别了，芭比娃娃

Barbie's been in big trouble lately, in fact, someone's even saying she's dead. Erin Burnett tonight On The Money behind an American icon¹.

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She's almost 50, desperately² in need of a makeover. No, not her, her.

Barbie, Mattel's sweetheart seen red in 17 of the last 20 quarters. In fact, the last 5 years have been the weakest years of her almost 50-year lifespan, far from a glamorous³ past. During her heyday⁴ in the 90s, analysts⁵ estimating the busty blonde would add 2 billion to Mattel's bottom line. But Barbie may have bottomed out.

Barbie's always been about, for, you know, playing and fashion. And I think in the last couple of years there has been a little bit too much emphasis on just having it look trendy and appealing to the fashion aspect of what kids want.

The Barbie is still a-billion-dollar brand. Mattel's competitors like MGA Entertainment and its Bratz dolls have been creeping into Barbie's territory.

Mattel's biggest problem was, they forgot to put some of the fun within some of the Barbie toys. And they forgot some of the basic elements. Toys need to be magical. A child needs to open a toy and immediately wants to play, would they be creatively on their own through electronics and Mattel was not doing that.

And today, a radical⁶ idea---kill her, dead, end of brand. LA Times columnist⁷ Patt Morrison writing this, Barbie's Obit. Let's all have a go with Barbie. Give up on the re-re-re-invention. Take out Barbie at the top of her game. With a big, dramatic exit, Mattel could actually make a killing⁸ out of killing Barbie. Not everyone is ready to bury her. Mattel, now under the control of industry veteran Neil Freemen, may be headed in the right direction.

Kids aren't just playing with toys, they are watching movies, they are going to shows, they are wearing clothes. So the Barbie brand is not just dolls anymore, it's 3 billion dollars worth of merchandise and entertainment around the world every year.

But as Mattel's biggest seller, slumping⁹ sales could mean its time for a farewell Barbie.

On The Money, Erin Burnett CNBC.

1 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

2 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

3 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

4 heyday   

n.全盛时期，青春期

参考例句：

• The 19th century was the heyday of steam railways.19世纪是蒸汽机车鼎盛的时代。
• She was a great singer in her heyday.她在自己的黄金时代是个了不起的歌唱家。

5 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

6 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

7 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

8 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

9 slumping   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的现在分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Hong Kong's slumping economy also caused a rise in bankruptcy applications. 香港经济低迷，破产申请个案随之上升。
• And as with slumping, over-arching can also be a simple postural habit. 就像弯腰驼背，过度挺直也可能只是一种习惯性姿势。