Barbie The Role Model Trivia Quiz

Answer: "How To Lose Weight"

The only advice offered in the book was "Don't Eat". Also included was a cute, pink bathroom scale permanently reading 110 pounds. Was Barbie responsible for a generation of girls taking diet books to slumber parties? Some critics thought so. Actually they charged that the set played into Barbie's extremely slender image which they didn't consider healthy for young girls.

Answer: Pooper Scooper

According to Mattel, it was not just any scooper but a "special magnetic scooper." Additionally, the set included plastic doggie waste for Barbie to scoop up.

Answer: McDonald's Restaurant Funtime Playset

Some detractors have suggested that the 1992 "Teen Talk Barbie" set in which Barbie said "Math class is tough" led her into a low paying employment track. In 1982 Barbie had visited McDonald's as a customer in the "Barbie Loves McDonald's Playtime Playset". At that time PJ worked the counter, serving burgers and fries to Barbie and Ken.

Answer: Midge was "pregnant".

This Midge doll had a tiny baby inside a womb that was attached with a magnet. Despite the fact that Midge and boyfriend Alan had "married" years earlier, some parents felt that the doll promoted teen pregnancy. Perhaps the fact that Mattel initially produced Midge without a wedding ring contributed to this idea. Responding to customer complaints, Wal-Mart took the Happy Family set off its shelves.

Answer: Plastic Surgeon

After accusations of being overly attentive to physical appearance, Barbie put her medical degree to use doing nose jobs and face lifts, so said the detractors. Due to her construction, I guess you could say that any surgery Barbie performed would be "plastic" surgery. Somehow, Barbie's medical career came before her job in the fast food industry. Quite the step down.

Answer: Potential of skin cancer caused by excessive tanning.

Barbie was already a doctor so you'd think she would have been aware of the potential dangers of exposure to UV rays. The Malibu series of sun-worshiper dolls included Barbie, Ken, Francie, PJ, Christie, and Skipper.

Answer: When her arm was rotated her breasts grew.

When you rotated Skipper's arm she grew an inch taller and, uh, "matured". Not content with one round of hostile reviews, Mattel recycled the idea in their 2007 "Growing Up Glam" dolls. These dolls' growth features were activated by a switch on the back rather than moving the arm.

Answer: Barbie wasn't dressed for camping.

Later playsets would equip Barbie and the gang with tents, cookstoves, campfires and other useful gear, even a pink RV! But the first Camping Barbie came dressed in pink platform wedgies, Capri pants, and a fashionable pink top. Her gear consisted of a pink lawn chair. Critics said this was camping only if camping meant sitting in the back yard sipping lemonade.

Answer: Girl Scouts USA

Girls under age 8 in the Daisy and Brownie programs will be able to earn a "Be Anything, Do Everything" activity patch for their uniforms. Detractors don't like the commercialization of scouting and, of course, claim Barbie is a bad role model. To earn the patch, girls will need to complete a workbook dealing with various career choices.

They won't be required to purchase or even to own a Barbie.

Answer: "I won a scholarship to Harvard!"

Of the original 270 possible phrases, each doll was programmed with four. "Math class is tough" (often misquoted as "Math is hard") was the one that drew the most flak from parents and women's groups. Mattel relented and removed that phrase from the choices. Original dolls which speak the math class phrase attract a premium price as collectibles.