As a child I had one Sindy doll (never liked Barbie far too fake) and my grandma taught me how to make clothes for the doll using scrap material. I also made my own accessories such as transforming a cardboard box into a house which when you have a creative imagination is every bit as good if not better than some expensive dolls house.

If Mattell really want to make Barbie eco-conscious then they should cut the crap and stop producing the ‘must have’ accessories that young girls pester their mothers to have. I dread to think how many new products lines such toy companies produce. Does anyone know their annual turnover? I bet it is really high and how many of these toys end up in landfill once a new version comes out or if it breaks. I remember having to keep fixing my one doll (especially when my brother and his friends kept taking its head off).

Whilst I am not a mother, if or when I have a child (or children) I am going to provide them with simple toys in which they can develop their own creative imagination. However this can cause problems because peer pressure can lead the children to feel that they are being hard done too if they do not have the latest toys like their friends! Perhaps I may have to home educate and create a network or likeminded families who want to home educate too so that they can interact with children who’s parents have spoilt them or given in to providing them with every toy going.

Anyhow great article Arcadia, I always enjoy reading your posts and learning about which corporations are green washing.