In honor of Barbie Day here are some favorites from my collection. #barbie #barbieday #barbiecollector Ruth Handler and her daughter collected dolls from all over Eueope. They loved all the beautiful costumes the dolls came in but were not fond of the fact that you had to buy a whole doll to get a new costume. In 1959, Handler came across the Bild Lili dols. Bild Lilli was a German fashion doll launched on August 12, 1955 and produced until 1964. Its design was based on the risque comic-strip character Lilli, created by Reinhard Beuthien for the German tabloid newspaper Bild. The Bild Lili doll was made of polystyrene, came in two sizes, and had an available wardrobe of 1950s fashion. Handler bought three and headed back to the US where she handed the dolls off to the Mattel design team. The Lilli doll was copied, and altered to some degree, under Handler's direction. Mattel acquired the rights to Bild Lilli in 1964, and production of the German doll ceased, in favor of Mattel's new vinyl doll which they called Barbie. The Barbie doll was launched and an American icon born. Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts (named for Handler's daughter), and she came with a full array of accessories. While toymakers mass-produced toys for years, before Barbie, none of them had adult features. Barbie’s adult features made the toy a first of its kind. Interestingly, Barbie’s marketing strategy relied on television advertising. For example, Barbie was the sole sponsor of the Mickey Mouse Club, marketing directly to children. At the time, the approach was unique. Estimates place over a billion Barbie dolls have been sold worldwide in over 150 countries. On a side note, Ken (Barbie’s boyfriend) was named for Handler's son (ewwww). No wonder Ken was not anatomically correct. 😉 https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca4acZQMEwM/?utm_medium=tumblr
