Everyone knows of her. There’s probably not one woman who didn’t play with one as a little girl. And there’s probably not one boy who didn’t pull the head off one of them.

And we all know the song that made corporate representatives of Mattel Inc.’s hair stand on end.

That’s right. It’s the fair-skinned, beautiful, long legged, big-busted Barbie doll.

For more than 50 years Barbie has been a part of American society, but now a less-busty Barbie is on the drawing boards at Mattel, according to Associated Press article.

In addition to trimming down her top heaviness, Mattel plans thicken her waist and slim her hips. Her face will also be transformed into having a new nose and softer, straighter hair.

By the end of 1998, Mattel said it hopes six of 24 versions of the doll will have the new look.

After 50 years, it’s about time Barbie got a makeover. Oprah Winfrey has been on the air for more than 11 years and she’s had numerous makeovers.

Because Barbie is supposed to represent the American woman, her body proportions should also be realistic.

Through the years, Barbie has been a positive role model if not physically for young girls, in an emotional sense because of her numerous careers. From Baywatch Barbie to schoolteacher Barbie, Barbie teaches young girls they can be anything they set their mind to be.

But if Barbie was real, she would probably tip over while trying to teach her kindergarten class the alphabet because of her bust size, small waist and long legs.

Change is sometimes a good thing. And it’s refreshing to see Mattel taking a chance in changing one of the most widely known dolls in the world instead of only thinking about the money in its pockets.

Toys based on fantasy like the Smurfs, Transformers and Tickle-Me-Elmo have the right to go wild, because kids know they don’t resemble real life.

But when toys resemble real people, they should look like real people.