In the 1980s, girls—in the immortal words of Cyndi Lauper—just wanted to have fun. Hasbro, which had successfully revived its male counterpart to Barbie, G.I. Joe, still wanted a piece of the fashion-doll market that Mattel’s Barbie dominated. Thanks to the popularity of MTV, which played nothing but song-length music videos, Lauper and Madonna made a milder version of punk-rock rebellion accessible, with catchy pop tunes and a girlie spin on...Continue Reading