Barbie is an American icon. But Barbie becomes a problem when the adult fantasy collides with the child s fantasy. All that misplaced Barbie angst of our youth all the childhood conditioning and the adult results are revealed at last in Mondo Barbie. \ Barbie is in the air all right! \ Since we began this anthology we ve seen articles on Barbie in magazines as wide-ranging as Parenting People and the Utne Reader. . . . We re not the only ones. Friends acquaintances and contributors (real and imagined) have flooded our mailboxes with clippings about Barbie look-alike contests cable TV shows photography exhibits sculptures you name it. \ Everyone had an anecdote. . . . \ [Barbie] is an American icon. The product of an adult fantasy of a girl-child s toy. Or is Barbie the adult s toy and the child s fantasy? What happens when the adult fantasy collides with the child s fantasy? . . . \ In the end the book divided into two definite strategies for dealing with the Barbie phenomenon--poems and stories from Barbie s point of view or writings about Barbie s impact (as either doll or flesh and blood) on specific characters. These works are just a sampling of the vast array of material inspired by Barbie. Perhaps as one writer suggested we should start a Barbie hotline. A way to reach all those warped by Barbie. . . . After all everyone loves Barbie don t they?\ --From the introduction by Richard Peabody and Lucinda Ebersole