SHE’D BE BETTER OFF WITH A NICE CANADIAN ACCOUNTANT NAMED MARSHALL

Barbie's new mate: Her long-time beau has been replaced by a young Aussie hunk - much to the dismay of loyal Ken fans (Vanessa Farquharson, National Post, July 5th, 2004)

When a fortysomething celebrity in Malibu splits with her long-time hubby and rebounds with a younger man, people take notice. Especially when that celebrity is Barbie.

The popular Mattel doll, who called it quits with Ken in February, has found a replacement, with the help of her fans. Over the past few weeks, more than two million people worldwide logged on to Barbie.com to help their favourite doll choose a new beau.

His name is Blaine, and as Barbie has always been up for fads like Internet matchmaking, she decided to go along with it. The older brother of Barbie's friend Summer, Blaine is a well-priced (US$14.99) Aussie hunk who plans to appear in toy stores next month. In the meantime, he'll be chilling out with Barbie on the beach and cruising in her new Chevy SSR.

"This Australian cutie is smart, charming, and the most awesome surfer," reads the Mattel Web site. "They're gonna have the raddest times together!" Blaine likes "hanging out" in muscle T-shirts and munching on chili dogs, and his favourite saying is "Dare me?" Despite this, the toy company boasts that he possesses a "mature character" and "worldly, seasoned surfing style." He is especially well-suited to Barbie in her latest incarnation, Cali Girl.

You know you are getting old when you start fretting about the wrong messages this kind of thing sends to the young.