• Los Angeles Times, Friday, March 6, 2009 10:34 AM

Mattel's Totally Stylin' Tattoos Barbie comes with a set of more than 40 tiny tattoo stickers and a faux tattoo gun with wash-off tats that kids can use to ink themselves. Some parents are incensed, labeling the latest version of the 50-year-old icon the "tramp stamp" queen of playtime, report Tiffany Hsu and Don Lee. But a spokeswoman for the toy maker says it's a great way for youngsters to be creative.

Meanwhile, Mattel this weekend will unveil the six-story House of Barbie in Shanghai. It offers thousands of Barbie products, from branded chocolate bars that cost a buck or two to an adult-sized Vera Wang-designed wedding dress for $10,000. On the fourth floor, girls can design their own dolls. The store also contains a salon where moms and daughters can get facials and manicure, as well as a restaurant and bar (where dads contemplating Totally Stylin' Tattoos Barbie presumably can cry over their beers).

At the moment, Asia accounts for less than 5% of Barbie's global sales. But, says Barbie's general manager Richard Dickson, "There's no reason why in five to 10 years, China shouldn't be the biggest market in the world for us."

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