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Barbie's Beginnings

© Jenna Doscher

She "taught independence...[she was] her own woman and [could] invent herself with a costume change" (Lord, 9). Barbie appeared at a time when the world was ready to welcome a new female into the limelight. America had been through two world wars and a depression, and the fifties presented a time when the public could say good-bye to Rosie the Riveter and pave the way for Barbie.

Introduced at the American Toy Fair in New York City in February of 1959, Barbie was the dream child of Ruth and Elliot Handler (founders of Mattel Toys). During a trip to Europe, Ms. Handler discovered a German doll named Lili. Modeled after the almost pornographic caricature in the comic strips of Das Bild (a German tabloid similar to the likes of The Inquirer), Lili was created to delight the male sensitivities. This blond bombshell was sold in tobacconists and bars and had two outfits: the naughty-girl tight leggings and bare midriff look and the "innocent" baby doll lingerie.

Meanwhile, Mattel was enjoying their success as a leading maker of action toys for boys, but with a new doll they could even the playing field. After purchasing the rights to Lili, Mattel began the transformation of the blond sexpot into the brunette all-American Barbie. But there were still concerns surrounding the American public's acceptance of a doll with a woman's figure.

At her debut, Barbie received mixed reviews. Some thought her black-and-white swimsuit was too scary and sleazy. The heavy facial paint and the almond-shaped head were quite a contrast to the baby-faced dolls of the time (like the Madame Alexander dolls). But according to M.G. Lord in Forever Barbie, some people viewed Barbie as "sunshine, Tomorrowland, the future made plastic" (43). And when put on the market, Barbie set several unparalleled sales records.

Barbie became the maven of style. She possessed everything Mattel thought little girls "should" want to strive for: fame, money and great clothes. Of course they didn't stop there. Backed by popular demand, Mattel introduced Ken (Barbie's beau) in 1961. The dolls even had matching outfits for the beach, frat parties and picnics. With Barbie and Ken, Mattel had developed the "quintessence of wholesome activity blended with elegant and youthful physiques and high fashion style" (Billy Boy, 56).

In the beginning, Mattel was against introducing Ken to the market because male dolls, traditionally, had not sold well. But the public spoke and Ken was a hit. Then Mattel introduced two new dolls in 1963 and 1964 to counteract criticism of Barbie as a sex symbol: Barbie's best friend, Midge, and Barbie's little sister, Skipper. The dolls had fuller figures and perhaps grounded the perfect Barbie.

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