Denmark-bred psychobilly rockers HorrorPops haven't released a studio album since 2008's Kiss Kiss Kill Kill, but they have popped up in a recent controversy involving Barbie. According to a report from Reuters, HorrorPops frontwoman Patricia Day thinks Mattel swiped her style for a new doll called the "Hard Rock Barbie" (shown above).
Mattel's "Hard Rock Barbie" boasts "long black hair, retro tattoos, red fingernails, fishnets and a decorated bass fiddle [to] give this doll true rockabilly style." Day thinks this is a little too close of a match to her personal style and filed a lawsuit last week in Indiana District Court seeking injunctive relief and unspecified punitive damages.
In a statement, Day points out that other female rockers like Deborah Harry, Joan Jett and Cyndi Lauper had their style licensed for the collection, but the company failed to seek the HorrorPops' consent. Had the company asked, she likely would have said no in an effort to protect what she describes as "her desire to redefine women's roles in the rock'n'roll scene -- a vision that runs contrary and antithetical to everything for which Mattel's Barbie doll line stands."
Whether Day has a case or not is yet to be seen, but the description of the doll sounds more like the outfit of every psychobilly band out there. We also can't help but see the irony in a lawsuit like this when the HorrorPops have clearly appropriated so many visual cues from forefathers like the Cramps.
Mattel's "Hard Rock Barbie" boasts "long black hair, retro tattoos, red fingernails, fishnets and a decorated bass fiddle [to] give this doll true rockabilly style." Day thinks this is a little too close of a match to her personal style and filed a lawsuit last week in Indiana District Court seeking injunctive relief and unspecified punitive damages.
In a statement, Day points out that other female rockers like Deborah Harry, Joan Jett and Cyndi Lauper had their style licensed for the collection, but the company failed to seek the HorrorPops' consent. Had the company asked, she likely would have said no in an effort to protect what she describes as "her desire to redefine women's roles in the rock'n'roll scene -- a vision that runs contrary and antithetical to everything for which Mattel's Barbie doll line stands."
Whether Day has a case or not is yet to be seen, but the description of the doll sounds more like the outfit of every psychobilly band out there. We also can't help but see the irony in a lawsuit like this when the HorrorPops have clearly appropriated so many visual cues from forefathers like the Cramps.
