This Day in History: 9 March 2020
9 March 1959
61 years ago, today, the Barbie doll made its debut at the American Toy Fair in New York City. Standing at eleven inches, with blonde hair, Barbie was the first toy doll to be mass-produced in the US that had adult features. The woman behind this was Ruth Handler, as after seeing her daughter ignore her baby dolls to play with paper dolls of adult women, she realised there was a gap in the market of toys that allowed girls to imagine the future. The Barbie doll was modelled after a doll named Lilli, based off of a German comic strip character, which was originally marketed as a gift for adult men in tobacco shops. However, Lilli became popular among children, and Handler bought the rights to her. She changed her into 'Barbara', named after her daughter. A boyfriend for Barbie, named Ken after Handler's son, was released in 1961, and Barbie's best friend, Midge, came out in 1963.
Over time, Barbie generated huge sales, and lots of controversy. Many women saw Barbie as providing an alternative to traditional gender toles, as she had many different jobs, being a stewardess, doctor and even a presidential candidate. However, other viewed Barbie's supply of designer outfits, cars and houses as encouraging children to be materialistic, but it was Barbie's appearance that caused the largest outcry. Her small waist and large breasts led many to believe Barbie was creating unrealistic and harmful beauty standards for girls and fostered a negative body image. Despite this, sales of Barbie merchandise continued to rise, and reached $1 billion annually by 1993. Since her release, over one billion Barbie family dolls have been sold around the world, making Barbie a global icon.
Want to find out more about Barbie through the years? Click here to read more, or here for an informational video.
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