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The toys that made us
Barbie was created by
Ruth Handler watched her daughter Barbara play with paper dolls, and noticed that she often enjoyed giving them adult roles. At the time, most children's toy dolls were representations of infants. Realizing that there could be a gap in the market, Handler suggested the idea of an adult-bodied doll to her husband Elliot, a co-founder of the Mattel
toy company. He was unenthusiastic about the idea, as were Mattel's directors.
Creators
History
During a trip to Europe in 1956 with her children Barbara and Kenneth, Ruth Handler came across a German toy doll called Bild Lilli
Upon her return to the United States, Handler redesigned the doll and the doll was given a new name, Barbie, after Handler's daughter Barbara. The doll made its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York on March 9, 1959.
This date is also used as Barbie's official birthday.
Barbie's history
Lili Doll
The adult-figured doll was exactly what Handler had in mind, so she purchased three of them. She gave one to her daughter and took the others back to Mattel. The Lilli doll was based on a popular character appearing in a comic strip drawn by Reinhard Beuthin for the newspaper Bild. Lilli was a blonde bombshell, a working girl who knew what she wanted and was not above using men to get it. The Lilli doll was first sold in Germany in 1955, and although it was initially sold to adults, it became popular with children who enjoyed dressing her up in outfits that were available separately.
Lili Doll
Barbie's Evolution
Since the release of the iconic Barbie doll in 1959, however, it has changed quite a bit, changing along with the ideals that society set for women.
Barbie's evolution
1950s
Barbie Millicent Roberts (yes, she has a full name) debuted in 1959 as a “teenage fashion model,” representing the Old Hollywood glamour of icons like Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor. She cost $3 (her outfits ranged from $1 to $5!), and 300,000 dolls were sold in the first year.
1960s
With her mod look and bubble-cut hairstyle, Barbie was the grooviest doll around. More notably, in 1969 the first black Barbie doll, Christie, was introduced by Mattel.
1970s
California vibes were the theme for the '70s, when Malibu Barbie (1971) and Malibu Christie (1973) ruled the sand and surf in chic one-pieces.
1980s
Released in 1980, “African-American” Barbie became the first black Barbie since Christie. Five years later, Day to Night Barbie was on a mission to break through the glass ceiling as a “briefcase-carrying power executive by day” who was “date-night ready by night.”
1990s
Totally Hair Barbie (1992) had blonde tresses that grazed her ankles and a neon mini that barely covered her backside. In 1999, Mattel released the Y2K-ready “Generation Girl” Barbie, who never left home without her denim jacket.
2000
Jewel Girl Barbie sported “natural-looking makeup, a more athletic physique, a bendable, flexible waist” and Barbie's first belly button! The turn of the century was huge for everyone.
2010s
Those of us who played with Barbie in the '90s never got the chance to meet Raquelle — Barbie's brunette frenemy who was always trying to steal Ken and lived in her very own dream house. As for Entrepreneur Barbie (2014), she's never without her iPhone (we can relate).
The next generation
Mattel has given Barbie a 21st-century makeover as part of its 2016 #TheDollEvolves campaign. She now comes in curvy, petite and tall frames and in a variety of skin tones and hairstyles. Her closet also got a makeover — the outfit options are endless!
Ken's evolution
Childrens wrote to the creators that Barbie needed a Boyfriend. Ken first debuted as Barbie's main man in 1961. While his hair has changed through the years those piercing blue eyes have stayed exactly the same.
1961 1978 1984 1992 2010
Barbie's philosiphy
Ruth indicated that girls projected themselves into their fantasy play with dolls. Girls want to be older girls. They could project who they wanted to be onto adult dolls they played with. So, in some ways, she may have actually helped women to start practicing other roles, besides being a mother, earlier in their life. Barbie could do anything-travel, work, or play. Girls were not trapped into one role as a mother as was the case when they played with baby dolls.
http://barbie.mattel.com/en-us/about/you-can-be-anything.html
Competition
Hasbro Fashion dolls VS Barbie
Hasbro was about to launch a fashion doll, but Mattel stoped it by launching in a record of 3 weeks the "Rocker Barbie", they made it launched it and was a success, the Barbie was the one that got the success, not the Hasbro doll.
Competition
Mattel today
Hasbro today
Bratz vs Barbie
Bratz
The Bratz dolls took 40% of market share of the dolls business within four years of the launch of these dolls, they made Barbie look for younger girls when Bratz seem to look for the older girls.
Barbie decided to launch another doll, The Flavias, to get back their market, but it didn`t worked. They were looking a way to beat the Bratz team, they found out that the designer of the dolls Bratz was working on Mattel at the moment of the Bratz launching, so Mattel decided to law suit them but at the end they didn`t won.
Bratz
vs
Barbie
The way Barbie was designed for
At first, Barbie was designed to look like a teenage fashion model, but then they started to make changes on her, they started to put more clothe on her, so they had to make her neck longer, make her skinnier and more.
There was a time that in the box of the Barbie a little book named "How to loose weight little book" was included, that was a shock for the society that a doll for little girls came with that message.
Moral vision
Malibu Barbie
In the 70's they launched the day to day glamour Barbie and the Malibu Barbie, they had an innocent expression, eye lashes, they were beautiful.
The Malibu Barbie had a sun tan, they wanted to send the message that everybody had to have a sun tan, a healthy lifestyle, glamour.
Malibu Barbie
Changes
Not until 2016 the Barbies were all the same, in 2016 they launched tall, short, long hair, short hair, brunettes, blondes, even purple hair. They said Barbie can do anything, the girls can do anything but they dont look all the same. Not until 2016 Barbie was a prototype that nobody could be like.