Actually...it's an action figure.

Can you tell I have mixed feelings
about my love for this barbie doll?

by Elizabeth Van Allen 

scribblesbyartteachervanallen.blogspot.com

Anyone who has met me knows that I'm not exactly the girliest girl around.  I don't like pink, avoid glitter whenever possible, and I'm all about comfort when it comes to choosing my shoes.  That being said, I do have my weaknesses when it comes to some of the more traditionally feminine things in life. I can't get enough of sewing, fun accessories, skirts, and aprons.  I love aprons.  I use them in the classroom almost every day.  Owning several aprons doesn't mean that I like baking, so for your own sake don't ask me to bake anything.  Baking and I just don't get along.  But I digress.  

In my opinion, including 2 students to
run after qualifies the art teacher barbie
as an action figure instead of a doll.

I've never been a Barbie fanatic, but having one that matches your profession is pretty cool.  I've amassed collections of a lot of slightly odd things over the years like swizzle sticks and masks, but dolls have never been at the top of my list.  Even so, when my mother saw this doll in the store she felt that it was a no-brainer purchase.  I mean honestly- with a daughter like me how could she pass up an art teacher Barbie?  I proudly display it in my office, and I love that my chosen career has been immortalized through the mother of all pop culture icons.  

Although I really do love this gift, a few of it's minor details keep bothering me.  Maybe this is just my defiant side rearing it's pointy little head, but I couldn't avoid a good old fashioned critique. We art teachers do a lot of running around and heavy lifting every day. We're pretty active people and rarely have a slow moment.  Wouldn't it be more appropriate to market this doll as an art teacher action figure?  They got a lot right, but when it comes to this product some of the details just don't sit right with me.

As you can see, I have mixed feelings about this action fig... I mean doll. So, being the organized person that I am (you can stop laughing now), I decided to make a list of pros and cons.

As Barbie's administrator, I should
take points off of her evaluation for
leaving so much stuff lying around.
That's a safety hazard!

Pros:

• Lots of accessories, check out the color wheel!
• Sensible shoes... or at least they are for Barbie
• Love the outfit (yellow top & polka dotted skirt with mary janes, I'd lose the scarf though)
• High necklines for an active female teacher
• My set came with cute little smocks for those children of the corn students

2 questions: 
1. Why isn't the apron/smock included 
in the art teacher play set? 
2. How would any art teacher be 
able to work in those shoes?

Cons:

• Terrible grammar ('I can be... Art Teacher').  Is adding the word 'an' really that hard, Mattel?  She is a teacher, after all.
• You have to buy the Barbie Careers Art Teacher Fashion Pack for Girls in order to get a smock/apron. Any art teacher knows that they are a necessity.
• A stool for a toddler's chair?  Who thought that would be a good choice? I can almost hear the lawyers salivating.
• Hate the outfit on my version (green and blue flowered dress with weird, ankle strap clog-ish shoes)
• Check out the size of the scissors in comparison to the kids' hands. The disproportionate size is something Tim Burton would be proud of.  
• You can't tell from my picture, but in the package the creepy blond baby is standing on a chair.  I know it's silly, but safety first- right?

The artist barbie set includes 
a cat.  Does this seem 
stereotypical to anyone else?
Also, is it sitting in a litter pan?

Pro or Con? You tell me:
Mattel has an interactive online companion game that sort of explores a few of the more popular '-isms' of art. The problem?  It has obnoxious music that kind of makes you want to start sharpening the ends of your paint brushes. Let's just say that it makes you feel a little stabby.  

Strangely enough, the game features the "Artist" Barbie instead of art teacher Barbie, which seemed kind of odd to me. In a way it defeats the entire concept. Why would anyone want to go through all the trouble of becoming a highly qualified, certified teacher with at least one degree and a hefty student loan bill when, if I'm reading the message correctly, simply having talent and skill could serve just as well?  Where is the teacher in the "A+ Art Teacher" game?

If there are no sharp objects handy, give it a try at http://www.barbie.com/en-us/game/Art-Teacher and tell me what you think!  I did't have a chance to actually play the game, I had to leave the site before it's music made me want to book a winter stay at the overlook hotel.

Bonus Barbie Awesomeness:
Mark McKinney from Artsology took the idea of Barbie personalization to a whole new level.  He started with regular Ken dolls and tailored them to take on the personas of different famous artists!  This gives me a whole host of new ideas... 
http://www.artsology.com/blog/tag/ken-doll/ .  

You can also read his take on the Art Teacher and Artist Barbies at  http://www.artsology.com/blog/2011/09/barbie-the-art-teacher/

Personal style site refinery29 used barbie as a model in the brilliant photographic recreation of diverse pieces from the work of Man Ray to the bust of Nefertiti.  
http://www.refinery29.com/barbie-as-fine-art 

How would you design an action figure based on your career? 

Thanks to Mark McKinney from Artsology for his permission to link to his site!

I'm not Oprah or Julie Andrews.

by Elizabeth Van Allen for scribblesbyartteachervanallen.blogspot.com/

Nobody would ever mistake me for Julie Andrews or Oprah (not that I wouldn't mind having that kind of influence), but that doesn't mean I can't give a shout out to a few favorite everyday, make-life-a-little-easier things that I love.  I can't give them away and if I sing about them you might change the channel, so I'll make this a quick commercial break of unsolicited and unpaid (hint hint ahem) product plugs.

Tip: Attach a piece of cardboard
to the inside lid of a storage
case to test your markers!

Favorite Tool: Paint Pens

I use sharpie oil-based paint pens for everything in the classroom from posters and signs to labeling student tables.  These amazing paint pens don't bleed, run or fade.  When laminated the paint stays true to color and keeps a sharp edge.  While I wouldn't let my students use them due to their slight odor, extreme permanence and cost, they are a permanent addition to my teacher toolkit. 


Favorite Comfort: 2 oz Miracle Insole

If your feet ache at the end of the day give these a try!  Your tootsies will be back to normal in no time thanks to the magic of the 2 oz Miracle Custom Molding Insole.  I've tried just about every reasonably priced insole on the market and I keep coming back to these.  The 2 oz miracle costs less than $10 and can usually be purchased in more budget-minded grocery stores.  They last forever and are easy to trim to the right shape/size.  I've used them in everything from flats to heels to boots.  Since they're super thin they work without changing the fit of the shoe.  

Favorite Impulse Buy: Stoppy

My art room has very heavy doors that are not a normal distance from the ground.  Consequently, regular doorstops are useless in my classroom.  For two years I had to tie my door handle to the handle of an exit door in order to keep it open for conferences and back-to-school nights.  In my head I sound like a bad infomercial salesman as I write this, but I've finally found my answer.

I have the solution to all of your doorstop needs and it's called the Stoppy.  Now go back and re-read that last statement, but imagine that the sound in your brain has just been turned up to 11 and I am shout-talking in a very enthusiastic manner.  Go ahead, I'll wait.  Seriously though, this Stoppy door stop is amazing.  If you ever see these in the store, get one.  Infomercial over.  

What products have made 
your everyday life 
a little more user friendly?