Who was the prototype of Barbie and other interesting facts about the legendary doll

In March 1959, one of the most famous toys was released, which became a legend - a Barbie doll. Today, the doll is almost retired, she was "struck" sixty. Over the decades, she was repeatedly criticized, but nevertheless this did not prevent the toy from becoming a real pop idol, and turning Mattel into a real empire.

How did the Barbie doll

Barbie was created by the American Ruth Handler, the doll received a name in honor of her daughter Ruth. Until the 1960s, little girls were the main toys of American girls. In addition, paper dolls were popular, which looked like real girls of model appearance. Their advantage was the low price, and they had countless clothes.

One day, Ruth saw her daughter playing paper dolls with her friends, and it dawned on her. There were no toys on the market that could play adult scenes from life, and the idea came up to create Barbie. However, initially at Mattel they were very skeptical about the project, but nevertheless the doll was released and did not fail.

In addition to paper dolls, Ruth had another inspiration: at that time comics were released in Germany, one of the heroines of which was the frivolous blonde Bild Lilly. This heroine was released in Europe as a toy, though it was not created at all as a child.

It was Lilly who served as the prototype for Barbie, and Mattel employees simply finalized it. The creators of Lilly later even sued the American company, and it all ended up that Mattel bought the rights to the "German", and Bild Lilly was no longer produced from the mid-1960s.

First barbie

The first Barbie was released in 1959: she was produced by a blonde and a brunette in just one swimsuit. Clothes for the doll had to be bought separately. However, the doll was criticized, despite the fact that it was positioned as a teenage model, it looked more like an adult woman: a sly look to the side, bright makeup and red nails. As a result, the company finalized Barbie, trying to add her teenage features.

New York or Wisconsin

But creating a doll and its accessories is far from all. Barbie has her own life: she was "born" in the American Roberts family, and her full name is Barbara Millicent. Her parents, George and Margaret, had other children, so the family was large. As a child, Barbie "lived" in Wisconsin, in the small town of Willows. This is what the legend said until the 1990s, when the creators of the doll changed the story of her childhood: a new biography said that a "lady" was born in New York.

Ruth Handler and her dolls

Ken was released in 1961, and from the moment they met (58 years have passed), they have never married. In general, the doll has a huge number of friends (in 2001 there were more than thirty of them), and only one Midge is married.

Curious facts

Fact No. 1. Barbie has been repeatedly criticized for her poor influence on children and the awakening of their early sexuality. And also due to the fact that girls tend to be like a doll. Even a study was conducted in which scientists proved that girls with proportions of Barbie would have big health problems.

Fact No. 2. For several decades, Barbie was the best-selling toy: three dolls were sold every second.

Fact No. 3. Barbie is an entire empire. In addition to dolls and accessories, magazines, films, animated series are released under the brand. In the center of Taipei, for example, there is a barbecue cafe, and recently in one of the Hilton hotels opened a room in the style of Barbie.

Fact No. 4. In 1992, another Barbie was released, who can speak. And her set of phrases was very primitive. So, she said that she loved shopping, offered to have a party and constantly asked if she had enough outfits. And the toy exclaimed: "Mathematics is hard!". The doll immediately saw the propaganda of the consumer lifestyle and the imposition of outdated stereotypes.

Fact No. 5. And, probably, there is some truth in this. There are people who dream of being like a Barbie doll, and have undergone plastic surgery. Cindy Jackson is especially famous for having 52 operations to look like her idol.

Fact No. 6. But at the same time, Mattel is trying to interest children in learning and a brighter future: there are dolls for athletes, astronauts, scientists. Or is it just selling better)

Fact No. 7. Barbie has become a cultural icon, on her account such awards that are generally rare in the world of toys. So, in 1974, Times Square was renamed to Barbie Boulevard for a week, and in 2016, the exhibition dedicated to the doll was held in the Louvre. And even there is a wax figure of Barbie in the Grevin Museum in Paris, well, Barbie is the heroine of thousands of paintings by famous and not very famous artists. In 2009, in honor of her fiftieth birthday, Barbie even had a fashion show in New York.

New York Fashion Show

Fact No. 8. In many Muslim countries, this doll is prohibited. However, there are their own toys: Fulla, Jamilya and Razanne. They are very similar to the Mattel doll, but not so skaters. Accessories and clothes are also made for them, but at the same time, behind their "back" is a Muslim legend. So, Jamilya is engaged, and Full and Razanne are single girls. Usually they are released with a hijab.

Fact No. 9. According to Mattel, today there are more than one hundred thousand Barbie collectors who are willing to pay a lot of money for a toy. So, one of the first Barbie was sold for 10 thousand dollars. And initially its price in 1959 was $ 3.

Fact No. 10. And Ken was named after the Handlers' son, that is, Barbie and Ken, the most famous couple in the world, are essentially inspired by a brother and sister.

Fact No. 11. Forbes once calculated how much Barbie’s dream house costs, and it would be expensive: according to rough estimates, this is $ 16 million. It has three floors, a pool, a garage, seven rooms and an elevator.