Barbie (1991 video game)

Barbie

NES box art

Developer(s)| Imagineering
Publisher(s)| Hi Tech Expressions[1]
Producer(s)| Dan Feinstein
Designer(s)| Alex DeMeo
Barry Marx
Programmer(s)| Henry C. Will IV
Chung S. Lau
Mark Morris (additional)
Artist(s)| Frank Lam
Jesse Kapili (additional)
Jogene Kapell (additional)
Mike Sullivan (additional)
Composer(s)| Mark Van Hecke, Ken Kirschner, Billy Pidgeon, Danny Ray
Series| Barbie
Platform(s)| Nintendo Entertainment System, MS-DOS
Release|

* NA: December 1991[1]
* EU: 1992[2][3]

Genre(s)| Platform
Mode(s)| Single-player

Barbie is a multi-platform video game developed by Imagineering for Hi Tech Expressions. It is based on Mattel Inc.'s doll of the same name and was created in an attempt to get more girls to play video games. As such, it is one of the few explicitly girl-oriented NES games. The game takes place in a dream where Barbie must travel through three different worlds (Mall, Underwater and Soda Shop) to gather accessories before attending a ball to meet Ken. Despite it having been of little interest to typical gamers at the time of its release, critics including staff writers for Velikij Drakon and Allgame have praised it as "not bad" for a generic platformer. Others including Justine Cassell and Nathanael Ng of the Georgia Institute of Technology have advanced the view that its genre is not appropriate for its content.

## Contents

* 1 Plot
* 2 Gameplay
* 3 Development and release
* 4 Reception and legacy
* 5 See also
* 6 References
* 7 External links
* 8 Features
* 9 History
* 10 See also
* 11 References
* 12 External links

## Plot

Barbie dreams that she has been invited to the Fantasy Ball, but in her dream she has nothing nice to wear.[4][5] She travels to three different worlds to gather accessories for the big night and a chance with Ken.[6][7] Along the way she meets a veritable menagerie of animal friends and searches to find Dream-Ups, Glamor Items, and Charms for her bracelet that will help her along her way.[8]

In Mall World, Barbie goes on a shopping spree for Barbie coins that she uses at the wishing fountain to acquire an exquisite pink ball gown.[9] In Underwater World, Mermaid Barbie and a few helpful dolphins search for pearls that Barbie returns to a giant oyster in exchange for an elegant pearl ring.[9] Finally, in the 1950s-style Soda Shop Barbie must collect gold records that she uses to make a stairway into the sky to collect the last accessory, a charming pair of sparkly high heels.[10] Barbie returns to the Barbie Dream House to get ready for the Fantasy Ball, and as she descends the stairs wearing all of her accessories, a dapper Ken awaits to dance with her.[11][8]

## Gameplay

Unlike other Barbie games, Barbie is designed as a platformer. Barbie's levels are "dreams" and each "dream" has Barbie walking left to right while avoiding obstacles to keep her "Zs" from dropping which would make her wake up and have to replay the level, or sometimes restart the entire game.[8] Barbie can also request help from animals by selecting one of the charms on her charm bracelet to signal what sort of action the animal should perform. Pressing the B-button then throws the command. If the command reaches the animal, the animal will perform the command requested.[8] Enemies are all normally inanimate objects like tennis rackets, kites, shoes, pizza, water, popcorn, etc. that Barbie must evade by leaping over them.[9] At the end of each section a boss battle occurs with the boss usually being overcome with the help of an animal.[12]

## Development and release

Barbie was designed by Hi Tech Expressions in an attempt to get more girls to play video games,[7][13][14] although the developers tried to make the gameplay appealing to boys as well.[15] Following the 1984 release of an earlier title also called simply Barbie, the game became the second in the Barbie series. Together with the later Barbie and Barbie, the Barbie series was aimed at a young audience that Hi Tech Expressions listed as 3 to 9,[16][17] and that third parties recommend to those 3 to 8.[4]

The basic sales and research data that Hi Tech Expressions examined in designing the game suggested that girls tended to prefer activity-based or puzzle-oriented games over the shoot-'em-up games that were popular at the time. To accommodate this preference, the team endeavored to include puzzles and mazes while avoiding any reference to blood and violence.[16][17] The game was originally slated for release in October 1991,[18][19] but delays caused it to be released two months later in December.[1]

The game has two versions, one of which contains 3 new songs composed by Hi Tech Expressions producer Billy Pidgeon, Ken Kirschner, and Danny Ray.[citation needed]

## Reception and legacy

Reception

| Review scores

Publication| Score
AllGame| [20]
Total!| 19%[21]
Game Freaks 365| 6.9/10[22]
N-Force| 34%[23]
Super Gamer| 15%[24]
Video Games| 35%[25]

A review published in Allgame praised it as "not just a game of silly fashions and changing outfits," but a game that "actually has simple puzzles and decent, albeit slow, platform action,"[26] and the Russian Velikij Drakon noted that the game even had a few secret areas (commonly denoted by the "B" block).[27] Game Freaks 365 said the game was "much more interesting than you'd probably think. The pink, cute label art displaying the classic doll in 90s regalia doesn't stare you down as something with any sort of depth, but once you actually start to play it you find there's quite a bit going on in this little platformer."[22]

On the other hand, critics have pointed out that the game feels like it has been shoehorned into an inappropriate genre for its content and that even for a platformer it is wholly unremarkable.[28] In her book, From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Gender and Computer Games, Justine Cassell uses Barbie as an example of typical "pink" software—software designed with a male audience that is merely re-skinned for female gamers without regard for their different tastes in gaming. Cassell notes that in the design of the early 1990s Barbie video games, Mattel supervisors were only interested in the superficial visual appearances and left the game mechanics and development to third parties.[29] Seanbaby ranked the game #6 on his top 20 "Worst Nintendo Games", writing that "It's not just because I'm a boy; this game really really sucks."[30] Reviewers in Velikij Drakon criticized the bosses as unimpressive, questioning for example whether as serious a word as "boss" could plausibly be warranted for "a pair of jumping pants and a jersey" (the second boss).[9]

Barbie was discussed in 1992 by the United States House of Representatives during a hearing chaired by the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property and Judicial Administration (under the Committee on the Judiciary) in which it was noted that the game had been subject to frequent counterfeiting and related copyright and trademark infringements. The bulk of Barbie counterfeits were noted to have originally come from Taiwan, however at the time the counterfeiters were shifting operations toward Korea, Hong Kong, and China . As the House noted, the counterfeit operations that sought to infringe Barbie's intellectual property rights were large-scale and sophisticated operations working with the very latest ROM technology. Some of the counterfeit cartridges were essentially exact duplicates indistinguishable in quality from the original product.[31]

## See also

* List of Barbie video games

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "This Day in Gaming, December 31st". December 31, 2006. Archived from the original on January 13, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070113215158/http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/this-day-in-gaming/this-day-in-gaming-december-31st-225247.php. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
2. ↑ "Barbie Related Games ". GameSpot. 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
3. ↑ Sulaiman, Sandy. "Features: Toys For The Grown-Up Boys; The fact that Gameboy has no female equivalent signifies more than just a gender imbalance in the toyshop, as Sandy Sulaiman reports." The Guardian . Guardian Media Group. p. 16. June 23, 1992.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Redbook. Vol. 180. p. 108. Redbook Pub. Co. 1993.
5. ↑ Burrill, William. "Entertainment – Show: Mean-tempered robots play ball in Base Wars video game." The Gazette. Final ed. p. B6. July 25, 1991.
6. ↑ Rich, Jason. A Parent's Guide to Video Games: A Practical Guide to Selecting and Managing Home Video Games. DMS Publishing. 1991. ISBN 9780962505775
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Burrill, William. "Life: Simple video games really are kidstuff." Toronto Star. Saturday ed. p. H4. October 19, 1991.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Barbie Instruction Booklet. Hi Tech Expressions. 1991.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Sviridov, Catherine. "8 бит: Barbie Барби – Once Upon A Dream... Однажды, во сне..." Velikij Drakon. No.29. pp. 12–13. 1997. ISSN 0868-5967.
10. ↑ Jones, Dylan. "Life - Games: Barbie to Robin Hood." USA Today. Final ed. p. 5D. 6 June 1991.
11. ↑ Barbie. IGN. Accessed 16 September 2012.
12. ↑ Kulyashova, Anya and Tanya Rybalko. "Нет проблем No Problems: 8 бит - Barbie." Velikij Drakon. No.24. p. 88. 4 June 1996. ISSN 0868-5967.
13. ↑ Burrill, William. "Life: Metal-mashing robots play nasty baseball game." Toronto Star. Saturday 2nd ed. p. K4. June 22, 1991.
14. ↑ Joy, Ken. "Winter CES – Video Games: Video Games Heat Up Winter Sales; For Surging Market, Portable Is Where It's At." Billboard. p. C4. January 11, 1992.
15. ↑ Buchignani, Walter. "Entertainment – Showcase: Move over guys, make room for the girls; Nintendo's new games target females, but will boys play Barbie?" The Gazette. Final ed. p. F5. August 18, 1991.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Shrieves, Linda. "Life & Leisure: Girls Turned Off By the Mass of Macho Video Games." Albany Times Union. 9 June 1994.
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Shrieves, Linda. "Girls Tuning Out Violence." The Buffalo News. 12 June 1994.
18. ↑ Jones, Dylan. "Life: Video games aim to put girls at the controls." USA Today Final ed. p. 1D. August 2, 1991.
19. ↑ "Video games target young girls". August 3, 1991. p. 41. https://www.newspapers.com/image/220278440/. Retrieved September 5, 2021. (Subscription content?)
20. ↑ Alan Weiss, Brett. "Barbie – Review". Allgame. All Media Guide. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
21. ↑ Chris (August 1993). "Barbie". Total! (20): 64–65. https://archive.org/details/total-20/page/n63/mode/2up. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Stan (July 5, 2010). "Barbie" . Game Freaks 365. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
23. ↑ "Barbie". N-Force (5): 56–57. November 1992.
24. ↑ "A-Z of Games". Super Gamer (4): 109. July 1994.
25. ↑ "Barbie" (in de). Video Games: 100. April 1993.
26. ↑ "Barbie - Review - allgame". 2014-11-14. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=12499&tab=review.
27. ↑ Ogneva, Tatiana. "Нет проблем No Problems: 8 бит - Barbie." Velikij Drakon. No.26. p.88. 6 November 1996. ISSN 0868-5967.
28. ↑ Ng, Nathanael. Uplift: Designing for Flow in Action Games . Georgia Institute of Technology. p. 52. April 2005. Accessed 17 September 2012.
29. ↑ Cassell, Justine and Jenkins, Henry. From Barbie® to Mortal Kombat: Gender and Computer Games. p. 138. MIT Press. 2000. ISBN 9780262531689
30. ↑ Patrick Reiley, Sean. The Worst Nintendo Game #6 – Barbie. Seanbaby.com. Accessed 1 September 2013.
31. ↑ Criminal Sanctions for Violations of Software Copyright: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property and Judicial Administration of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, One Hundred Second Congress, Second Session, on S. 893. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1993.

## External links

* MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

## Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

## History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

## See also

* IGDB - game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/.
2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/.
3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1.
4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521.
8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media.
9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned.
10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner.
11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames.
12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games.
13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/.
14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/.
15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/.
16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/.
17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames.
18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628.

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Barbie

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