"Elly May Clampett" Barbie Doll's Endorsements Disputed
Donna Douglas, who played Elly May Clampett the buxom blonde with the tight fighting blue jeans on the Beverly Hillbillies TV comedy show which ran on CBS from 1962 to 1971, is suing Mattel for unauthorized use of her character for a new Barbie Doll that was recently introduced.
The suit filed in Louisiana says that packaging for the "Elly Mae" Barbie doll features a photo of Donna Douglas's character and her name and likeness, which the 77 year old former actress says she never authorized. Douglas said she never endorsed the doll or gave Mattel permission to use her name to promote the Barbie Doll that came on the market in December of 2010.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and a court order barring Mattel from using her name, likeness, image or any other endorsements for this new doll. Donna Douglas who lives in Louisiana, near Baton Rouge is asking for a jury trial to settle this matter. She continues to make public appearances and speaking engagements in connection with the show.
The Beverly Hillbillies was the most watched TV show in America, the first 2 years of its run. Donna Douglas played Elly May Clampett on all 274 episodes of the comedy show. It portrayed a poor Southern family that moved to Beverly Hills after striking oil on their land. The show is still in syndication all over the world, some 40 years later.
Douglas says Elly Mae Clampett was a slice out of her own life, and a very happy slice, also. She said Mattel has Barbie wearing the same identical shirt, jeans and rope belt that Elly May wore on the show, all without any permission whatsoever from Douglas.
The only comment from Mattel was that they went through the appropriate channels and had the rights to the "Beverly Hills" licensed. They have made other nostalgic dolls of iconic TV characters including a genie doll from "I Dream of Jeanie" and a Samantha Stevens doll from "Bewitched".
This lawsuit brings back memories from the 60's generation and the types of TV shows that many of us enjoyed watching during that time in our lives. They're a far cry from today's reality TV era.
Sources:www.msnbc.com/05/04/2011
www.cnnentertainmentnews.com/05/05/2011
The suit filed in Louisiana says that packaging for the "Elly Mae" Barbie doll features a photo of Donna Douglas's character and her name and likeness, which the 77 year old former actress says she never authorized. Douglas said she never endorsed the doll or gave Mattel permission to use her name to promote the Barbie Doll that came on the market in December of 2010.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and a court order barring Mattel from using her name, likeness, image or any other endorsements for this new doll. Donna Douglas who lives in Louisiana, near Baton Rouge is asking for a jury trial to settle this matter. She continues to make public appearances and speaking engagements in connection with the show.
The Beverly Hillbillies was the most watched TV show in America, the first 2 years of its run. Donna Douglas played Elly May Clampett on all 274 episodes of the comedy show. It portrayed a poor Southern family that moved to Beverly Hills after striking oil on their land. The show is still in syndication all over the world, some 40 years later.
Douglas says Elly Mae Clampett was a slice out of her own life, and a very happy slice, also. She said Mattel has Barbie wearing the same identical shirt, jeans and rope belt that Elly May wore on the show, all without any permission whatsoever from Douglas.
The only comment from Mattel was that they went through the appropriate channels and had the rights to the "Beverly Hills" licensed. They have made other nostalgic dolls of iconic TV characters including a genie doll from "I Dream of Jeanie" and a Samantha Stevens doll from "Bewitched".
This lawsuit brings back memories from the 60's generation and the types of TV shows that many of us enjoyed watching during that time in our lives. They're a far cry from today's reality TV era.
Sources:www.msnbc.com/05/04/2011
www.cnnentertainmentnews.com/05/05/2011
Published by Shirley Norling
I'm semi retired, living in East Central Mn. with my husband. We have 2 sons and 4 grandsons. Writing has been a hobby of mine for years and finally I now have the time to pursue it. After my sons completed... View profile
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2 Comments
Post a CommentI saw this on the news. The doll sure does look like her character, rope belt and all!
Elly Mae is 77? I can't believe it! But as for the lawsuit, I guess it comes down to whether an actress would own the rights to a character she had portrayed. Interesting.