HOT TIPS : `CLUELESS' GIRLS GET SMALL TO COMPETE WITH BARBIE.

Byline: Barbara De Witt 

Hey, Barbie, you're losing your edge. While you've been busy getting fitted for all those boring professional clothes - president, teacher, astronaut and veterinarian - a trio of teens from Beverly Hills have upstaged you.

The new dolls on the fashion scene are TV's ``Clueless'' characters Cher, Dionne and Amber, who come with way-cool clothes plus status-y accessories such as yellow bunny backpacks, pink sunglasses and cell phones. Mattel says the dolls will be available beginning in March.

For more fashion fun, the toy manufacturer also is introducing three games: Makeover Madness, a game in which players give Cher a makeover; Clueless Getups and Gossip 3-D Game, a board game that takes the players shopping in Beverly Hills; and Clueless CD-ROM, an interactive fashion blast that provides bubblegummers with all the ``Clueless'' essentials, from makeover advice to story-line trivia.

Trivia fest: Quick, tell Miz Hot Tips which major American city was founded with a majority African-American population? The answer is Los Angeles, which was founded in 1781 by 11 families who were mostly African-American. To get up to speed on other historical and cultural trivia, check out the new game Black Heritage Brain Quest, designed by New York educator Barbara Ellis. It's $10.95 at book and game stores.

Shopper's alert: Bloomingdale's is opening yet another store, this time at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles. The public has to wait until March 15, but $125 will get you into a snazzy sneak peek preview party on March 12. The star-studded bash (Demi Moore is the chairwoman) benefits the Pediatric AIDS Foundation. So polish up your dancin' shoes and call [phone] for reservations.

Second time around: The Queen Mary, the original love boat, is celebrating its 25th anniversary on the docks of Long Beach. In honor of the event, couples married by the ship's chaplain since 1972 are invited to renew their vows in a mega-ceremony on June 1. If this sounds like your kind of love fest, call [phone].

Cheap chic: Cleopatra arm bands are back. You know, those metal upper-arm bracelets that have snakelike designs? Miz Hot Tips spotted them for $7.99 in choice of gold or silver at Claire's in the Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks and suggests wearing them with those long, narrow spring dresses made of filmy fabrics. And don't forget the open-toed strappy sandals to complete the ensemble.

Beaks' peek: February is the month birds begin to pick a partner, so you should see plenty at today's bird walk at Soka University, 26800 W. Mulholland Highway, Calabasas. The 2:30 p.m. event is free, but you'll need binoculars, pocket-size bird guides, walking shoes and reservations. Call [phone] and study up on warblers, acorn woodpeckers, sparrows and Anna's hummingbirds. The walk will be canceled if it rains, but you could make do with ``The Birds'' and some popcorn.

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Photo: The oh-so-fab stars of ``Clueless'' have inspired a trio of dress-up dolls.