1959 : Barbie makes her debut
On this day in 1959, the first Barbie doll goes on display at the
American Toy Fair in New York City.
Eleven inches tall, with a waterfall of blond hair, Barbie was the
first mass-produced toy doll in the United States with adult features.
The woman behind Barbie was Ruth Handler, who co-founded Mattel, Inc.
with her husband in 1945. After seeing her young daughter ignore her
baby dolls to play make-believe with paper dolls of adult women,
Handler realized there was an important niche in the market for a toy
that allowed little girls to imagine the future.
Barbie's appearance was modeled on a doll named Lilli, based on a
German comic strip character. Originally marketed as a racy gag gift
to adult men in tobacco shops, the Lilli doll later became extremely
popular with children. Mattel bought the rights to Lilli and made its
own version, which Handler named after her daughter, Barbara. With its
sponsorship of the "Mickey Mouse Club" TV program in 1955, Mattel
became the first toy company to broadcast commercials to children.
They used this medium to promote their new toy, and by 1961, the
enormous consumer demand for the doll led Mattel to release a
boyfriend for Barbie. Handler named him Ken, after her son. Barbie's
best friend, Midge, came out in 1963; her little sister, Skipper,
debuted the following year.
Over the years, Barbie generated huge sales--and a lot of controversy.
On the positive side, many women saw Barbie as providing an
alternative to traditional 1950s gender roles. She has had a series of
different jobs, from airline stewardess, doctor, pilot and astronaut
to Olympic athlete and even U.S. presidential candidate. Others
thought Barbie's never-ending supply of designer outfits, cars and
"Dream Houses" encouraged kids to be materialistic. It was Barbie's
appearance that caused the most controversy, however. Her tiny waist
and enormous breasts--it was estimated that if she were a real woman,
her measurements would be 36-18-38--led many to claim that Barbie
provided little girls with an unrealistic and harmful example and
fostered negative body image.
Despite the criticism, sales of Barbie-related merchandise continued
to soar, topping 1 billion dollars annually by 1993. Since 1959, more
than 800 million dolls in the Barbie family have been sold around the
world and Barbie is now a bona fide global icon.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1959 : Barbie makes her debut
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52436
1841 : Supreme Court rules on Amistad mutiny
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4819
1847 : U.S. forces land at Vera Cruz
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4820
1862 : Battle of the Ironclads
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4821
1916 : Pancho Villa raids U.S.
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6831
1932 : China's last emperor is Japanese puppet
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4822
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On this day in 1959, the first Barbie doll goes on display at the
American Toy Fair in New York City.
Eleven inches tall, with a waterfall of blond hair, Barbie was the
first mass-produced toy doll in the United States with adult features.
The woman behind Barbie was Ruth Handler, who co-founded Mattel, Inc.
with her husband in 1945. After seeing her young daughter ignore her
baby dolls to play make-believe with paper dolls of adult women,
Handler realized there was an important niche in the market for a toy
that allowed little girls to imagine the future.
Barbie's appearance was modeled on a doll named Lilli, based on a
German comic strip character. Originally marketed as a racy gag gift
to adult men in tobacco shops, the Lilli doll later became extremely
popular with children. Mattel bought the rights to Lilli and made its
own version, which Handler named after her daughter, Barbara. With its
sponsorship of the "Mickey Mouse Club" TV program in 1955, Mattel
became the first toy company to broadcast commercials to children.
They used this medium to promote their new toy, and by 1961, the
enormous consumer demand for the doll led Mattel to release a
boyfriend for Barbie. Handler named him Ken, after her son. Barbie's
best friend, Midge, came out in 1963; her little sister, Skipper,
debuted the following year.
Over the years, Barbie generated huge sales--and a lot of controversy.
On the positive side, many women saw Barbie as providing an
alternative to traditional 1950s gender roles. She has had a series of
different jobs, from airline stewardess, doctor, pilot and astronaut
to Olympic athlete and even U.S. presidential candidate. Others
thought Barbie's never-ending supply of designer outfits, cars and
"Dream Houses" encouraged kids to be materialistic. It was Barbie's
appearance that caused the most controversy, however. Her tiny waist
and enormous breasts--it was estimated that if she were a real woman,
her measurements would be 36-18-38--led many to claim that Barbie
provided little girls with an unrealistic and harmful example and
fostered negative body image.
Despite the criticism, sales of Barbie-related merchandise continued
to soar, topping 1 billion dollars annually by 1993. Since 1959, more
than 800 million dolls in the Barbie family have been sold around the
world and Barbie is now a bona fide global icon.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1959 : Barbie makes her debut
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52436
1841 : Supreme Court rules on Amistad mutiny
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4819
1847 : U.S. forces land at Vera Cruz
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4820
1862 : Battle of the Ironclads
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4821
1916 : Pancho Villa raids U.S.
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6831
1932 : China's last emperor is Japanese puppet
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4822
#########################################
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