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In this month's direct-to-DVD release of "The Barbie(TM) Diaries," Barbie(TM) teams up with Capitol Records recording artist Skye Sweetnam to bring the voice of high schoolers to life with hip, contemporary music in the Barbie(R) brand's newest entertainment release. Celebrating the first-time ever that Barbie(TM) is cast in the real world as a high school student, "The Barbie(TM) Diaries" features eight original songs, including four sung by Sweetnam, a recent nominee for "New Artist of the Year" at the 2006 Canadian Juno Awards. Set to the cool music featuring Sweetnam's voice and four other up-and-coming bands, Barbie(TM) portrays a high school student whose "real life" adventures include forming her own band Charmz and auditioning for a gig to play at the Fall Formal.
With seven popular Barbie(TM) Princess and Fairytopia(TM) films under her hit-making belt, Barbie(TM) has become an entertainment powerhouse and a family favorite among home DVD collections, collectively selling more than 27 million units worldwide. Featuring a new, distinctive toon-shaded CGI animated look, "The Barbie(TM) Diaries" release is supported with a full line of themed dolls and electronic toys.
"With the success of Barbie(R) Entertainment to-date, we anticipate 'The Barbie(TM) Diaries' to be a hit among girls who have grown up with Barbie(TM) movies and love music," said Richard Dickson, senior vice president of marketing, media and entertainment. "We knew the music had to be fresh and Skye's original sound and blend of rock, pop and electronica celebrates the spunk and spirit that Barbie(TM) reflects as a teenager."
The combination of contemporary music with the "diary" theme will hit close to the hearts and minds of young girls everywhere. A recent Omnibus survey found that:
-- 74 percent of girls have kept a diary at some point in their lives
-- The top five "for-my-eyes-only" topics included thoughts about friends, family, secrets, boys and creative musings (poems, stories, sketches), respectively
-- Brothers and sisters ranked highest (nearly 20 percent each) in breaching diary security by reading without permission
-- But overall, girls are rather trusting, as more than a third (37 percent) do not bother to hide their diaries
"Just like Barbie(TM), my diary was where I could write down all my secrets, fears and dreams," said Skye. "Today, I'm fortunate to be able to share all my thoughts and feelings with girls across the world, through my songwriting. It's so important for girls to have a place where they're free to express themselves."
