The History of Barbie

toybox — Sat, 01 May 2010 22:42:16 +0000

In March, 1959, Barbie was invented by a businesswoman named Ruth Handler for Mattel. She mentioned the idea of an adult doll to her husband, co-founder of Mattel. She was watching her daughter giving her paper doll adult roles and thought it would be a good idea since all the toy dolls were represented as infants. Her husband, as well as the directors showed little enthusiasm about the idea
During a trip to Europe with her children, Barbara and Kenneth, Handler came across a German doll named Bild Lillie and she bought three of them. When she returned to the U. S., Handler worked on redesigning the doll and giving her a new name, Barbie, named after her daughter, Barbara.
On March 9, 1959, at the American International Fair in New York, Barbie made her debut. This would be officially Barbie's birthday. The doll wore a black and white striped bathing suit with either a blonde or brunette ponytail. A few years after Barbie's debut, in 1964, Mattel acquired the rights of Bild Lillie and soon would stop production in Germany.
Due to parent's unhappiness over Barbie having breasts, Handler believed that it was important for Barbie to have an adult appearance, and in 1971, the more popular sideways look of the eyes of the original doll was changed so that Barbie would be looking forward.
Barbie exposure was based strictly on television advertising, the first doll to do so. As a result, Barbie became an instant success selling over a million dolls in 150 countries. The Barbie empire would soon branch out, creating a line of clothes and accessories.

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The History of Barbie