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Will Parents Pay for Virtual Barbie?

Will Parents Pay for Virtual Barbie?Remember that 'Second Life'-like Barbie world we told you about, 'Barbie Girls?' Well, it has been a runaway success for Mattel. Now, the company faces a new challenge with the service -- turning it into a money-making machine.

The company's latest idea is to charge girls (i.e. their parents) $5.99 a month for access to 'Barbie Girls V.I.P.' which will grant them access to perks that non-V.I.P. subscribers will miss out on: a virtual pet for your virtual Barbie, access to the Extreme DreamPark, and a virtual tiara.

Whether or not parents will be willing to fork over the $72 a year so their kids can spend more time in front of a computer remains to be seen, but it may be the more cost effective route than you think -- the Barbie Dream House costs over $250. [Source: GigaOm]

Tags: barbie, barbie girls, Barbie girls v.i.p., BarbieGirls, BarbieGirlsV.i.p., v.i.p., virtual worlds, VirtualWorlds