Mattel executives show they don’t lack a sense of humour – of sorts.
I thought I’d share with you one of the weirdest memos I’ve unearthed in my years of investigating corporate maledictions. Passed to me from inside Mattel, the toy company, with an August 12, 1997 time stamp. “TAR” stands for Tibet Autonomous Region.
– Greg Palast
Proprietary Content Confidential – Mktng only
To: Jongyol Rimpoche, JRimp@BarbieMttl.cn.TAR
From: BRab@M.IntlMkt.MttlCrp.comBarbie Doll v Dalai Lama
JR,
Marketing greenlights your conclusion: Barbie can’t play Tibet until she replaces current culture idol. Research Div did tab on competitor; looks like he’s history:Barbie: Over 2,000 outfits
The Dalai Lama: One outfit (orange bathrobe!)Barbie: Sixteen hair-dos, including “growing ponytail”
The Dalai Lama: Shaved head (Yuck!)Barbie: Two dozen pre-programmed and market-tested phrases. Changed annually.
The Dalai Lama: “Om Mane Padme Om” (“Hail the Fire in the Lotus” — whatever that means.) Never changes.Barbie: Worshiped by 600 million Barbie owners.
The Dalai Lama: Worshipped by only 6 million Tibetans.Barbie: Creator of cultural revolution.
The Dalai Lama: Victim of cultural revolution.Barbie: Accessories- Shoes, handbags, battery-operated cars — you name it!
The Dalai Lama: Accessories- ZEE-RO
The irony of this is that for all their arch cleverness, they’re wrong. There is a market for ethnically diverse, Indian sub-continent themed Barbies, as Gujerati Barbie above shows. Are their bosses aware that they potentially lost them money?