An MP3 for Barbie -- who needs it?

Since everything else has an MP3 player built into it, why not put one in that Barbie doll. Mattel (NYSE:MAT) has decided to do just that. With its stock down almost 15% over the last three months, the company will do almost anything for positive PR.

The new doll gives its owners the chance to log onto BarbieGirls.com where she "unlocks pages and pages of games, virtual shops and online chatting functions," according to The New York Times.

The new Barbie is apparently part of an industry trend to sell toys which encourage children to go to the web. In many cases when they get there they will find things to buy along with free games. How clever.

Mattel wants little girls and their parents to think the cyber-Barbie is a better Barbie. As one Mattel executive put it: "For girls to understand the level of detail, the level of content, truly the experience of BarbieGirls, we wanted to allow them to play on the site."

Perhaps the age of the plain old doll that parents bought to allow their children to use their imaginations is gone. It is worth mourning. It is being replaced with toys that replace child-like creativity with websites where kids can buy more stuff. Maybe they can use the debit card for 7-year olds that marketing gurus are planning.

Douglas A. McIntyre is a partner at 24/7 Wall St.