Ambiguous Linden Lab policies responsible for closure says content creator

Zoe Llewelyn, owner of the child-safe, PG roleplay region and business Dolltopia has had to regretfully close Dolltopia (the region, and the business) due to the risks inherent in what she sees as unwritten and unclear policies from Linden Lab's Governance and Community Development teams.

Llewelyn's Dolltopia hearkens to an age of innocent fantasy, and talking, living dolls that so very much partake of the memories of our youths - that many of us still take pleasure in experiencing on television, video and in cinemas with our own children and grandchildren.

You know you're old when you see something like this and recall with fondness the heady days of torching your little cousin's Barbie with a lighter held in the kung fu grip of a GI Joe. Well, she's beyond all harm now that she's virtual. To regain some of the audience lost to the Bratz line of girls' dolls, Mattel is launching BarbieGirls.com.

Malls, parlors, and pet stores are what await the Barbie afficionado online, where users will be able to create an avatar to hang out with friends. The site is still under construction, so we'll have to wait to see if Mattel's gamble pays off. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of the Barbie line of toys, and this isn't the place to get into a discussion of their long-term effects, but surely they're slightly better role models than the blinged-out, attitude-laden Britneys of tomorrow represented by Bratz. Oops, so much for journalistic reserve!

[NOTE: For those who find all the above text a little bit difficult to read. We don't have anything to do with BarbieGirls. If you have questions or comments about it, you're in the wrong place]