Barbie Fashion Designer
A dress-up game that let players design and print Barbie outfits.
Barbie Fashion Designer, a 1996 game for Windows and Mac, was created by Digital Domain and released by Mattel Media. Players use the software to design, print, and decorate outfits for their Barbie dolls. It was an early title from Mattel’s new interactive division and is recognized as the first commercially successful virtual dress-up game.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Digital Domain
- Publisher
- Mattel Media
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows; Mac OS
- Released
- November 1996
- Genre
- Virtual dress-up game
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
The software enables users to create virtual outfits for Barbie to wear or print outfits for a Barbie doll. Players select the outfit style by drag and dropping desired themes and clothes using the computer mouse. Themed outfits such as career, vacation or wedding-themed outfits are available from the Theme Workshop, or players can combine elements in the Mix and Match Workshop. Outfits can be accessorized with shoes, purses, and belts, and players can change the neckline of some outfits. In the Fabric Design and Color workshops, players select from eight fabric types in a range of patterns. Once created, designs can be previewed in the Dressing Room with a 3D animation of Barbie modeling the outfits at a fashion show. Players can print designs on paper or paper-lined fabric, then assemble the outfits using seam stickers and hook and loop tape. Printed outfits can be colored, painted, or decorated with included materials such as shoes, velcro, ribbons, glitter paint and sequins.
Development and release
Barbie Fashion Designer began with an idea from inventor Andy Rifkin in 1992, after he watched his daughter Elizabeth Joi use markers, paper, and staplers to make outfits for her Barbie dolls. She had also asked her grandmother for spare fabric from a boutique and wanted her father to use the computer printer to create patterns on the material. Rifkin pitched the concept to Mattel, and after several years of discussion, he was hired as vice president of Mattel Media, the company’s new interactive division. He led the game’s design and development alongside executive producer Nancie S. Martin. Mattel brought in visual effects studio Digital Domain, which was working on Titanic at the time and had just started a new media department. Digital Domain agreed to a deal where Mattel kept the intellectual property while the studio covered production costs. Co-founder Scott Ross said he approved the project because of its market potential to expand girls’ play with the toys and the chance to profit from selling the paper included with the game. Development took one year, with staff working under crunch to handle the large number of assets and produce printer-compatible material at scale. Valerie Grant, the design and creative director, created the 2D visuals based on her earlier fashion illustration work from art school. For 3D animations, Digital Domain hired four programmers led by Patrick Dalton to build a rendering engine that could handle thousands of clothing assets. Animators used reference footage to make fabric move realistically and motion capture from a runway model for the fashion show sequences.
Reception
Barbie Fashion Designer was a hit. Retailers placed a huge number of pre-release orders, and it became one of the most sought-after toys and software titles that Christmas. PC Data reported it ranked fifth in PC game sales for December 1996, sixth for all of 1996, and thirteenth among all software CD-ROMs that year, with roughly 351,945 copies sold and $14 million in revenue. Other estimates put 1996 sales above 500,000, and over one million units by the end of 1997. Reviewers liked its blend of creativity and play. MacHome Journal said it could unlock a "new dimension of artistry" for girls, and PC Open called it a "great example of hands-on play" that gave users the satisfaction of making something themselves. PC Game Parade praised its simple controls and voice-over for younger players. Some critics noted that assembling the printed outfits was tricky and might need an adult's help. PC Accelerator, in a satirical review, felt there wasn't much to do besides designing dresses. Others thought the pattern choices were limited. Allgame enjoyed it but complained that players would run out of fabric and decorating supplies long before they ran out of ideas. Reviewers also pointed out that rendering 3D animations of finished outfits could take several minutes. The game's success sparked media discussion about the growing market for girls' software, and other publishers tried to copy its formula. It is now seen as one of the first commercially successful games made for girls and a key moment in getting them into video games.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Barbie Fashion Designer released?
Barbie Fashion Designer was released in November 1996.
What platforms is Barbie Fashion Designer available on?
Barbie Fashion Designer was released for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS.
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