I was never a Girl Scout. Sure, I heard and enjoyed the "Be a Girl" song frequently played on television during the 1970s. I even flirted with the idea of uber-urban me going camping. Ah, fresh air, the smell of grass, open skies - now where is my private toilet, running water, and what's with the BUGS? Oh to be one of those hearty, healthy, wholesome girls exercising mind and body and social status. Yeah, right. Like I did not run from the ball in gym. Like I did not loathe team sports. Like I did not have my heart and my head turned against anything conformist. Sigh. While I did sing the theme - sang it off key - I could not live the dream.
So I calmly approach this union of Barbie and the Girls Scouts. Interested? Yes, I am. Heat for or against the connection, no. I collect some Barbies. I have respect for the brand - 50 years and still going? On the other hand, reading the I Can Be Anything Barbie game struck me as silly. Then again, I am not the target age group for that web page.
However, I am surprised how Mattel handled the partnership. Barbie as a Girl Scout? Huh? Isn't Barbie a little ... old to be a Girl Scout? What about her younger siblings: Skipper, Stacie, and Chelsea? Wouldn't it have made more sense and been more lucrative to have them as Girls Scouts under Troop Leader Barbie? Or would that have been a bigger investment and taken more time than Mattel or the Girls Scouts wanted?
So I checked out the Girls Scouts website.
There are six levels for Girls Scouts:
Daisies I would have put Chelsea among the kindergarden or first grade students.
Brownies I don't think any of the girls fit in this 2nd-3rd grade students group. (Go Mrs. Roberts - had a break for a bit.)
Juniors I see Stacie among the grade 4-5 students.
Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors Last, I would place Skipper in the Cadettes and Barbie as an Ambassador.
How would you handle the Barbie and the Girls Scouts partnership? Do you think that the two icons should never have connected? Do you think that Barbie's reputation tarnishes the Girls Scouts?
