Barbie Dolls - Where Did They Come From?
Dear Santa, Please can I have a Barbie doll for Christmas?
Barbie dolls have probably been on Christmas wish lists for
several generations of girls. In fact Barbie has become a
household name for many years. Who created the first concept of
the Barbie doll?
The story started with the birth of Ruth Mosko in Denver
Colarado in 1916. Ruth married Elliot Handler in 1938. Elliot
Handler and his business partner Harold 'Matt" Matson formed the
company Mattel. The name was created by a combination of their
names 'Matt-Ell". Mattel originally manufactured picture frames,
but after making dolls furniture from scraps decided to focus on
toy manufacturing for which Mattel is now famous.
Ruth Handler noticed that her young daughter Barbara was more
interested in playing with adult dolls, than the baby dolls that
were available at that time. While traveling in Europe she saw a
German doll called 'Lilli' which she bought for her daughter.
The original 'Lilli' doll was not a children's toy, but a joke
style gift for men.
Mattel bought the marketing rights for 'Lilli'. They changed the
doll's name to Barbie, named after Ruth's daughter Barbara.
Barbie was first released for sale in the United States in 1959
and became a hot seller. Barbie's boyfriend 'Ken' was introduced
in 1960. Ken was named after Ruth's son Kenneth.
The Barbie doll was first displayed at the New York
International American Toy Fair on March 9, 1959. This date
became Barbie's official birthday .There is now a fictional
biography of the life of 'Barbie' with additional family and
friends created and sold as separate dolls.
The first Barbie doll wore a black-and-white "zebra-striped"
swimsuit and signature topknot ponytail with tightly-curled
bangs. The dolls were available either as blonds or brunettes.
In succeeding years, Barbie dolls were made available with other
hair styles and colors. The doll was marketed as a "Teen-age
Fashion Model", so many fashions were available for her as well.
Barbie's wardrobe was designed by esteemed Mattel fashion
designer Charlotte Johnson, whose inspiration came from the
fashion runways of Paris.