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50 years ago Barbie Millicent Roberts first appeared before the world of toys. Barbie,
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as everyone called her, has become one of the most successful toy in history.
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Ruth Handler watched her daughter Barbara play with paper dolls, and noticed that she
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often enjoyed giving them adult roles. At the time, most children's toy dolls were representations
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of infants. Realizing that there could be a gap in the market, Handler suggested the
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idea of an adult-bodied doll to her husband Elliot, a co-founder of the Mattel toy company.
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During a trip to Europe in 1956 Ruth Handler saw a German doll called Bild Lilli. The adult-figured
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doll was exactly what Handler had in mind, so she purchased three of them and took them
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to Mattel. The Lilli was based on a popular character appearing in a comic strip. Lilli
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was a blonde bombshell, a working girl. The Lilli doll was first sold in Germany in 1956.
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Mattel acquired the rights to the Bild Lilli in 1964 . The first Barbie doll wore a black
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and white zebra striped swimsuit and signature topknot ponytail, and was available as either
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a blonde or brunette. The doll was marketed as a "Teen-age Fashion Model," with her clothes
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created by Mattel fashion designer Charlotte Johnson. The first Barbie dolls were manufactured
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in Japan, with their clothes hand-stitched. Around three hundred and fifty thousand Barbie’s
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were sold within a year. According to Barbie's parents, the Mattel
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Company, 90% of all American girls between 3 and 10 have had at least one Barbie.
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Today, however, Barbie is facing an identity crisis. There are many rivals in market. Bratz
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dolls, for example, came to life seven years ago. They look more like today's pop stars
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with lots of makeup and miniskirts. Bratz is a challenge for Barbie, as the company
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offers a wide variety of clothing too. Indeed, sales have been going down over the
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past year, partly because of the world's economic crisis.
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Barbie still has a lot going for her. More and more doll lovers all over the globe have
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become collectors. They trade Barbies or buy them on eBay. Other look for special and rare
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Barbie dolls, like Scarlett O'Hara from "Gone with the Wind".
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On the international scene, Barbie remains number one. Although Mattel has been selling
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fewer Barbies in the United States over the past year. In January Mattel opened its first
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Barbie store in Shanghai, where girls can shop, eat or even become their own fashion
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designer. Barbie is present in the virtual world at
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Barbiegirls.com. users can play games and chat with other Barbie fans. There are Facebook
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groups and YouTube channels. Barbie has changed her image many times over
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the past decades. Originally she wore blond pony tails and had bright red lips. In the
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80s she changed to a more colourful neon look. For her 50th birthday Mattel is planning some
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big events. Fashion designers from all over the world have been called to make new clothes
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for Barbie. She is also scheduled to be a big star during a New York fashion week.
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How long will Barbie stay on as a celebrity in the world of toys. Hard to stay, but 50
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is definitely not the age to retire.
