Here's a bit of news for the old school Barbie fans out there. Does anyone remember the Beverly Hillbillies show? There was a Barbie doll made to resemble the actress that played Elly May Clampett on the show. Her name is Donna Douglass. According to the reports, Mattel the makers of Barbie and CBS Corporation claimed to have exclusive rights to the distribution and seller rights of the doll. The Elly Barbie looks just like Douglass' Beverly Hillbillies character. The show which ran for approximately 11 years, from 1961 to 1972 was very popular. It was later adapted into a movie of the same name.

In the lawsuit, Douglass sought damages from Mattel and CBS for using her name, likeness and image without her permission. According to documents she was requesting to receive a minimum of at least $75,000 in damages. Now I'm quite sure that she was awarded quite more than that paltry sum, considering how popular the show and her character were.  My question is why did she wait so long to sue? Donna Douglass is now 78 years old and the Beverly Hillbillies show was out during the sixties and seventies.

Why would she wait over three decades to seek compensation? And why did she only seek to receive a minimum of $75,000? Well whatever her reasons are, I am glad she received justice and was finally paid for the Elly May Barbie doll. It is a considered a collector's item by many and the dolls themselves are probably worth a small fortune now.