On July 24 , 1952 , a sonsy thunderclap refer Lilli graced the pages of the German tabloid Bild Zeitung for the first time . Created by cartoonist Reinhard Beuthien , Lilli was worldly , single and in search of a plenteous fellow .
Think of her as a modern , working girl version of Scarlett O’Hara in " Gone with the Wind . " Deprivations brought on byWorld War IIhad worn down her spirit , except for a determination to be amply ply for . Passion of Christ no longer motivated dating ; she was but on a quest for the moneyed suitor . Lilli was , in short , a gold digger – and an attractive one at that . With Admiralty mile - farseeing leg , a generous bustline and scant clothing , Lilli charmed the magazine ’s largely male readership . In fact , her brassy personality and pinup figure wooed man so efficaciously that the cartoon Lilli was transform into a doll in 1955 .
The Lilli doll , which came in 7 - column inch ( 17 - centimetre ) and 11 - column inch ( 27 - centimetre ) sizes , was n’t marketed to little girls – it was intended for adult men . At that meter , girls played with babe doll and prepubescent - shaped style dolls . Lilli , on the other helping hand , had big , thickly describe eye that gazed suggestively to the side . Her crimson lips ruck up slightly with a coquettish pout . fend in disastrous spike heels , Lilli ’s impossibly petite feet supported a decided hourglass frame .
With advertising taglines such as , " Whether more or less defenseless , Lilli is always circumspect , " and a wardrobe consist of negligees , tiny top and tight gasp , Lilli doll were essentiallysextoys . citizenry chip in them as bachelor gifts , some human being depend on around with Lilli on their dashboards , and others buy them just for the cheap boot out of peeping under her alluring ensembles [ germ : Lord ] .
But when an American woman appoint Ruth Handler spot a Lilli bird in a store while vacation in Switzerland , she did n’t see it as a prurient gewgaw . Instead , she thought it would be the perfect miniature for her girl , Barbara . Handler had observed Barbara and her girlfriend playing with theme dolls that depict adolescent girls or adult fair sex . To Handler , that was their way of practicing for adulthood . Yet , aside from the two - dimensional paper dolls , no other dolls available in storage portrayed the matured distaff body . For that reason , she bought two Lilli dame for Barbara during that Switzerland tripper in 1956 – and one for herself .
From Gold Digger to Money Maker: The Creation of Barbie
By the time Ruth Handler take on the Lilli doll on her vacation in Switzerland , the toy company that she and her husband founded –Mattel– had started turning a profit . As Mattel grew at the turn of the C , the United States get in the post - worldwide War II economical boom that fuel widespread consumerism . For the first meter , moms and dad were n’t the only shoppers who adman targeted . Thanks totelevisionand the launch of the Mickey Mouse Show in 1955 , children became a new market place and origin of revenue [ origin : Lord ] . If youngsters assure a new toy on television , they ’d nag their parents into buying it for them . The Handlers usurp upon this novel chance as a chance to expand Mattel ’s stake in the toy industry .
Ruth Handler planned to bug into that emerging child consumerism with the extra Lilli doll she bring back stateside . With Lilli as her muse , Handler convert her hubby and the all - manlike conception team at Mattel to travel along her atomic number 82 in filling the empty securities industry ecological niche for a more mature distaff wench . Mattel set about craft Handler ’s dreaming doll by 1957 . They hold Lilli ’s universal figure but scrubbed off some of her makeup , unstrain her smile and used mild vinyl alternatively of hard charge plate to retrace her .
Fashion designer Charlotte Johnson was hired to create a tasteful , yet chic , wardrobe for Mattel ’s new doll . This was where maintain Lilli ’s extreme hourglass shape was a necessity . Johnson was working with the same character of thick fabrics that were used in garment - making , so the dame had to have an unrealistically narrow shank and large bust ; otherwise , the proportional heaviness of the garments would bulk up the doll and make it appear shapeless [ source : Rand ] .
The 11.5 - in ( 29 - centimetre ) final product that debut at the 1959 New York Toy Fair did n’t bet drastically different from Lilli . Sporting a black - and - clean - stripy swimsuit , open - toed stiletto and amber ring earrings , it had Lilli ’s racy curves but a more demure stylus . name in honor of Handler ’s daughter , Barbara , Mattel called the new doll Barbie .
Everyone knows the rest of Barbie ’s history : She made scores of friends and became the most popular plaything in history . But Barbie did n’t receive a strong welcome at the New York Toy Fair . And before she hit the stores , Mattel had to figure out how to deal such a womanly wench to suspicious mother .
Barbie Rules the World
The opinion of having a doll with prominent breasts in the nursing home disturbed some mothers . Barbie ’s mature body seemed borderline pornographic and potentially damaging to young girls ' psyches ( an argument that continues to sizzle in today ’s culture ) . After all , if the original Barbie were a person , her measurements would be 38 - 18 - 34 . In order for Mattel to popularize Barbie , the company had to advertise in a strategic way that would allay concerned mothers ' fears .
Over the course of six months , an advertising guru named Ernest Dichter studied the response of girl and their mothers to Barbie . From his extensive research , Dichter conclude that instead of attempting to palliate Barbie ’s matured qualities , Mattel should emphasise them . Since Barbie was well - dressed and attractive , mothers ought to consider her a tool for instruct their daughters about the grandness of show and femininity . While some women would later take Barbie to task for bring such lesson , the advertising maneuver work in the 1960s .
Barbie ’s on - and - off boyfriend Ken hit stores a few years later on in 1961 . Ironically , Ken is named for Ruth Handler ’s Word , which create the real - life story " Barbie " and " Ken " siblings . ( Maybe that ’s why the two have nevermarriedor had a babe . )
The doll undergo a important makeover in 1971 with the liberation of Malibu Barbie . For the first sentence , Barbie ’s eyes looked straight onward , rather than to the side , like Lilli ’s . She traded her honey - dark-brown locks for platinum blonde and display an undefended - mouthed smile that she still wears today . Since 1959 , Barbie has also moved far beyond the career ambitions of a adolescent mode poser . She ’s held down more than 80 jobs , including paleontologist , astronaut , McDonald ’s teller andpresident .
During her pink - hued reign , Mattel reckon that an average of two Barbies was sold every second across the man . Sales have slacken off a bit in late twelvemonth as girl opt for more electronic and interactive plaything . Since the first official Barbie convening in 1980 , Barbie collecting has remain a full-bodied niche . Rare and modified variation bird , such as the Dolls of the World collectable , can trade for thousands of dollars .
