And that pervasiveness, we believe, will help us deliver on a suite of experiences that is just really really relevant and meaningful to them. In other words, Deyo wants a product like Barbie. Barbie has 99 percent market penetration. Ninety-nine percent of American girls between the ages of 3 and 10 own at least one Barbie doll, says Mattel, which claims the average number is nine. Inconveniently, though, Barbie on CD-ROM seems to require constant spin control.
Critics have a way of demanding that software be good for girls.
When I meet Martin for coffee, she's dressed in a pastel jacket and French cuffs. She explains that Barbie has to have the figure she does so she will look normal in the hang and nap of her clothes. But then she comes back with a reference to Carol Gilligan. I really wanted to do something about that plummeting self-esteem. I've always felt like it's really important to give girls something they can feel good about, a sense of mastery.