A company spokesman said the new dolls were to be released soon. The aim of these dolls is to negate the stereotype that blondes are numerophobic, computer-illiterate, and academically challenged.

The new line of Barbie dolls comes equipped with Barbie's very own server as well as multi-platform capabilities. The Barbie clothing includes a t-shirt and a pair of well-worn jeans. Accessories include a Casio all-purpose watch, and glasses with lenses thick enough to set ants on fire.

The new Barbie has the incredible ability to stare at the screen without blinking her eyes and to go without eating or drinking for 16 hours straight. Her vocabulary mainly consists of technical terms such as "What's your e-mail address ?", "I love Liquid Audio formats !", "Bummer !  Your kernel must have gotten trashed.", "Can't you grep that file ?", and "Linux is totally awesome !"

"We are very excited about this product." said Ken Olsen, Marketing Executive. "And we hope that the Hacker Barbie will offset the poor public relations image incurred by the mathophobic Barbie." (A year ago, Mattel released Barbie dolls that said, "Math is hard", and a condescending companion Ken.)

The Hacker Barbie's Ken is an incompetent and overpaid upper management level consultant, who frequently requests help from Barbie when no one is listening. Ken is often totally helpless in resolving even the most common computer errors when she's not around.

Leading feminists are equally excited about this new line of Barbie dolls. A N.O.W. Spokeswoman said, "I believe that these new dolls will finally terminate the notion that women are inherently inferior when it comes to mathematics and the sciences. However, I feel that Ken's hierarchical superiority would simply reinforce the patriarchy and oppress the masses."

Mattel had no comment regarding the N.O.W. Spokeswoman's statement .

Parents, however, are worried that they will fall behind their children technologically when the Hacker Barbie comes out. "My daughter Jenny played with the prototype Hacker Barbie for two days." says Mrs. Mary Jane Beth Carlson of rural Oxford, Mississippi. "Now she pays my credit card bill on-line. Got no idea how she does it, but she surely does it. I just don't wanna be looked upon as some dumb Mama."

Mattel said it will be offering free training courses to the parents of those young ladies who purchase the Hacker Barbie.

The future Hacker Barbie will include several variations to deal with the complex aspects of Barbie. "Hacker Barbie in Jail" will teach computer ethics to youngsters, while "Barbie Plays Doom" will serve as an introduction to the real world's chaos, despair and havoc.

Possibilities are unlimited with this new concept for Barbie dolls. Perhaps shortly there will be a "Help Desk Barbie", "MIS Barbie" or even "Tech Support Barbie" to offset the somewhat negative connotation of the word "Hacker".

Of course, should any young lady purchase all three, be prepared for a power struggle in your home as the Barbies vie for attention, authority pay raises and budget increases -- to say nothing of upgrade demands.