Barbie Does Your Nails

Today, Mattel continued on their mission to spread the Barbie brand into our technologically driven society. They announced the release of a new digital nail printer with thermal inkject technology. This product is marketed for both adults and children as there is a following of adults that collect Barbie dolls. Kids and adults can choose from a variety of colors and patterns to decorate their nails and the printer costs a mere $179.99. Ink is $10 and the nail polish kit is $30.

Now, I know that Christmas is coming up and Mattel is probably hoping that this product will sell, but don't they remember we're in a recession? The price tag for a children's product that can only do one thing is crazy! Perhaps they should have used cheaper materials to make the printer so it could at least be under $100. I am also curious about how much of the cost comes from using the Barbie brand or whether it's from the printer alone. For $179.99+$10 (for ink)+$30 (for nail polish kit), you could get 22 manicure sessions at a fancy New York nail salon! I predict now that this product will fail miserably if it stays at its current price point.