Computer Engineer Barbie coming soon to a toy store near you

[Niels Bohr 72]

We win!

By Dan Olds, Gabriel Consulting • Get more from this author

Posted in HPC Blog, 14th February 2010 10:29 GMT

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The people have spoken: Barbie will become a computer engineer. And a news reporter.

Results of the 2009 Barbie Global Career Survey – called the 'Girls' Vote' on the results announcement page – swung in favor of 'News Anchor.' But the 'Popular Vote' conducted online during the last month and promoted here has delivered geek glory: Computer Engineer Barbie. Hell yeah.

Vote totals and detailed results are not available; we would be very interested in seeing both in order to gauge the margin of victory. A landslide win might indicate that some tech-centric voters used all of their resources to ensure the right outcome. I'm not sure how they would do this, of course. Could some technically gifted person out there have used sophisticated scripts running on a cluster system to stuff the ballot box? Nah, I'm sure that didn't happen….

Much discussion ensued on The Register's comments pages regarding the possible clothing, gear, and work environment accessories with which such a doll might be outfitted. Suggestions included old Dilbert books, little tins of cat food, rude t-shirts and mountain boots, and a dozen frustrated "IT Kens" all vying for her attention.

Here's the kit Mattel is going with (from its website):

To ensure the doll accurately reflects this occupation, Barbie® designers worked with the Society of Women Engineers and the National Academy of Engineering to ensure that accessories, clothing and packaging were realistic and representative of a real computer engineer. Looking geek chic, Computer Engineer Barbie® wears a t-shirt featuring binary code and computer/keyboard icon along with a pair of black knit skinny pants. Computer Engineer carries a Barbie® smart phone, fashionable laptop case, flat watch and Bluetooth earpiece. With stylish pink-frame glasses and a shiny laptop, she is ready to conquer the day's tasks on the go or from her desk.

Stop, you're killing me.

I've been around the horn a bit in this industry and have seen actual female computer engineers in the real world – and this Barbie doesn't look like any of them. To me, she looks more like a director of marketing on casual Friday. But I could be wrong. She certainly doesn't have nearly enough gear and accessories. Where's the workstation? Where's the cube? Where are the desk toy gifts from Ken?

Computer Engineer Barbie is available for pre-order now at 'Mattel Shop' . She'll hit the store shelves in time for – surprise! – Christmas 2010.

[scandal 951]

pic is on the right

[Niels Bohr 72]

OMG! What the hell!? The girls vote for News Anchor? What are the chances of actually picked to be a news anchor?

Anyway....I hope this will make more women go for Engineering. Heck, out of a class of 400 Engineers, there is only 1 girl. That is so sad.

[dakay ♥ 10]

Anyway....I hope this will make more women go for Engineering. Heck, out of a class of 400 Engineers, there is only 1 girl. That is so sad.

Tell me about it, when I was in college we were very few women, and even now sometimes someone says "mmm an engineer woman "

[Calypso 464]

OMG! What the hell!? The girls vote for News Anchor? What are the chances of actually picked to be a news anchor?

Anyway....I hope this will make more women go for Engineering. Heck, out of a class of 400 Engineers, there is only 1 girl. That is so sad.

Really sad because in a huge class with a very few girls, those girls are already dating guys not from the same class.

That was the complete opposite in my time back in college. We were 40 in class, four were boys and 36 were girls. Of the four boys, three were gays. Well, that wasn't engineering though.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

OMG! What the hell!? The girls vote for News Anchor? What are the chances of actually picked to be a news anchor?

Anyway....I hope this will make more women go for Engineering. Heck, out of a class of 400 Engineers, there is only 1 girl. That is so sad.

Why?

Really sad because in a huge class with a very few girls, those girls are already dating guys not from the same class.

That was the complete opposite in my time back in college. We were 40 in class, four were boys and 36 were girls. Of the four boys, three were gays. Well, that wasn't engineering though.

Toooooooooooooo funny. I had to change the avatar for this one.

Tell me about it, when I was in college we were very few women, and even now sometimes someone says "mmm an engineer woman "

It does seem an oxymoron, doesn't it.

Edited February 15, 2010 by Gary and Alla

[Niels Bohr 72]

Engineering requires lots of physics and mathematics. Maybe the women think they aren't as capable so they pursue other majors that are less vigorous in the science. Possibly it's the way they are nurtured.

[Calypso 464]

Engineering requires lots of physics and mathematics. Maybe the women think they aren't as capable so they pursue other majors that are less vigorous in the science. Possibly it's the way they are nurtured.

And then what? They become news anchors?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Engineering requires lots of physics and mathematics. Maybe the women think they aren't as capable so they pursue other majors that are less vigorous in the science. Possibly it's the way they are nurtured.

It is Barbie's fault.

[Calypso 464]

Neils VJer is better as a gossip news anchor than as an engineer.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

And then what? They become news anchors?

Or strippers.

[Calypso 464]

Or strippers.

-----

Neil's Boar learning ecology as a science [peace man]:

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Barbies are not the toy for future female engineers. I preferred chemistry sets and spent much of my childhood reading random articles in my families encyclopedia. I was one of 15 freshmen woman electrical engineers and only 2 of us graduated in a class of over 500 EE's.

[scandal 951]

I like to play with Barbies. It calms the sheep before bedtime.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

pic is on the right

Computer engineer Barbie should look a bit like most other computer engineers, male and female, that I've meet. I wonder if they can double her size.