The iconic Barbie doll was conceived and designed by Ruth Handler, an American woman, who hit upon the idea while watching her daughter playing with infant modeled dolls. Children often gave their dolls adult roles; she quickly suggested to her husband, a co-founder of Mattel, the concept of an adult-bodied doll. On a trip Germany , Ruth chanced upon a doll called Set Bild Lili, which was like the doll she had in mind Lili was a doll designed for adults but Ruth noticed that little girls loved her. Ruth made his doll and called her Barbara, Caylah, Millicent Roberts, and finally settled on Barbie.
The doll was presented to the American International Toy Fair in New York on March 9, 1959, the date which became Barbie's birthday. Mattel bought Bild Lili doll rights and stopped its production, so Barbie was the only one in the market with a adult body. The first Barbie version wore a black and white zebra striped dress, a ponytail and was either blonde or brunette. Her clothes were designed by a fashion designer, Charlotte Johnson, in order to attract the little girls.
During the first year, Barbie was a resounding success: 350,000 copies were sold. This success was due to the baby boom, the explosion of teenagers and the visibility of these young people. The toy industry was growing to new heights and Barbie succeeded in capturing the heart of little girls.
Tags: Birth of Barbie, Ruth Handler, Mattel Toys
[...] She quickly suggested to her husband, co-founder of Mattel an adult-bodied doll. Ruth went to Germany and then saw a doll called Bild Lili, the doll that Ruth had in mind. Lili was a doll designed for adults but Ruth noticed that little girls loved her. Once the doll was made Ruth and Barbara called it Caylah, Millicent Roberts, Barbie. The doll was presented to the American International Toy Fair in New York on March the date which became Barbie's birthday. [...]
[...] The proportions of Barbie rules, over the resemblance. Barbie has now become a real icon, a symbol of fashion and sometimes an object of collection, and dedicated to adult Old Barbie are now very rare so they have become objects of collection. But Mattel also produced limited exemplars of some Barbie, that are called collection Barbie. For example, it existed as a Barbie in Porcelain (Fabergé, a special Barbie for the 50th anniversary (costs 60$). Moreover, famous couturier created dresses for Barbie, like for example Donatella Versace, Christian Dior or Yves-Saint Laurent (between 200 and 300$). [...]
[...] At the same time, Barbie started driving a car, and she started practicing a lot of jobs and hobbies. It was the birth of a modern woman. Barbie changed in a few years after her birth: her cheeks, her smile, her body. Ken; barbie's boy freind also changed. What is interesting is that Barbie and her friends evolved with the function of the time and fashion. For example, Ken's face and hair changed with the period. Barbie wasn't the only doll commercialized. [...]
[...] The word Barbie has come to be used as a slang term for a girl or woman who is considered shallow, most notably in the 1997 pop song Barbie Girl. So it exist many contests that denounce the perverse effect of Barbie on little girls, and even in the society in general. However, some doctors say it is important for little girls to play with dolls looking like adults because it helps them to grow up, to maturate and to socialize. [...]
[...] But Barbie has a new strong competitor: the Bratz. Was created in June 2001. In 2004, the figures showed that in the UK Bratz Dolls were outselling Barbie. Girls identify themselves to their dolls, and now they want to be women. Barbie was the friend, the confidante, whereas Bratz represent the adult world, with fashion; their body represented the actual criteria to be sexy, and they were more made up than Barbie. Moreover, they were like the Manga characters, because of their big head and eyes. [...]
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