Since 1959, over one billion dolls in the Barbie family have been sold around the world and Barbie is now a bona fide global icon. Her tiny waist and enormous breasts–it was estimated that if she were a real woman, her measurements would be 36-18-38–led many to claim that Barbie provided little girls with an unrealistic and harmful example and fostered negative body image.ĭespite the criticism, sales of Barbie-related merchandise continued to soar, topping 1 billion dollars annually by 1993. It was Barbie’s appearance that caused the most controversy, however. Others thought Barbie’s never-ending supply of designer outfits, cars and “Dream Houses” encouraged kids to be materialistic. She has had a series of different jobs, from airline stewardess, doctor, pilot and astronaut to Olympic athlete and even U.S. On the positive side, many women saw Barbie as providing an alternative to traditional 1950s gender roles. Over the years, Barbie generated huge sales-and a lot of controversy. Barbie’s best friend, Midge, came out in 1963 her little sister, Skipper, debuted the following year. They used this medium to promote their new toy, and by 1961, the enormous consumer demand for the doll led Mattel to release a boyfriend for Barbie. With its sponsorship of the “Mickey Mouse Club” TV program in 1955, Mattel became the first toy company to broadcast commercials to children. Mattel bought the rights to Lilli and made its own version, which Handler named after her daughter, Barbara. Born in Germany in 1952, the inspiration for America’s most famous doll was a saucy high-end. Originally marketed as a racy gag gift to adult men in tobacco shops, the Lilli doll later became extremely popular with children. The precursor to the Barbie doll was not meant for children. After seeing her young daughter ignore her baby dolls to play make-believe with paper dolls of adult women, Handler realized there was an important niche in the market for a toy that allowed little girls to imagine the future.īarbie’s appearance was modeled on a doll named Lilli, based on a German comic strip character. The woman behind Barbie was Ruth Handler, who co-founded Mattel, Inc. On March 9, 1959, the first Barbie doll goes on display at the American Toy Fair in New York City.Įleven inches tall, with a waterfall of blond hair, Barbie was the first mass-produced toy doll in the United States with adult features.
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