On a bright summer afternoon, a young spoiled girl shows-off by riding her favourite motorized Barbie trike along The Parade, the main promenade in the north Welsh seaside town of Llandudno, Wales. Wearing a bright pink helmet and travelling on the matching pink toy bike, she trundles along with the low-tide coast over her left shoulder. Barbie is a best-selling fashion doll launched in 1959 and produced by Mattel, Inc. The brand's merchandising reaches far and wide to countries and cultures around the world and this little girl seems to be the happiest on the beach, enjoying a generous present perhaps from a parent. She is the exact age that Mattel are targeting when they market these toys to accompany their dolls and accessories though the industry has come under fire for its controversial stereotyping of gender and subtle sexuality.
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