on this day, March 9, 1959 !
It started with one sexy bathing suit in her wardrobe. On the first day of Barbie's life, she was clothed in nothing but a sexy black-and-white striped bathing suit and spike heels!
And she was marketed as a doll for girls about the age of 10 ! When Barbie made her debut at the American Toy Fair in New York City, she changed the history of toy dolls for girls.
Before Barbie, dolls were made to look like children and babies. Round tummies, big eyes, and helplessness. Since all girls were destined to be mommies, teachers, nurses or prostitutes, this made perfect sense.
...funny thing is....Barbie was a modeled after a "modern woman". She was copied from a German doll named Bild Lili. But Barbie has always been a virgin and will always remain an "official virgin", even though she's been dating Ken since 1961.
source
From wikipedia, "Reinhard Beuthien was ordered to make a "filler" to conceal a blank space in the Bild-Zeitung of June 24, 1952. He drew a cute baby, but his boss didn't like it. So he kept the face, added a ponytail and a curvy woman's body and called his creation "Lilli". She sat in a fortune-teller's tent asking: "Can't you tell me the name and address of this rich and handsome man?" The cartoon was an immediate success so Beuthien had to draw new ones each day.
Lilli was post-war, sassy and ambitious and had no reservations talking about sex."
original Bild Lilli....
source
"....their whole Barbie success was based on this German original, Mattel's legal department made sure that using the name Bild Lilli as a book title or product name would infringe copyright laws. Mattel had discreetly bought up all and any patents and copyrights to Bild Lilli, while Marx Toys held some of them after the demise of this (German) toy competitor." "Louis Marx and Company acquired the rights to the Lilli doll from O&M Hausser and released it in America as the Miss Seventeen (doll) in 1961. Marx unsuccessfully attempted to sue Mattel for patent infringement."
Today, you can find many dolls made with the Bild Lilly molds....they're usually labeled "made in Hong Kong", and they are cheaply made with thin plastic. They are, however, quite delightful, once you know the history!
Real Mattel Barbie...
source
"The full name of the first doll was Barbie Millicent Roberts, from Willows, Wisconsin. Barbie's job was that of teenage fashion model. However, the doll has been made in versions connected to over 125 different careers. "
More about Barbie's history.
let's all sing along !
Of course we all know about Barbie and the accessories.....including her many
motorhomes and camper vans!
Barbie and her vacuous lifestyle are now an ICON! a Worldwide Phenom!
She is a tabula rasa, and she is pictured, posed and chopped to make art.
etsy seller
gjarvisjewelryetc
and here's what happens....when Mom is forced to buy and buy and buy buy buy buy....Barbie again and again... When I was little, I used that bitch as a hammer and built myself a tree house.
etsy seller wildeshops
