Birthday Lurve goes out to one of the world’s favorite girls today … everyone’s favorite doll, Barbie, turns 51 years old today and to be honest, she doesn’t look a day over 20 ;) In celebration of Barbie’s 51st, Mattel has revamped the 1977 version of Barbie — SuperStar Barbie — and will be offering the doll for sale at 1977 prices. That’s right, this special anniversary edition of Barbie will sell for $3 in stores nationwide this week only!! Here is what SuperStar Barbie looks like and the press release information about this fun birthday offer:

SuperStar Barbie™ made her debut in 1977 with her long feathered hair, hot pink satin gown, boa and famous diamond jewelry. A favorite among girls in the seventies, this doll’s softer, friendlier look is a prominent memory for any child of this era. In celebration of Barbie doll’s birthday, Barbie unveils a new modernized version of the original SuperStar Barbie introducing a fresh glam look. All doll’d up and dressed in fashions reflective of current trends, the new 2010 SuperStar Barbie wears a short version of her original dress, pink platforms and capped version of her original boa. And just like the 1977 version that girls fell in love with, the new SuperStar Barbie sports a dazzling set of stud earrings, drop necklace, and the legendary diamond ring. In celebration of Barbie® doll’s birthday on March 9th, SuperStar Barbie will be available at a superstar price of $3. SuperStar Barbie will only be available for $3 during Barbie® doll’s birthday week at retailers nationwide.

Even at 51, Barbie is still fierce beyond fierce! She actually looks younger in this new 2010 incarnation than she did in her 1977 incarnation. Whether you need to rush out and buy this $3 Barbie or not, I think we all should send our Birthday Lurve to Miss Thang today on her special day. Happy Birthday, Barbie!

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Back in August we learned that Twilight characters Bella Swan and Edward Cullen would be made into collectible Barbie dolls to be released for sale in time for the release of the sequel film The Twilight Saga: New Moon next week. Today we learn that Twilight character Jacob Black will also get the Barbie doll treatment. Unfortch for the members of Team Jacob, his doll won’t be released until next year … but the good news is that the doll comes with as little clothing as possible:

From the press release: The passion, action and suspense of a worldwide phenomenon will be eternally celebrated … in plastic! The Twilight Saga — which struck the hearts of millions, with a Romeo & Juliet-style romance between a mortal (Bella) and a vampire (Edward) — is immortalized not by a vampire’s bite, but by Barbie® doll. The Twilight Barbie® dolls pay tribute to the beloved characters of Stephenie Meyer’s spellbinding story — Bella Swan, Edward Cullen and Jacob Black. Edward’s strong jaw line and vampire-glow and Bella’s long brunette hair and innocent face showcase the pivotal “Forever 17” scene from Twilight. While Jacob’s mysterious gaze, sculpted abs and well-worn cutoff shorts mirror his physical emergence from boy to werewolf in The Twilight Saga: New Moon. The Twilight Barbie® collection is a must-have for Twilight fans and Barbie® collectors alike. In anticipation for the release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, the Edward and Bella dolls are available now for a suggested retail price of $24.95. Timed to the DVD release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, the Jacob Twilight Barbie doll will be available in February 2010 for a suggested retail price of $24.95.

LOL. They gave the poor doll a pair of cutoff shorts, some shoes … and that’s it! Hahahahha. Love it. You may recall that we saw a prototype Jacob Black doll at San Diego Comic Con over the Summer which was shirtless as well. This doll is a bit less ripped as that doll was so depending on how ripped you want your shirtless dolls to be, you might want to wait for the release of that Jacob Black doll. And suddenly, I’m aware of the ridiculousness of this discussion. So let’s move on — after the jump, check out a promo photo of all three Twilight Barbie dolls posed together for a refresher of what they all look like …

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Back in June Mattel announced that they would be producing a line of Barbie dolls based on characters from Twilight and today we get to see a new promo photo for the dolls. Available on November 1, Bella Barbie Swan and Edward Ken Cullen will be flying off the store shelves, you just wait and see:

And there they are. Twilight Barbies. Twilight Barbie Bella and Twilight Barbie (Ken, really) Edward. Stephenie Meyer HERSELF art directed the design of the Twilight Barbies, which hit stores November 1, in time for the release of New Moon. They’re $24.95 each. And I don’t need to tell you this, but Bella and Edward Barbie were created in the likeness of the “Forever 17″ scene of Twilight, and actual costumes from the movie set were used to inspire the dolls’ costumes. If Mattel creates another version of Twilight Edward, I truly hope he sparkles when you take him out into the sun. Surely we have that kind of technology.

Look, you don’t need special technology to get Edward-Ken to dazzle in the daylight … all you need is a tube of Elmer’s All Purpose glue and some glitter and VOILA! vampire sparkle! Of the dolls that have been created to cash in on the rabid demand for Twilight merchandise, I think these Barbie dolls are the best. It’s unclear if Mattel plans to manufacture Barbie dolls based on any of the other characters but one hopes they’d at least make a Jacob Black doll, right? Well … while we wait for that to happen we can place our pre-orders for the Bella Swan Barbie doll HERE and the Edward Cullen Ken doll HERE.

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Last December the world got its first set of dolls based on the wildly successful movie franchise The Twilight Saga … then earlier this year, Hot Topic got in on the fun and offered their own Twilight action figures (sold separately or in pairs). In anticipation of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, a doll based on the character Jacob Black got thrown into the mix … and now we learn that Barbie, the most famous doll in all creation, is jumping on board the Twilight bandwagon:

And so the lion fell in love with the lamb.Twilight has quickly become a worldwide phenomenon developing a strong core base of dedicated fans who are drawn to the story of a Romeo & Juliet style romance between mortal (Bella) and vampire (Edward). Who better to capture the young star-crossed love of these two characters than Barbie & Ken. Edward is luminescent with a shimmering complexion and trademark gold eyes. Bella doll sold separately.

The product description states that the dolls are safe for play for ages 6 and up … so I’m sure a great many of you should be OK in that regard. Unfortch, the dolls will NOT be available for sale until October of this year but you can place your pre-orders HERE. You know you don’t want to be the last kid on your block NOT to have the Barbie & Ken as Bella & Edward dolls, do you?

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Earlier this year, supermodel and new mom-to-be (again) Heidi Klum made an appearance at the 50th Birthday celebration of the Barbie doll at an event in Malibu, CA and today we learn that Heidi is getting a Barbie doll of her own. This September, Mattel will be releasing the Blonde Ambition Barbie which is the spitting image of Klum as a Barbie doll. Here is a pic of Heidi putting the finishing styling touches on her new doll at a promo photoshoot earlier this week:

Heidi Klum styles her very own Barbie Doll on the set of its photo shoot for the Barbie Collector Holiday Catalog. Available in September 2009, the doll is part of Barbie’s Blonde Ambition Collection, a series celebrating iconic blondes in fashion and entertainment.

While the Barbie doll was made to look like Heidi Klum, I contend that Heidi is the one that looks like Barbie in the first place. The dress that the Barbie doll version of Heidi wears is modeled after a sequined dress that Klum wore to a Victoria’s Secret fashion show … and the doll even wears a ring that Heidi’s hubby Seal gave to her. After the jump, check out video of Heidi on the set of this Barbie photoshoot and hear what she has to say about why she decided to make her own Barbie doll …

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The plastic “girl” who has it all is celebrating her 50th birthday today and is having the pink carpet rolled out for her bday celebrations. “Born” on March 9, 1959 Barbie Millicent Roberts (which is her full name, btw) came into existence after being inspired into creation as a “gag toy for men”. Since then, she has become an iconic character that has cemented her fame in the core of pop culture and remains about as relevant today as she ever did. Here is a pic of the ol’ gal along with a portion of her bio:

Barbie Millicent Roberts was born on March 9, 1959. A perpetual student, she attends Willows High in Willows, Wisconsin. But high school hasn’t stopped this dynamic doll from pursuing a multitude of careers, including physician, astronaut, NASCAR driver, and (of course) “teenage fashion model.” The oldest of the Roberts brood, Barbie has a number of younger siblings, including Skipper, twins Tutti and Todd, Stacie, Kelly, and Krissy. Barbie’s circle of friends is also quite extensive. But until quite recently, Barbie had only one main squeeze — she and boyfriend Ken (last name Carson) were an item for 43 years. Sadly, the plastic pair parted ways February 12, 2004, no doubt making for one sad Valentine’s Day. Barbie takes her first name from Barbara Handler, the daughter of Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel Toys and creator of the doll. Her middle and last names were added later after sales skyrocketed and the doll’s history was “fleshed out.”

You may also recall that Barbie has had careers as varied as politician (she ran for President of the United States of America) to McDonald’s employee (hey, a job is a job) and pretty much everything in between. Ms. Thang has got her self a pretty impressive résumé. One might imagine that reaching the half-century mark might mean a slow down for the iconic plastic goddess … and one would be wrong. Much like Cher and Madonna, I’m convinced that Barbie will live forever. Happy Birthday, Barbie … you’re lookin’ as young as ever before.

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JJ Abrams’s much anticipated Star Trek prequel movie hits theaters this Spring and the movie tie-in merch is already on the way. A new batch of action figures (ie. boys’ toys) have been created to correspond with the major characters in the movie as well as a batch of Barbie dolls (ie. girls’ toys) created in the vague likenesses of a select few ST characters … this way, both boys and girls (of all ages) can get in on the fun of playing with their fave Star Trek characters. First up the boys’ toys action figures:

A new Star Trek film without new toys would be, as Spock might say, highly illogical. So action figures and other items are beaming down to stores in advance of the J.J. Abrams-directed film, opening May 8. The Playmates Toys’ products, in stores starting April 19, are part of a marketing mission that includes Mattel Barbie collector dolls (Kirk, Spock and Uhura), trading cards, radio-controlled spaceships and board games. The action figures re-energize a franchise that “helped prove figures based on science-fiction properties not directly created with kids in mind were a viable market,” says Cliff Annicelli of Playthings magazine. “They paved the way for the development of what today is a cottage industry for collectible toys targeted primarily towards adult males.” The starring triumvirate of Kirk, Spock and McCoy will be available in 3¾-inch ($7), 6-inch ($9-$10) and 12-inch ($30) models. Also available will be figures of the original Spock, who meets the young Spock in a time anomaly. Other crewmembers will be available in the smaller sizes. Playsets include the Enterprise Bridge and Transporter Room. The goal: to “make the brand more accessible to not only existing fans but to a new generation,” says Liz Kalodner of CBS Consumer Products. “It’s important to us that we honor the iconic property for what it has contributed to American pop culture. Since this is a whole new take on the franchise, we followed (Abrams’) lead with a new approach including collectible features, new figure and vehicle scales, and new materials,” Playmates’ Paul Fish says.

Here is a photo of what the Star Trek Barbie dolls look like — check out Spock, Kirk and Uhura:

Form the press release: CBS Consumer Products has just released images of the eagerly anticipated Star Trek Barbie Dolls from Mattel. The dolls have been created mainly for collectors and are for ages 6+. The three dolls – Kirk, Spock, and Lieutenant Uhura – are modeled after the three actors playing the same roles in this summer’s blockbuster film STAR TREK hitting theatres on May 8th! The price point for the three dolls is $43.19. They will be on shelves April 20th. Mattel is distributing to Walmart and walmart.com, Barbiecollector.com and Barbie collector dealers. They are selling them as an assortment (but the dolls come individually wrapped, no two or three-packs). Select international markets will have the dolls as well.

Way to cover all the bases … these toys look kinda cool. If I were a bigger Trek fan, I might have to consider getting a few of these but now that I’ll be living with David … well, the time for childish things is over. Besides, there is no way David will let me fill our new home with too much stuff (junk, as he calls it ;) … but I’m sure there are a lot of fans/collectors out there who are very excited about this news.

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