From The Video Vault: Barbie Video Girl

With holiday shopping season now in full swing, it is time to revisit one of the strangest toys to come out this year. Yes, I am talking about the Barbie Video Girl. Or, as I like to call it, Surveillance Barbie. It is a Barbie doll with a video camera embedded into her chest, a USB port in her back, and batteries in her legs. When Mattel released this $50 Barbie last July, it sparked all sorts of spirited commentary and some entertaining videos.

Here are two videos that tell you all you need to know about Barbie Video Girl. The first one, above, shot by Brandon Bloch, compares it feature-by-feature with a Canon 7D camera. It was widely viewed at the time, but worth another look. The second one, below, is a viewer favorite from the TCTV vault. In it, our own Paul Carr and John Biggs discuss whether or not it is a good idea to give one of these surveillance Barbies to a six-year-old. Biggs tries to treat it like any other gadget until Carr shames him into admitting it should be buried in cement.

Watch both videos for some Sunday morning entertainment, but don’t show your kids (Fair Warning: Carr drops a few F-bombs).