Mattel's number-one goal with its packaging had been to ensure that Barbie survives the trip from the factory in Asia to the store to your home looking perfect. "We believed that customers wanted to see the dolls rigid in their boxes," says Cary Common, manager of prepack merchandising. So Barbie has been tethered to the package with 14 to 16 inches of plastic-covered wire ties, as well as stitching and tape.
