has a built-in rechargeable lithium polymer battery that charges via a USB port. Mattel would not indicate the supplier.
The music players, available in three styles, take the form of the company’s new Barbie Girls pre-teen characters, and feature removable faceplates that allow the devices to double as customizable dolls.
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The Barbie Girls Portable MP3 device |
Mattel said the players will hit toy stores and discount chains in July, and will appear within the CE specialty and e-tail channels this fall. The devices will be packaged with adjustable-sized earbuds, a belt clip and a durable storage case, and will sell for about $60 at retail. Accessory packs featuring various fashions, accessories, clip-on “pets” and exclusive content will be sold separately for $10.
The portable music player is one element of a comprehensive Barbie Girls platform that also includes an online virtual world where girls can create a highly personalized avatar, design their own apartment, shop at a virtual mall with "B Bucks," play games, view videos and chat live with other girls. Connecting the MP3 player to a PC unlocks additional mix-and-match permutations, which in total number in the quadrillions, Mattel said.
