The Metaverse Journal

Virtual Worlds Since 2006

‘B Bucks’ – buy virtual Barbie Girls gear

by

Mattel have started to offer a subscription option for its Barbie Girls virtual world. There are literally millions of active users now so Mattel will be hoping a decent percentage of those will beg their parents to fork out US $5.99 per month to be able to customise their avatars more and spend the ‘B Bucks’ their free account has earned.


(Image from barbiegirls.com)

If you were ever in any doubt about the momentum of virtual worlds, you only need to spend a little time perusing the pre-adult offerings to know where the future lies for online social interaction.

Let’s hear your thoughts – would you pay out for your child to access Barbie Girls VIP? And if not, why not?

A heads-up to GigaOM for the original story.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hardly that I am restrictive in many ways, but Barbie World is a place I don’t want to see my kid. Not even for free. When I heard of the place for the first time, I wasn’t lazy, so I registered and took a short peek in there. And raised many questions and doubts.

    In short, Barbie World is a terrifying world where new generations of consumers are grown. All the creativity is killed and there is even censorship over the chat. No, I really don’t want any kid to play in the world where all the things s/he can say are predefined 60 sentences, most of them containing TM sign.

  2. No, I am not even 13, but since I am a child, I might provide a bit more of an insight. In the SuperB chat, you are not allowed to say any brand but Barbie. They only allow “barbie”, and a few greetings. The outfits are tacky and bad. The outfits they wear are skimpy and their bodies are non realistic.

    • that is not that true i am only 10 but every one has there opinion so think what u want but rember it is not only ur opinion that count ok.PS:My name is cassie berisford and i live in ohio.

    • Well, Sara, i never really noticed their bodies on barbie girls but now that i think about it hmmm… yeah, i guess they r a lil’ much. ok, a lot much, but their barbies, after all, they must b famous 4 looking perfect. But i did notice some of the outfits u can buy at the stores and the 1s u have when ur not a vip r a little bare and not modest or decent, actully now that i think about it, that site is not modest at all! i hope the real girls don’t take a pattren off of how the virtual girls look and dress, i know i wouldn’t. they should stay little and innocent 4 a while. (a long while depending on how old they r) unlike how the barbie girls look agree? and just 4 the record, some of the outfits r tacky and bad and TOTALLY skimpy. Horrid. (4 a modest decent and respectful human being like me it is horrid) And as far as SuperB chat goes, i got on it and they called me every name in the book and they were queer and asking if u were queer and their were guys (or maybe gals saying they were guys horrid) i am off of it now. My parents were apalled when i told them. But i’ll just say any1 who is on SuperB chat is NUTS cuz it STINKS. But that is just my opinion sorry if this is long and boring if u happen 2 read it. (P.S i actully like the site, though, despite everything i said and even though vip is not free, i was just saying the cold hard facts)

  3. My name is Kani, I’m 11 years old and I live in Peru.I absolutely dislike BarbieGirls. First of all, you can’t buy anything unless you’re a V.I.P , which I can pay for, but with $72 bucks per year, I could get the pink Polaroid digicam I’ve been saving for.GOSH! As Sara said, they’re bodies are non realistic! They seem to be a short,tween version of Jessica Rabbit. I would never pay six bucks for a virtual world!

    • i think ur right why would u have a barbie girl account if its not free what would u do on barbie girl i say they should make it free because if ur not vip u cant do anything in it.i think vip should be free.

  7. The VIP thing is so stupid.. why would anyone want to pay 72$ for a virtual, non-realistic,skimpy barbie doll. Also, non VIP’s should be able to atleast buy some colthing, but thats just me. I tryed barbie girl and it SUX

  8. Girls 6- 13 years old are being transformed into complete monters. I am just 11, a juvenille youngster going in the 6th grade. The avatars there dress there in short, tight clothes with sex involved. Either there butt is sticking out to make others jealous or the breasts are too large. Even thought it is a virtual game the effects are very harmfull. The girls will start texting at a young age

  9. hi i wont free v.i.p but i will be v.i.p now pleaz do free for people pleaz??????????

  10. I ent Payin Shit for A Website,thats a fuckin rip-off its still gay even bein a vip,Nerds only do that

  12. i wish barbie girls V.I.P was free,i mean it's so boring if your not a V.I.P and my parets are not in a mood
    to pay and says”no”.I WISH IT COULD BE FREE!!!!!!

  15. i think vip should be free! because it's not fair to pay money and in barbie game there alot of clothes and pets and presents! so i want all girls to be vip for free! right girls!

  16. Don't ever give the money you collected using ur whole lyf. Think b4 u do anything. Your parents worked hard you're just going to pay too many money just for an online virtual world. Im 11 y/o and from South korea.

    • Hello Nadine, you probably don’t check this site for comments anymore, but I’ll leave one anyways. The V.I.P. Account you left did not work. I tried numerous times and still, nothing. If you could reply and tell me what’s going on with that, I would appreciate it. I’m pretty sure this account no longer exists, or never did. Thank you, reply as soon as possible. Also if you could answer another question of mine, I would truly and greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

  20. nadine please give me a VIP pls email it on me plaese i love barbie girls~!
    please
    please
    please~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!

  23. i am not so sure why everyone is against the vip. it cheaper than buying a magazine. my daughter is 6 and loves it when we play barbie.com together. she is learning that to buy new clothes ect she has to earn the money through finishing the games ect.
    i enjoy spending time with her playing in this virtual world. i like that messages are kept to barbie talk only, no one can say stupid things to my daughter, all vip players are equal.
    i think all the negative comments from children are because they dont hve vip access. sorry guys but my daughter and me love it.

  24. They might be animation, but if that Barbie was brought to life, she would be way to skinny and hardly real.

  25. That sounds wonderful!! If you and your child enjoy it, you should keep doing that. I am just speaking my opinion.

    Sara

  26. i think it really unfair that they dont let pepole that arent member be to play and buy a pet a be a vip! I think that soon no one is going to go on because it is going to get boring after a while! Then they will lose buisness! so i think they should let everyone be a vip!

  27. my mom is going to write to barbiegirls.com and complain !who knows they might give me a free account because my mom complained! i think you should also gie it a try!

    Peace<<<<333333

  29. why cant barbiegirls V.I.P be free cause it gets really boring sitting there doin nothin ad most girls get sick and tired of it.

    LIKE BORING!!!!!

  31. can you please make the screename and the password easier. and not for free. and that not fair. can you pleaseeeeeeeeeeee make a barbie girls for free or I am going to complained.

  32. i get the whole point in paying.its sooo freaking boreing! iam gonna do a test that will be spread ALL over the net.
    reply yes if you want us to pay for vip member ship
    or type no if u dont want us to pay for vip member ship.
    my vote:NO!!!
    -jas
    p.s. i hate mattel! they get enough money already! sharletains!

  35. The Barbie Girls site does have a lot of cool features and stuff to do for little girls if your just bored at home or something. Though there is some sticky parts with this site. For instance, “Guys” on barbie, since when is Barbie for boys and girls? Last time I checked the website, it said “Hottest online hangout for GIRLS.” These “guys” will be on Barbie Girls and they will go over to random girls and say “Wanna go out?” Then the girls most of the time say yes! It really irritates me though there's nothing I can really do except report them, doesn't do much. Also the SuperB Chat feature blocks a lot of words, which is okay, but it blocks harmless words, even the little emoticons now. Anyway, most of these girls use the words that you can say to make mean words or comments, which is possible. For instance they type “Bit~, Shout up, etc.” Then I report them =) It's probably because of these people that the site blocks mostly every word you can think of. I wish that these little brats wouldn't have to act like this on the site. If you use BarbieGirls.com my name on it is Butterfly22344, look me up if you can. =D

  36. I want to help you guys out, kind of like Nadine (sort of) though I’m positive my account will surely work unlike this other one…

    Username: Butterfly22344
    Password: butterflieswow

    -Make sure you type it exactly like it is above. On the password if you make it capital, it will not work. Leave it lowercase. If this account does not work, my apologies, it has not been accessed in a while. XOXO Butters22344 😀

  37. well i think barbie is good and yes i might be 9 and to old for barbie but it is good and the best thing is to find friends and make new ones but the problem is that u are on the internet and dont now there names cos barbie s b chat blocks words and u cant try and ask them ur name and well thats not bad but u dont no anything about the person ur talking to and yes i agree with some of u boys are on it and i dont like that cos i wanna chat with people who like me for who i am cos i try and say as much as i can about me and my life and sometimes i think im ugly and so i try and make me look as nice as i am but not for the guyz but i feel silly cos well i think well all i can say is i feel better once i look better but i make my self look not like i am and thats why boys come up and say your cute i dont like it on the register there should be a question if there a boy or girl and something underneth it that says we wont include this wen theere regiting in so i think barbie is allright but i dont like it cos boys are on it i wish someone would change oh and i got vip any u want it email me on chazney1999@hotmail.co.uk

  38. it is so boring at barbie girls when you are a normal barbie girl you can’t buy any furniture,dresses,and pet . i would be thankful if they return it to a free game .

  40. Why cant it be FREE?? It sucks no one will sign up because its boring & YOU CAN EVEN BUY CLOTHES FOR THE CHARACTER! .. no wonders there is a small popularity of kids playing the game ..

  41. Are you kidding me I would never pay!
    1) Many clothing choices are totally disgusting and if I was a parent I wouldn't want my kid seeing it!
    2)What is up with that fortune telling game? I found it really insulting!!!
    3)I spent almost $70 on a Mp3 player which I never use anymore that only gave me a membership for one year. If I would have know it only lasted a year I would have never wasted my money on that junk. The music is horrible and hard to hear and lets face it- what girl wants to carry around a Barbie?
    4)There are so many better websites to play on with so many more things to do. Such as Webkinz where all though you have to buy them it is much more kid safe. Or Build-a-Bear is totally free and is awesome with problems because they help you right away. Both Webkinz and Build-a-Bear won awards for childrens safety. Don't see that happening at Barbie Girls!

  42. “Let’s hear your thoughts – would you pay out for your child to access Barbie Girls VIP? And if not, why not?”

    Why would I spend money on something that is non-educational or non-beneficial to my child's growth and allowing my child to spend/waste even more time on it? Besides, there are many other virtual worlds which allows more customizations and features without having users to pay a monthly subscription fee.

  43. Why would I pay for something that is non-educational or non-beneficial to my child's growth? Besides, there are many other virtual worlds that allow more customizations and has more features without having users to pay a monthly subscription fee.

  44. hello um . . . . here are some vip acounts when i buy more i will type it down for you guys.
    u:MissSnowBunny
    p:billys
    u:feral99
    p:cuteferal99
    i might change my password on this so my secret password is
    where were you born?
    A: australia

  45. hello i have a vip account i got it of an mp3 so if any one gets in i can change the password email me and i will email you back with the account detels but i cant do the anser to secret quistion cos it can get pople in and i forgot the anser i am 9 years old how old r u

  47. i know i make my daughter sad but it just cost way to much. i heard rumors that if you want three months of a vip you have to pay $72 !!! that’s way too much. she won’t let other barbie users be vip just for free unless they go to the internet and try to find some god dam vip acounts !! barbie is just money minded!!

  48. Hey,
    im a vip on BarbieGirls.com
    but did you no that i only got it for three months and it been ten months already and my mom was not losing money so i might give you a vip if you gmail me on
    Gabrielle2172000@gmail.com
    I have a lot for people that one and you can look up my girls name.
    Its.
    SleepDog2
    yep hope you look me up to lol XD omg i had to much sugar to day.
    BTW im 10

  49. hello im amaya and am 9 and i been playing on barbiegirl for a very long time and one day i come in my room and is missing all my furniture and all my code stuff i love barbiegirls and now that some one stolle my stuff it stinks and when my mom called the bussiness and ask them to stop make her pay for it they say no !barbiegirls is lame i went on b bratz and yeah i had to buy the doll but you get to get the bratz doll and cloths and pet and on the website you get to have cloths like acually design them and talk with any language + more barbie stinks barbie stink let me hear you say barbie stinks yeah! there you go!

  51. I want to join VIP for any thing except US dollar.Can there any thing could be done?

  52. Im on Barbiegirls.com and it's okay.It's just you can't really do anything if you're not a V.I.P.Look,even though you might say they have “unrealistic bodies”and all what is the perfect body?We do have girls with hips and thighs and all but everybody's different.And about the boys on there look,there will always be boys on a girl site.So you can't do anything about that sadly.But some of you are making barbiegirls seem like a evil place which it's not.I also think it should be free cause its kinda boring.

  53. HEY HERE IS MY ACCOUNT SCREENNAME IS:belladoglover AND MY PASSWORD IS:poochie TTYL PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  56. i think so, this summer i tryed to talked with my parents much much, and at least they give me 3 months to use vip, but i think thwey should not make vip ( any member here can shopping and get hair style)

  57. i wish that i was v.i.p this is not fair why the v.i.p is not free it must be free

  58. my daughter is so upset and so am i. why can none vip people not get a small amount of outfits to shop for because i think theres no clothing for none barbie girls because you want us to keep spending money. thats just not right and i hope your happy

  59. i need a v.i.p account can some one give me a v.i.p account if you want to give me a v.i.p account email me your v.i.p account and thanks for who gave me a v.i.p account…………thx my email is : wedadysf@hotmail.com

  60. Hi everyone im a vip in barbie girls i really want barbie girls vip to be free they will get money faster u know u get money is the target barbie girls is cool but not that fun if u want fun here try this site{www.clubpenguin.com}its super fun but as u all now u have to pay to be a vip im a vip on that too its sooo cool u have plays on stage and alot of parties like the new one festival of flight so get in now and try it its super cool im from united arab emirates short cut UAE search it on google or anything and come visit my country its cool try it come and u will see

  61. i realy want barbiegirls vip do you know how nuts i am about barbiegirls vip????? i have dreams about it i cry every time i see another vip all my friends are vip and i mean all my friends and i have 204 friends! i dont care if i can only try one for a second (I NEED TO SEE IT!) soo if you guyz have a vip dont tell it you are giveing up your fun! you dont know what you have intill its gone. and if you realy realy dont like vip give it away with a secrite anwser not a pass word becuz my sister found a vip with no secrit anwser and just a password and someone changed the password. and that girl who gave it away said for us to share it with a other girl

  62. i realy want barbiegirls vip do you know how nuts i am about barbiegirls vip????? i have dreams about it i cry every time i see another vip all my friends are vip and i mean all my friends and i have 204 friends! i dont care if i can only try one for a second (I NEED TO SEE IT!) soo if you guyz have a vip dont tell it you are giveing up your fun! you dont know what you have intill its gone. and if you realy realy dont like vip give it away with a secrite anwser not a pass word becuz my sister found a vip with no secrit anwser and just a password and someone changed the password. and that girl who gave it away said for us to share it with a other girl

Trackbacks