Can you believe that it was 55 years ago today that the first Barbie Doll was displayed at the American Toy Fair in New York City? She was eleven inches tall and had blond hair.
Barbie was the first mass-produced toy doll in the U.S. with adult features. Ruth Handler, a co-founder of Mattel, Inc., was the women behind Barbie. She thought that there was a market for toys that allowed young girls to imagine the future. She came up with a doll and named it after her daughter, Barbara.
Of course she was criticized for the doll design. It was estimated that if she were a real woman, her measurements would be 36-18-38 and that was just too sexy and that it would give young girls an unrealistic and harmful example and would foster a negative body image of themselves. Even with all criticism, sales topped a billion dollars annually by 1993. Since 1959, more than 800,000,000 (that is over eight hundred million, almost a billion) dolls in the Barbie family have been sold around the world. Dang, I didn't have one. I feel left out (grin). Now, go play with your Barbie, or not, and have a great day, you hear?
My daughter was born in 1963 and grew up with Barbie Dolls. I sewed and knit clothes for the doll.. sometimes I'd make my daughter and her Barbie Doll dresses alike. I don't think having a Barbie Doll warped Donna's mind as to what a woman should look like or be like. However... I do think her two daughters had American Girl Dolls, not Barbies. We'll see what my great-granddaughter wants in a year or so.
ReplyDeleteMy wife likes to sew and crochet and would have loved to have had a daughter or granddaughter to make clothes for or for their dolls. Oh well, maybe there will be great granddaughters. We only have one grandson.
DeleteMy granddaughters want the "princess" dolls now - Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine, etc. Personally I think they are a big waste of money, but then I grew up in an era when I got one baby doll at Christmas until I outgrew them. It sure is a different world today with the idea that if one is good then ten are better. This goes for both girls and boys toys.
ReplyDeleteIt seems now-a-days quantity is better than quality. Trouble was, I took very good care of my toys and they were all in perfect shape and back in the boxes. That is until my sons got hold of them. They didn't last long after that.
DeleteThe daughters would leave a bathtub full of headless Barbies in the tub, it was always odd... that's what I think about when someone talks about Barbies.
ReplyDelete55 years! Wow!
Maybe they figured if they took the heads off, they wouldn't drown. . .
DeleteDidn't you have the GI Joe's? Or Tonto? My boys did. OOO Yeah,, Evel Kneivel!!! Only toy they never were able to break. lol. TOUGH!
ReplyDeleteI had a teddy bear and toy soldiers. Remember, I was born way back when WW2 was still going on. There was no Evel Kneivel or GI Joe. I was already married with our first child when GI Joe came out for sell.
DeleteSry, meant to say, your boys. Not us,, like you, we had little cowboys, indians, horses, and sure enjoyed them.
DeleteWhen I was 10, everyone had a Barbie doll but me. We couldn't afford one, but mom found me a Suzette doll. Even at the time, it never occurred to me to notice any difference between butt, boob, or waste. I think the inmates are in charge of too many regulations now and can't even leave a doll alone.
ReplyDeleteActually lotta joy, I think if they inmates where allowed to be in charge instead of the "powers that be", it would be a better world.
DeleteMy oldest daughter played some with Barbie but my other girls had them but never cared much for them. One was into stuffed animals and the other is an actress--she stars in each and every day of her life. (doesn't share the stage, not even for an icon)
ReplyDeleteI was an only child and after getting married, my wife and I had two sons. There were few dolls in my life. Then, for awhile, my wife got into collecting dolls for awhile.
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