Barbie

Barbie, the world's most famous and best-selling doll, debuted at the American International Toy Fair on March 9, 1959. The doll is produced by Mattel, inc.

The highest-selling Barbie doll in Mattel's history, Totally Hair Barbie (known as "Ultra Hair Barbie" outside the US), was released in 1992. Totally Hair Barbie featured extra-long hair, which reached from her head down to her toes.

Barbie and her accessories are manufactured to approximately 1/6th scale.

Development of the Barbie

In the 1950s Ruth Handler, "creator" of the Barbie doll, noticed that her daughter, Barbara, preferred to play with dolls that resembled adults rather than babies. At that time, most three-dimensional dolls were made to look like babies or small children; however, Barbara preferred playing with paper dolls that looked like adults. Realizing that there was a hole in the marketplace, Handler suggested the idea of a three-dimensional adult-bodied doll to her husband, Elliot Handler, a co-founder of the Mattel toy company, but the idea was scoffed at. Mattel's directors told her that it would be impossible to create such a doll.

However, during a trip to Germany with her daughter, Handler discovered a German doll named Lilli in a shop window. The adult-figured Lilli doll was exactly what Handler had had in mind, so she purchased three of them. She gave one to her daughter and took the others back to Mattel.

The Lilli doll was based on a popular character appearing in a newspaper comic strip drawn by Reinhard Beuthin for die Bild-Zeitung. Lilli was a fashionable "society girl" who knew what she wanted and wasn't above using men to get it. The Lilli doll was first sold in Germany in 1955. Although the doll was initially marketed to adult men in bars and tobacco shops, it eventually became popular with children, who enjoyed dressing her up in outfits that were available separately. The doll was so popular, she was even exported to other countries, including the United States.

At some point, Mattel acquired the rights to the Lilli doll. A new sculpt was designed (with help from engineer Jack Ryan), the concept was revamped, and the doll was given a new name: Barbie, after Handler's daughter, Barbara. The doll made its debut at the New York International American Toy Fair on March 9, 1959. (This date is also used as Barbie's official "birthday".)

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.

Ruth Handler stated that she felt it was "important to a little girl's self-esteem to play with a doll that [had] breasts", believing it would allow them role-play and imagine their future lives as adult women. However, Barbie's exaggerated proportions have always been a point of contention for her detractors. Mattel asserts that Barbie's exaggerated proportions are necessary to allow clothes to fit properly on such a small scale, but many have suggested that Barbie's unrealistic proportions may contribute to self-esteem and body image problems in young girls. Mattel has adjusted Barbie's proportions in recent years as an answer to current fashion trends, but the present Barbie doll body is still uncharacteristic of most women.

The Barbie doll is a $1.9 billion dollar a year industry. Mattel has claimed that approximately three Barbie dolls are sold every second.

Biography of Barbara Millicent Roberts

Barbie's fictional biography has developed as her sales continued. She has been given the fuller name Barbara Millicent Roberts, and a family and friends have been manufactured for her, starting with her beau Ken. Additions to the family tree include Skipper (debut 1964), twins Tutti and Todd (1966), Stacie (1992), Kelly (1995), and baby Krissy (1999). Barbie has dated Ken since 1961, and after a long estrangement was reunited with her best friend Midge in the early nineties. Other longstanding friends in Barbie's ethnically diverse social circle include Hispanic Teresa, African-American Christie and Steven (Christie's boyfriend), and the ethnically-ambiguous Kayla.

• List of Barbie's friends and family

Barbie has been said to attend Willows High School in Willows, Wisconsin and Manhattan International High School in New York City (based on the real-life Stuyvesant High School).

Barbie has thirty-eight recorded pets, including cats and dogs, horses, a panda, a lion cub, and a zebra. Barbie has used her driver's license to the fullest, with pink convertibles, trailers and more. She also has a pilot's license, and operates commercial airliners, when not serving as a stewardess.

Barbie and Ken's break-up

On February 12, 2004, just days before Valentine's, Mattel spokespeople announced the split of Barbie and Ken after 43 years of dating.

"Barbie and Ken have always been an extraordinary couple with so much on- and off-screen chemistry" said the pair's business manager, Russell Arons, Vice President Marketing, Mattel. "In fact, they just finished wrapping their fourth movie together, 'Barbie™ as The Princess and the Pauper,' which debuts this fall. And now they feel it's time to spend some quality time – apart."

A Mattel press release ended saying "Although their future is yet to be set in "cement," one thing is for certain - Barbie and Ken will always remain the best of friends."

For a time, Barbie's new beau was Blaine, a surfer from Sydney, Australia who has just moved to California. He is available in the "Cali Guy" range that accompanies the "Cali Girl" range of Barbie dolls that show Barbie with suntanned skin. [1]

On February 8, 2006, almost two years after the break-up and co-inciding with the opening of the American International Toy Fair, Mattel announced Ken has resurfaced and has caught Barbie's interest again. Since the break-up, he has traveled the world with stops in Europe and the Middle East, dabbled in Buddhism and learned to cook. His new look includes a more rugged jaw-line, softer mouth, and a more defined nose, with a wardrobe by celebrity stylist Phillip Broch which includes cargo pants, motorcycle jackets, and fitted suits with peak lapels. Mattel admits that much of the Ken narrative has been shaped by feedback from fans submitted to the Barbie website.[2]

2004 campaign for presidency

On August 12, 2004, Barbie announced she was running for the presidency of the United States, as a member of the Party of Girls. According to a Mattel press release:

Cultural effect

Barbie has often been used to promote gender equality as an example that women can "be anything". She has taken up many occupations over the years. Here are some of them:

• Olympic athlete (several dolls, including a gymnast and a figure skater)
• Paleontologist
• Doctor, dentist, nurse, and veterinarian
• Astronaut - An astronaut suit was sold for Barbie around the same time the first woman, Valentina Tereshkova, entered space.
• Fashion designer
• Model - Barbie was originally marketed as a "teen-age fashion model"
• Politician - Barbie ran for President of the United States in 1992, 2000 and again in 2004.
• Rock star - Barbie has fronted several bands, including Barbie and the Rockers and Beyond Pink.
• Firefighter
• McDonald's employee
• Tourist at Walt Disney World and Disneyland
  • See full list of Barbie's careers

However, recently Barbie's presence in in the life of an American girl has been said to be a negative influence. Many groups say that young girls may set the doll as their model, leading to issues with body image and gender role insercurities later in life.

Many designers have been given the opportunity to design clothing for Barbie. Among them are Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Bob Mackie, Nicole Miller, Christian Dior, Escada, Anne Klein, Ralph Lauren, Donatella Versace, Bill Blass and Paul Frank.

Controversies

Barbie is often looked upon as an icon of Western childhood. Her popularity ensures that her effect on the play of Western children attracts a high degree of scrutiny. The criticisms leveled at her are often based around the idea of children considering Barbie a role model and attempting to emulate her.

The Middle Eastern country of Saudi Arabia outlawed the sale of Barbie dolls on September 10, 2003 for not conforming to the ideals of Islam. In addition, Saudi authorities determined Barbie to be a Jewish doll, as her creator was of Jewish descent.

"Barbie" is sometimes used as a derogatory slang term for a person, particularly a girl or woman, who is stupid. See bimbo.

The first of Barbie's black friends, "Colored Francie," debuted in 1967, but racial tensions quickly caused this doll to be discontinued. The first African-American Barbie, "Black Barbie," appeared thirteen years later.

Physical characteristics

Barbie's height and exaggerated hourglass figure drew criticism from parents and anorexia nervosa groups. If scaled into real life proportions, she would be 5 feet, 9 inches, (1.75 m) measuring 36-18-33. According to research by the University Central Hospital in Helsinki, Finland, she would lack the requisite 17 to 22 percent of body fat required to menstruate. [3]

According to research the by Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders, a healthy woman would have to have her neck elongated by 3.2 in. (Int J Eat Disord. 1995 Nov;18(3):295-8) to match Barbie's proportions. Long necks are valued in many societies; for example, the Burmese sometimes practice neck enlongation body modification by using neck rings. These rings crush the collar bone over time to give the appearance of an elongated neck.

Barbie would be unable to stand on her feet. She would wear size 3 children's shoes, far too small to support her top-heavy frame with size-39 breasts.

Barbie's defenders say that her exaggerated proportions are necessary for her to look natural when wearing clothing.

Stereotyping

The enormous range of available accessories relating to clothes, hair, make-up, parties and looking pretty give rise to the accusation that Barbie encourages young girls to focus on shallow trivia. Her accessories reflect a lifestyle that is unobtainable for most of the girls who play with her.

This culminated in 1992 when Mattel released "Teen Talk Barbie", a talking version of the doll. It spoke a number of phrases such as, "Will we ever have enough clothes?" "I love shopping!" and, "Wanna have a pizza party?" Each doll was programmed to say four out of 270 possible phrases, so chances were good that no two dolls owned by a girl or her friends would be exactly the same. One of these 270 phrases was "Math is tough!" Although only about 1.5% of all the dolls sold said the phrase, it caused public outcry over Barbie's representation of women, and the infamous phrase quickly became a common pop culture reference.

A group of parents, feminists and other activists known as the Barbie Liberation Organization bought hundreds of Barbies and GI Joe dolls, and switched their voice circuitry. This resulted in the new modified Barbie saying, "Eat lead, Cobra!" and "Dead men tell no lies." [4]

Opposition to Barbie dolls in the Middle East has led to the sale of a Barbie-like doll called Fulla. These dolls are not produced or endorsed by Mattel but are similar in appearance and are dressed in traditional Islamic costumes such as a full length dress and headscarf. [5]

In December 2005 research published by psychologists at Bath University in England suggested that girls often mutilate their Barbie dolls in a variety of ways, including decapitation and placing the doll in a microwave oven. Dr Agnes Nairn said: "When we asked groups of junior school children about Barbie, the doll provoked rejection, hatred and violence." Dr Nairn went on to suggest that older girls rejected Barbie dolls because they were seen as an unwelcome reminder of their childhood. [6]

Responses

One of the most publicized responses happened around the turn of the century, as Barbie's waist widened to more natural proportions. Barbies of different nationalities have also been created, including African, Hispanic, Asian and Native American Barbies. Still, these Barbies are exact replicas of the original Barbie, with no individualism other than skin, hair, and eye color. Most commonly the Hispanic Teresa and African-American Christie appear as Barbie's "ethno-friend" alongside Skipper and occasionally red-head Midge, who has been around since the sixties.

Mattel also released an international collection, the Dolls Of The World, in 1980, with Barbies from different parts of the world. The dolls are dressed in more or less traditional clothes, each representing a nation. The European countries are highly over-represented but there are also Peruvian, Kenyan, Chinese, Arctic, Japanese and Australian Barbies. In 2001 The Princess Collection" was issued for instance with dolls named Princess of India, Princess of the Navajo, Princess of the Vikings. As of 2005 there are also a "Kelly: Dolls of the World" where Barbies "little sister" and two friends represent different European countries.

To counter accusations of gender stereotyping, career Barbies have been released. These include astronaut, gymnast, rapper and soldier models. She also ran for President after breaking up with Ken. [7]

Parodies and lawsuits

Many artists have referred to Barbie and her accompanying products, either as homage or as parody. The European pop-dance group Aqua released a song called "Barbie Girl" in 1997. It contained lyrics such as "You can brush my hair/Undress me everywhere" and used graphics similar to the pink Barbie logo. Mattel used this as grounds for a trademark infringement and defamation lawsuit filed on September 11, 1997. However, it was dismissed by the court as parody on May 15, 1998.

A commercial by automobile company Nissan featured dolls similar to Barbie and Ken driving in a toy car was the subject of another lawsuit on September 18, 1997 [8].

See also Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story.

Collecting

Mattel estimates that there are well over 100,000 avid Barbie collectors. Ninety-percent are women, at an average age of 40, purchasing more than 20 Barbie dolls each year. Forty-five-percent of them spend upwards of $1000 a year. While the original Barbie sold for $3.00 in 1959, a mint boxed Barbie from 1959 sold for $3552.50 on eBay in October 2004. [9]

Related merchandise

Books about Barbie first emerged in the 1960s. In the mid-1990s, a new line of novels about Barbie appeared. This new series showcased Barbie's adventurous exploits. In the late 1980s, Barbie had two videos, Barbie and the Rockers and Barbie and the Sensations. By the late-1990s, Mattel had moved to featuring her in interactive 3D video games for both gaming consoles and personal computers. In recent years, she has taken the computer animated movie industry by storm, guest appearing in Toy Story 2, and later her own direct-to-video movies, Barbie in the Nutcracker, Barbie as Rapunzel, Barbie of Swan Lake, Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper, Barbie:Fairytopia, and Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus, all of which were accompanied by small product lines, including dolls. Though not feature length, they are fairly abundant in plot.

Terminology

Collector Edition - Dolls designed specifically for collectors aged 14 and over. Collector Edition dolls usually come in showcase packaging, with a stand and a certificate of authenticity.

Customized - Dolls designed exclusively for specific retail stores are referred to as "customized".

Limited Edition - Collector Edition dolls produced in limited quantities worldwide, which are often available only from specific retailers. These dolls generally feature higher-quality materials and construction than non-limited dolls.

OSS - Stands for "original swimsuit". Denotes a doll that is still dressed in the swimsuit it originally came in.

Ponytail - Barbie's first hairstyle consisted of a top-knot ponytail with tightly-curled bangs. Dolls with this hairstyle are referred to by collectors as the "ponytail" dolls. Early Barbie dolls are organized into five major groups based on various physical characterstics that can be used to determine when a particular doll was manufactured. The major categories are denoted by numbers:

Timeless Treasures™ - A Collector Edition line featuring celebrity and character dolls.

TNT - "Twist 'N Turn" Waist. A waist with a rotational joint, originally introduced in 1967, copyrighted in 1966. Many variations of this original design have been used.

Vintage - Dolls produced through 1972 are generally considered to be "vintage."

Modern - Dolls produced after 1972.

NRFB - Stands for "Never Removed From Box." Indicates that a doll is undisturbed in its original, un-opened packaging.

MIB - Stands for "Mint in Box." Indicates that a doll is in perfect, like-new condition, and is still housed in its original box, but the box has been opened and the doll may have been removed at some point.

A/O - "All original." Indicates that a doll is exactly as it was when it was originally left the factory, with no restoration work having been done to it.

M/C - "Mint and complete." An outfit in perfect, just-out-of-the box condition with all pieces and accessories included.

OOAK - "One of a kind." A doll that has been customized by an artist, usually by repainting and/or rerooting the hair.

Timeline

Trivia

• In Sweden, more Barbie dolls have been sold than the country's current population.
• There is a gene in the Drosophila fruit-fly called the "ken and barbie" gene (abbreviated ken). When this gene is absent, the flies form without external genitalia.
• In The Simpsons, there is a parody of Barbie called Malibu Stacy.
• Barbie doll has lots of famous friends; Mattel has produced many celebrity dolls throughout the years.
• Several years ago, it was estimated that if every Barbie ever sold were laid end to end, the dolls would circle the world seven times.
• Barbie's measurements, if she were life size, are 39-23-33.
• In December 1999 a 46-year old man from Taiwan named Chang Hsi-hsum "married" a Barbie doll in a ceremony at his local Buddhist temple, in the belief that it housed the spirit of his former wife Tsai who had killed herself twenty years previously. [15]
• Barbie appears briefly in the 1999 movie Toy Story 2 as Tour Guide Barbie and Barbie on Backpack.
• The most popular Barbie joke is as follows: A man goes into a shop to buy a Barbie doll for his daughter, looks at the various models on display and asks the shop assistant in a puzzled way: "Why is Divorced Barbie so much more expensive than the other dolls?" "That's easy, sir" replies the shop assistant, "Divorced Barbie comes with Ken's car, Ken's house, Ken's furniture..."