The creator
of Barbie was Ruth Handler, who with her husband Elliot, co-founded
Mattel, Inc. Barbie was named after the Handler’s daughter, Barbie.
Ruth Handler was inspired by three smutty Lilli dolls she picked up in
Europe in 1957. The Lilli dolls were modeled after a character in a
German comic strip. Lilli was not a baby doll like most other dolls on
the market in the 1950s. Lilli had a well developed, curvaceous body, a
tiny waistline, and wore skimpy, tight clothes. After watching her
daughter Barbie play with adult paper dolls, Ruth Handler decided to
create a doll that would “project every little girl’s dream of the
future “. Ruth sensed it was just as important for girls to imagine
what they might grow up to become as it was for them to role play what
it would be like to care for babies.
Barbie’s voluptuous figure sparked controversy from the beginning. On
a human scale, her measurements translated into 39”-21”-33”.
Despite negative responses from mothers in an early marketing study, and
amidst doubts from other Mattel executives, Mattel dutifully carried out
the request from the company’s founders and put Barbie on the market.
Barbie made her debut at the American Toy Fair in New York City in 1959.
In Barbie’s first year, Mattel sold 351,000 Barbie dolls at $3 per
doll. Thanks to Barbie, Mattel reached a new sales record, the first of
countless other sales records to come.
The first Barbie doll had black eyeliner, pearl hoop earrings, a zebra
striped bathing suit and stiletto heels. All the original clothes were
hand sewn. Other original clothes for Barbie’s wardrobe included a
casual outfit for football games, a tennis dress, a bridal gown, and a
ballerina tutu. Barbie’s fashionable wardrobe and accessories have
always been a key feature of the Barbie dolls, with outfits along the
way created by world famous designers Oscar de la Renta, Yves Saint
Laurent, Christian Dior, Valentino, Perry Ellis, Bob Mackie, Givenchy,
Versace, Dolce & Gabana, Vera Wang & Gucci. Mattel also staffs
in-house designers who create about a hundred new outfits each year for
Barbie. Over 105 million yards of fabric have reportedly been used to
produce Barbie’s clothes since 1959, making Mattel one of the largest
apparel manufacturers in the world.
In 1961, Barbie’s hard look was transformed into a softer look with
blue eyes, curved eyebrows and a Jackie Onassis hairstyle. Soon to
follow were Mod Barbie, Sun Lovin’ Malibu Barbie, Aerobics Barbie,
Yuppie Barbie, Astronaut Barbie, Dr. Barbie, Karaoke Barbie, etc., etc.
Ken, named after the Handler’s son, was introduced in 1961 as
Barbie’s “handsome steady”. It is interesting to note that Ken had
non-removable shorts. In 1963, Barbie’s best friend, Midge, was
introduced and in 1966, the first Black Barbie, Francie, was unveiled.
As for the countless other versions of Barbie and her friends, including
foreign versions and collector’s editions, it would literally take a
book to name them all.
Once Ken showed up, one group of critics banded together to form the
Barbie Liberation Organization, a group who saw Barbie as the
“embodiment of sexism”. Despite the criticisms, playing with Barbie
dolls has been credited with enhanced self-image and expanded potential
rather than the opposite. As Barbie evolved over the years, she has
tackled every conceivable profession, including doctor, dentist,
astronaut, firefighter, paleontologist, businesswoman, police officer,
olympic athlete--even Presidential candidate!
The success of the Barbie doll led Mattel to become a publicly owned
company in 1960. In 1963, the Barbie doll and other products were
test-marketed overseas. Results were so favorable that licensing
agreements were arranged in England, France, Germany, South Africa,
Italy and Mexico. Within five years, Mattel joined the ranks of
companies on the list of Fortune 500 companies (the largest companies in
the U.S.). In 1974, Mattel almost went bankrupt and the Handlers and
other Mattel executives were fired after allegations of falsifying
financial records. Ruth was indicted by a federal grand jury on
securities fraud. Fortunately, Barbie endured and is still the most
successful and enduring toy on the market. In fact, ninety percent of
all American girls in the last forty years have owned at least one
Barbie. Today, the typical American girl today between the ages of 3 and
11 now owns an average of 10 Barbie dolls; in Italy, France and Germany,
the typical collection is 5 Barbie dolls.
According to Mattel, over one billion Barbie dolls (and family members)
have been sold since 1959 in more than one hundred and forty countries.
Furthermore, Mattel sells over 1.5 million dolls each week, which is
equivalent to 215,286 dolls per day, and to two and a half dolls per
second. Finally, if every Barbie doll ever manufactured were laid end to
end, they would circle the earth more than seven times! Barbie is the
best-selling fashion doll in almost every global market, with worldwide
annual sales of $1.5 billion. The best selling Barbie doll ever created
was Totally Hair Barbie, introduced in 1992. This Barbie had hair from
the top of her head to her toes, and sold more than 10 million units,
generating worldwide sales of $100 million U.S. dollars.
Other interesting Barbie trivia:
 | All
Barbie dolls in Japan have their lips closed to prevent the teeth
from showing.
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| The
Ken doll could not be sold in India due to the tradition of arranged
marriages.
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| Barbie
has over 43 pets including 21 dogs, 12 horses, 3 ponies, 6 cats, a
parrot, a chimpanzee, a panda, a lion cub, a giraffe and a zebra.
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| Barbie
doll has had more than a billion pair of shoes and over one hundred
new additions to her wardrobe annually.
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| Barbie
CD ROMs have been the best selling children’s software titles in
1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999.
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| Barbie
celebrated her 41st anniversary in 2000.
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