Trailer Trash BarbieIn the early 1990s, a San Francisco artist named Paul Hansen began selling "Barbie art" - standard Barbie dolls transmogrified into such satirical characters as Drag Queen Barbie, Trailer Trash Barbie, Exorcist Barbie, and Tanya Harding Barbie.
Hansen sold more than 100 of his creations before Mattel filed suit for copyright infringement - claiming $1.2 billion in damages.
Althought art is generally exempt from copyright challenges and Hansen backed down, promising to remove his dolls from store shelves and sell them only in galleries, The Wall Street Journal reported: "Mattel's lawyer still wanted to go to trial to collect damages and win a stricter definition of 'art gallery.' After a year of litigation, even the judge lost patience... and granted a partial judgment against Mattel 'for not having a sense of humor.'"
[Hansen later settled out of court.]
[Trivia: Barbie collector Paul David once wrote (in a self-published Barbie catalog) that "if there were an ugly contest, Elizabethan Queen Barbie would definitely win." Mattel sued for copyright infringement, demanding that he portray Barbie in his catalog as "wholesome, friendly, accessible and kind, caring and protecting, cheerful, fun loving, talented and independent." David's response? He sold his entire collection.]
Hansen, Paul (?- ) American artist
[Sources: The Wall Street Journal; The Economist, Dec 19th 2002]More Paul Hansen anecdotesRelated Anecdote Keywords:
Lawsuits Law Dolls Toys Business Art Galleries Copyright Trademarks
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