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Barbie luxury. The history of Barbie Dolls: how your favorite childhood toy has changed

Today we will talk about the history of the creation of the Barbie doll. Barbie is the most successful and famous doll in the world, in the history of toys. .

The history of the Barbie brand begins with the creation of the toy of the same name. Today, almost everyone knows the long-legged fair-haired doll. And this is not surprising. After all, she is the most successful doll in the history of toys. Barbie belongs to Mattel - practically the largest toy manufacturer in the world. The products of this company are distributed in at least 150 countries of the world, and in addition to Barbie, toys such as Batman, Superman and Harry Potter, which are produced under an agreement with Warner Brothers, are also quite popular.

Its creator is the American Ruth Handler, who, together with her husband Elliot, opened Mattel in 1945, the original purpose of which was to produce framed pictures. However, in post-war times, all large quantity people were eager to invest in entertainment by buying a wide variety of toys for their children. Feeling that this could be a good source of profit, the Handlers change the direction of their company and start the production of first children's dollhouses, and then also music boxes. Having signed an agreement with the Disney animation studio, they run advertisements for their toys during the showing of The Mickey Mouse Club, which makes the company unusually popular among potential buyers. In 1957, Mattel notices the fashion for the Wild West and begins to produce toy hard drives. Thanks to advertising and following new trends, Mattel is becoming more and more successful. Until he releases a Barbie doll and thereby makes a real revolution.

Ruth came up with the idea of creating this doll after she noticed that her daughter Barbara was especially eager to play with paper dolls imitating adult people. After a little thought, Ruth decides to release a toy with which the girls could fully "play as adults." The basis of the famous doll was the heroine of the German comics Lily - a femme fatale with an aspen waist and long blonde hair. She was very fond of little customers and quickly gained popularity. Named after the Handlers' daughter Barbara, the Barbie doll soon created such a craze that the company couldn't keep up with new ones to keep up with the overwhelming demand. At the same time, Mattel received its main income from the sale of not even dolls, but related products - clothes, accessories and toy houses.

The first Barbie was dark-haired and had a hairdo ponytail”; she had mother-of-pearl earrings in her ears, open heeled sandals on her feet, and she was dressed in a black and white striped swimsuit. Mattel told the country about its doll with the help of television advertising, and a hype began around the doll ... There were so many orders for Barbie that at first the company could not even satisfy the demand for the doll! The girls began to go crazy for Barbie, while the parents of many of them took the doll more than cool, believing that playing with her would not benefit the child's psyche.

But the popularity of the doll grew and grew. Barbie was not alone for long - in 1961, Barbie had a friend Ken, who was named after Ruth Handler's son. In 1963 was established best friend Barbie - Midge, and in 1964 - sister Skipper ... Now Barbie has more than a dozen relatives and friends; and her “parting” with Ken came as a shock to doll fans all over the world.

Out of the box, Barbie doll wore a ponytail (hence the corresponding image on the logo) and was dressed in a black and white swimsuit and black high-heeled sandals. All other elements of her huge wardrobe had to be bought additionally. Already in the 60s, the most famous fashion houses began to develop clothes for Barbie, and soon this doll became one of the most fashionable and sophisticated in the world. Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin and Jean Paul Gaultier come to the conclusion that sewing outfits for Barbie is no less prestigious than for Hollywood celebrities. Having acquired a wide variety of wardrobe items and a large, albeit toy, house, Barbie clearly began to demand company.

By 1961, Barbie had become the absolute best-selling fashion doll of all time. And no wonder - after all, the doll was born exactly when the social role of a woman began to be revised in the world, when the sophistication and sophistication of high fashion took possession of the minds and hearts of people ...

In the history of Barbie, there were some unpleasant moments. In 1993, the “Teen Talk” Barbie appeared on sale, saying phrases such as “Math is very difficult”, “Will we have enough clothes?”, “I like shopping”, “Let's have a pizza party!”. This doll caused a strong negative reaction from the buyers, as it formed the image of a “stupid empty girl” and taught a clearly not the best lesson in life aspirations to the girls who played with it. “Pregnant Barbie” also did not gain wide recognition in a number of countries: if earlier the claims against the doll were that she “thinks only about entertainment and clothes”, now there is a reasonable opinion that doll “birth” looks like a soulless and mechanical process , and the birth of a child does not cause a feeling of a miracle, as in life.

Having changed many outfits, houses, cars and pets, the Barbie doll eventually got into the Guinness Book of Records, and also became an exhibit of the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Despite the ongoing attacks and accusations of a negative impact on the child's psyche (girls go on a diet to somehow match the fictional image), Barbie continues to be one of the most popular dolls in the world to this day. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, this blonde beauty personifies exactly what girls want to be when they grow up. Secondly, Mattel's marketing strategy is very good, gradually expanding the world of Barbie, introducing more characters and various objects into it, and thereby fueling the passion of buyers.

World famous fashion houses do not leave Barbie unattended. Since the mid-eighties of the last century, the production of collection models of the famous doll in luxurious toilets began; In 1985, an international exhibition of Barbie dolls was held in outfits from Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Christian Dior. Barbie still demonstrates works from famous couturiers - Givenchy, Blass, Bob Mackey ... Sometimes fashion designers even make the doll itself part of the design of accessories for their collections.

Barbie's "real name" is Barbara Millicent Roberts. In the 1960s, her personal legend was that she came from the town of Willows, Wisconsin, and grew up in the family of George and Margaret Roberts. In the 1990s, Barbie's biography changed: with the release of the new "urban" series Generation Girls, Barbie was announced as a native of New York.

In 1961, Barbie "met" her "boyfriend" Ken (full name Ken Carson). They "been together" for more than forty years, although production of Ken was suspended several times. In 2004, Mattel announced that Barbie and Ken were separating. However, they "reunited" two years later. According to official legend, Barbie and Ken are not married. The only married doll in the series is Barbie's girlfriend Midge, who in 1991 "married" a "friend of Ken" named Alan and gave birth to twins. In 2013, Mattel decided to "rebrand" Midge, once again making her childless and unmarried.

Barbie cartoons

Information for free

The very first Barbie cartoon - Barbie and the Nutcracker, 2001, directed by Owen Hurley, artist Tony Poolam, starring:

Kelly Sheridan
Kirby Morrow
Tim Curry
Peter Kelamis
Christopher Gaze
Ian James Corlett
French Tickner
Kathleen Barr
Kathy Wesluck
Alex Doduk

Barbie and the Dragon
Barbie as Rapunzel, 2002 (0+)

Barbie: The Princess and the Pauper
Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper, 2004 (0+)

Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses
Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses, 2006 (0+)

Barbie and the Crystal Castle
Barbie & The Diamond Castle, 2008 (0+)

Barbie and the Three Musketeers
Barbie and the Three Musketeers, 2009 (6+)

Barbie: Little Mermaid Adventure
Barbie in a Mermaid Tale 2010 (6+)

The childhood dream of any girl is, of course, a chic and unique Barbie doll, which they look up to and strive to fit the standards of her beauty. Such a stylish, elegant and beautiful New York lady is admired even by adults. Few people know that this beauty is over 50 years old and has a whole story behind her.

The year of her birth, or rather the release, is 1959, and the place of birth is the USA, the state of Wisconsin. The full name of the doll is Barbara Millicent Roberts, which she received from her creator, Ruth Handler. During her long life, the doll tried on many images and professions, created an excellent modeling career and became a real brand in the fashion industry. Barbie also managed to visit a representative of different nationalities and cultures, become the most expensive doll in the world and enter all possible lists, both pleasant and not very. And what is she the most beautiful Barbie doll in the world, we will now find out.

Barbie - Greek Goddess

The purest and most sincere Barbie doll came out in the image Greek goddess. We are so accustomed to seeing her as a socialite that this image surprised us and captivated us with its beauty and unusualness.

beautiful bride

This stylish and elegant doll is beautiful in any way, but the outfit the bride is coming her especially. Barbie in the dress of the bride is simply amazing and dazzlingly beautiful, see for yourself she is mesmerizing.

Hollywood celebrity

Yes, a Barbie doll can also radically change its appearance and become very similar to. Only she does not make plastic, but undergoes repainting, that is, washing off the old face and applying a new drawing as conceived by the artist. See what comes out of it...

Stylish and daring

You can envy the beauty of this doll. Her sweet smile is crazy, but she also has her own character. For example, the modest Barbie can be daring, arrogant, but also elegant at the same time. Here are some photo examples...

Firestarter

The famous fashion designer Coach has created a very stylish and exclusive outfit for Barbie fashionista. In her checkered, classic Tattersall trench coat, suede skirt, striped jumper, sandals and even stylish sunglasses, brunette Barbie is simply unbeatable! A red Duffle bag completes the whole look of this beauty, because every woman knows that accessories are everything.

The most youthful and speaking

In 2016, an amazing and so far exclusive doll from the Mattel brand called HELLO BARBIE saw the light. The fact is that this very cute doll is talking. She can not only speak, but also listen and record the voice of her interlocutor.

This image of Barbie's favorite is not at all surprising, because the Statue of Liberty is a national treasure and pride for Americans, and the doll in this role is simply magnificent.

A very unusual image for the beautiful Barbie is the image of the goddess of the moon. Even in this role, the doll is very elegant and self-confident. It's like being a goddess is normal for her. Designed and created by renowned designer Bob Mackie, this beautiful doll is part of a series of dolls called Goddesses.

barbie and her friends diamonds

One of the most expensive dolls in the world is a doll from the eminent jeweler Stefano Canturi. She is precious for two reasons: firstly, her necklace is studded with pink Australian diamonds. And secondly, it was created with a very noble purpose, for charity. The breast cancer organization received the full amount from the sale of this charming blonde, and this is no less than 300 thousand dollars.

Grace and sophistication

A very bright blonde in a brilliant pink outfit will not leave anyone indifferent. After all, this is real grace and sophistication. As you know, our beauty loves this color very much and it suits her. See for yourself and admire this doll lady ...

Quite recently, the Internet has conquered a new image of a popular doll in a hijab. Muslim Barbie was created by an ordinary medical student in Nigeria named Hanefa Adam. Since the American doll was banned and not sold in Muslim countries for a long time, Adam decided to show the whole world that their clothes can also be very stylish and elegant. She buys her favorite childhood dolls that she could only dream of and dresses them in clothes that she wears herself.

The doll in the image of a successful ballerina looks very gentle and natural. It turns out that our Barbie is beautiful in any way and can do everything in the world. Look at her and her fouette - this is a divine sight ...

The most beautiful brunette

Barbie is a true perfection, no matter what her hair color, skin color, outfit or profession. We are used to seeing our beauty in the image of a gorgeous blonde, but the image of a brunette, which the doll tried on more than once, also suits her very well. See for yourself and see...

asian beauty

Over time doll famous brand began to transform into other nationalities, and so the Asian Barbie saw the light. The image, of course, is new and a little unusual, but no less beautiful and perfect.

Doll of African origin

Every self-respecting girl watches her figure. And Barbie is no exception. She can do yoga, gymnastics, skiing and even tennis. For a series of Barbie athletes, the company has developed special dolls, whose arms and legs are bent.

In conclusion, I want to talk about Barbie dolls - real queens. There is an image of a doll in the role of Marie Antoinette, the Egyptian queen, the queen of the dark forest, as well as in the image of Kate Middleton herself. As you can see, queens are different, like Barbie dolls.

It was very difficult for us to write this article, because Barbie dolls great amount and it is impossible to choose the most beautiful. But we have tried to do the impossible for you. The editors of TopCafe hope that our rating of the most beautiful dolls You like Barbie. We are also waiting for stories about your favorite dolls in the comments.

Barbie is a brand that has conquered the whole world. First created over 50 years ago, the doll is still one of the most beloved and popular children's toys. What child of the 2000s did not dream of such a toy? Is it some boy who is fascinated by cars and constructors. Over the half century of its existence, Barbie has changed hundreds of times - she was a designer, and a presidential candidate, and a scuba diver, and a chef, and a veterinarian. And each image suited her perfectly. She has come a long way - from condemnation for excessive sexuality to triumph and universal adoration. How did the famous toy change over time? Let's find out the history of Barbie doll together.

Brand history

The creator of the doll is the American Ruth Handler, who, together with her husband Elliot, opened the Mattel company in 1945, the original purpose of which was to produce framed pictures.

However, in post-war times, an increasing number of people sought to invest in entertainment, buying a wide variety of toys for their children. Feeling that this could be a good source of profit, the Handlers change the direction of their company and start the production of first children's dollhouses, and then also music boxes. Having signed an agreement with the Disney animation studio, they run advertisements for their toys during the showing of The Mickey Mouse Club, which makes the company unusually popular among potential buyers. In 1957, Mattel notices the fashion for the Wild West and begins to produce toy hard drives. Thanks to advertising and following new trends, Mattel is becoming more and more successful. Until he releases a Barbie doll and thereby makes a real revolution.

Ruth came up with the idea of creating this doll after she noticed that her daughter Barbara was especially eager to play with paper dolls imitating adult people. After a little thought, Ruth decides to release a toy with which the girls could fully "play as adults." The basis of the famous doll was the heroine of the German comics Lily - a femme fatale with an aspen waist and long blond hair. She was very fond of little customers and quickly gained popularity. Named after the Handlers' daughter Barbara, the Barbie doll soon created such a craze that the company couldn't keep up with new ones to keep up with the overwhelming demand. At the same time, Mattel received its main income from the sale of not even dolls, but related products - clothes, accessories and toy houses.

The first Barbie was dark-haired and wore a ponytail; she had mother-of-pearl earrings in her ears, open heeled sandals on her feet, and she was dressed in a black and white striped swimsuit. Mattel told the country about its doll with the help of television advertising, and a hype began around the doll ... There were so many orders for Barbie that at first the company could not even satisfy the demand for the doll! The girls began to go crazy for Barbie, while the parents of many of them took the doll more than cool, believing that playing with her would not benefit the child's psyche.

But the popularity of the doll grew and grew. Barbie was not alone for long - in 1961, Barbie had a friend Ken, who was named after Ruth Handler's son. In 1963, Barbie's best friend, Midge, was created, and in 1964, her sister Skipper ... Now Barbie has more than a dozen relatives and friends; and her "parting" with Ken came as a shock to doll fans all over the world.

Out of the box, Barbie doll wore a ponytail (hence the corresponding image on the logo) and was dressed in a black and white swimsuit and black high-heeled sandals.

All other elements of her huge wardrobe had to be bought additionally. Already in the 60s, the most famous fashion houses began to develop clothes for Barbie, and soon this doll became one of the most fashionable and sophisticated in the world. Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin and Jean Paul Gaultier come to the conclusion that sewing clothes for Barbie is no less prestigious than for Hollywood celebrities.

Having acquired a wide variety of wardrobe items and a large, albeit toy, house, Barbie clearly began to demand company.

In the history of Barbie, there were some unpleasant moments. In 1993, the "Teen Talk" Barbie appeared on sale, saying phrases such as "Math is very difficult", "Will we have enough clothes?", "I like shopping", "Let's have a pizza party!". This doll caused a strong negative reaction from the buyers, as it formed the image of a "stupid empty girl" and taught a clearly not the best lesson in life aspirations to the girls who played with it.

“Pregnant Barbie” also did not gain wide recognition in a number of countries: if earlier the claims against the doll were that she “thinks only about entertainment and clothes”, now there is a reasonable opinion that doll “birth” looks like a soulless and mechanical process , and the birth of a child does not cause a feeling of a miracle, as in life.

Biography of Barbie

The only married doll in the series is Barbie's friend Midge, who in 1991 "married" a "friend of Ken" named Alan and gave birth to twins. In 2013, Mattel decided to "rebrand" Midge, once again making her childless and unmarried.

History of Barbie doll with photo

Barbie is one of the best-selling children's toys in history, designed for girls aged 3-14. However, today you can often meet adults who collect Barbie dolls. For the first time it was released on March 9, 1959 in the USA in the state of Wisconsin. It was developed by American entrepreneurs - Elliot and Ruth Handler. The full name of this doll is Barbara Millicent Roberts.

For the first time, Barbie appeared at the sale of goods for children in the largest US city - New York. They say that the prototype of the famous doll was Build Lilly. The notorious in the 40-50s were also considered the predecessors of Barbie. paper dolls with a wide variety of clothes. Ruth said that when her daughter Barbara was little, she often played with her friends with these paper dolls, which allowed them to slightly open the door to the world of adult life, which is so interesting for every child. They imagined themselves business women, then girls, then mothers. Undoubtedly, there was a need for dolls that could show the little princesses many aspects of such an attractive adult world.

The first doll was sold for only $3. However, she was wearing nothing but a black and white striped swimsuit, the dresses were sold separately. She had golden hair in a ponytail and dark eyes. For that time, the doll looked too vulgar, so at first the buyers were vigilant about it. But very soon she became very popular among teenagers. All kinds of outfits and jewelry for Barbie began to be sold; 2 years later she "met" a boyfriend named Ken, in 1963 she had a friend - Midge and sister Skipper. Compared to the very first Barbie doll that looked like a grown woman, the Barbie of the 60s was a pretty young girl dressed in "hippie" outfits. Her circle of relatives and friends is growing more and more - younger sister Tutti, Francie's cousin, Christy's dark-haired friend and Stacy's Englishwoman. From the 60s, the long-legged beauty begins to live in the “Dream House”, and in the 70s she rides in her car. Appear a lot various kinds dolls, for example, Barbie fashion model, Barbie nurse, Barbie singer ...

In 1980, Mattel released a whole collection, including more than 20 Barbies dressed up in folk attire from different countries, which later became known as “Dolls of the World”. There are also dolls-copies of various celebrities.

The height of the doll is a little less than 30 cm. If Barbie turned into a person, then with a height of about 160 cm, her weight would be a little less than 40 kg, chest volume - 89 cm, waist - 35 cm, hips - 74 cm.

Often the desire to be like a puppet idol - a kind of "beauty standard" - leads to serious consequences, such as anorexia and bulimia. Therefore, the "parents" of the doll are often accused of the beauty of Barbie, unusual for the real world. In order to become like their favorite, girls keep a variety of diets and spend money on all kinds of surgical interventions. For example, American Cindy Jackson has done about 60 plastic surgeries and this is just to get closer to her puppet idol. In the end, only the lower lip of the woman remained natural, as a result of which the young man left her. Many were outraged by such proportions of Barbie, and the famous politician Jeff Eldridge was completely against the sale of dolls, so in 2000 Mattel decided to make changes to the proportions of Barbie.

Barbie: how it all began

The Barbie brand is currently owned by Mattel, one of the largest toy manufacturers in the world. They are represented in 150 countries around the world and produce themed toys based on Harry Potter, Batman, Superman and other Warner Brothers characters, as well as today's popular series of dolls " monster high”, “Max Steel” and others.

The first Barbie doll was released 57 years ago, in 1959, in the USA. Its creator was the American businesswoman Ruth Hendler. Her husband, Eliot, helped her promote the novelty. Together they came up with a full name for the doll that everyone knows as Barbie - in fact, her name is Barbara Millicent Roberts - the first name was given to the doll in honor of the daughter of Ruth and Eliot. Moreover, she even has a fictional biography, but more on that later.

According to Ruth, the idea to create a similar doll came to her when she watched the games of her daughter and her friends. At that time, the dolls were mostly baby dolls, which, in theory, usually just had to be nursed. But the girls were not interested in this: they cut out "adult" dolls from paper and played with them, leaving the "baby dolls" without attention. However, I think you all have a good idea of such paper dolls: these are the same dolls that could be “dressed” in various carved outfits.

Ruth realized that the little ones lacked a doll with which they could simulate situations from adult life and thus prepare themselves for it.

It should be noted that Mattel already existed at that time and produced photo frames and musical toys. The company was headed by Ruth's husband, who at first was rather skeptical about the idea of creating a new doll.

The predecessor of the future most popular doll in the world was the plastic Lilly (released in 1955), the prototype of which was the heroine of the comics from the German newspaper Die Bild Zeitung. Here she was portrayed in a pin-up style, and the plots of the comic were often built around her relationships with various young people, of which there were obscenely many.

However, this story remained with Lilly, whose image was significantly redesigned before she became Barbie. By the way, Mattel later bought the rights to Lilly - so the production of this doll forever sunk into oblivion.

Barbara's legend

According to the legend invented by the creators of the doll, Barbara was born in Wisconsin to George and Margaret Roberts. Later, Barbie's birthplace was changed to New York - this was facilitated by the release of an urban series of dolls.

Soon she meets her young man, Ken Carson (they have been produced in pairs for over forty years). In 2004, the manufacturing company announced the separation of Barbie and Ken, but two years later the relationship resumed. Barbie and Ken are not married.

Barbie success story

In 1959, Mattel introduced a new doll, which was first shown at the International Toy Fair in America. Initially, Barbie was presented in two versions - fair-haired and dark-haired. They both wore ponytails, were sold in monochrome swimsuits and white heeled sandals, and cost three dollars. At first, Barbie was not very popular: parents treated the doll with frank adult forms and bright makeup skeptical; but very soon Barbie gained unprecedented fame.

Initially, Barbie was positioned as a teenager ( Teenage Fashion Model but, as we already know, she did not look much like a teenager. In the early 60s, the doll underwent numerous changes in order to be more like a teenager. In 1961, Barbie had a young man - Ken, in 1963 - "best friend" Midge, and in 1964 - the younger sister Skipper. The design of countless outfits and accessories for dolls was developed by Charlotte Johnson, a famous American fashion designer.

For Barbie, new friends and relatives were constantly being invented. In 1967, the first African-American doll, Barbie's "cousin", Francie, went into production. In 1969, a black doll was already released as an independent non-limited model, and her name was Christy.

Many dolls were a puppet image of famous people at that time: for example, Twiggy became Barbie's friend, made in the image and likeness of the famous British supermodel; another of the characters in the world of Barbie portrayed main character TV series "Julia". By 2002, Barbie already had as many as six brothers and sisters and more than 30 girlfriends, most of whom had their own friends and young people.

Since 1960, Barbie has appeared in the “professions” series: first she and her friends become a fashion designer, then a singer, later a ballerina and a nurse, a nanny, a teacher, a flight attendant, a firefighter.

In 1965, in connection with the beginning of human space exploration, Barbie became an astronaut - this, by the way, happened twenty years before the first American woman went into space. And in 1991, the doll became a presidential candidate. A series of Barbies was also released for different countries in ethnic costumes and with various racial features.

In addition to the dolls themselves, Mattel has produced and continues to produce clothes and accessories for them (doll houses, pets, and so on). In 2001, Barbie became the heroine of a feature film ("Barbie and the Nutcracker"), which today has many sequels and prequels. In addition, in a number of countries, including Russia, a magazine for girls from 3 to 14 years old dedicated to Barbie is published or was published.

Since 1980, Mattel has been releasing the Barbie collection series. These dolls are just not made for children: the most famous designers come up with outfits, and the dolls themselves are often made according to individual original templates. So, fashion houses of Yves Saint Laurent, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Pierre Cardin sewed for Barbie. The price of such Barbies sometimes reaches unimaginable heights.

So, a Barbie doll from Stefano Canturi costs 302.5 thousand dollars: Australian designer Stefano Conturi dressed her in a magnificent black dress and hung a necklace around his neck, in the center of which a unique pink diamond flaunts; on right hand doll flaunts a ring, also equipped with a diamond. This Barbie was sold at the legendary New York Christie's auction, and the proceeds from the sale went to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Barbie: Then and Now

For many decades, Barbie was the most popular doll in the world (it is believed that about three dolls were sold per second), but over the past few years, Barbie sales have declined significantly. This is due to the fact that many new dolls have been thrown into the market and have gained popularity. So, in 2001, Bratz appeared - dolls depicting teenage girls with exorbitant big heads. Incidentally, it was with Bratz that Mattel waged a protracted legal battle: in 2006, the latter sued the former for allegedly stealing their idea. The Bratz dolls were discontinued, but in 2011 the decision was reversed and Mattel had to pay an $88 million fine for spreading the false accusations.

In 2015, ToyTalk startups developing so-called “smart toys” created a Barbie doll (called Hello Barbie) that has a built-in camera, microphone, speaker and wi-fi module for transmitting information. With the help of her equipment, Barbie can talk to a child, record his voice and improve dialogue algorithms through cloud technologies. However, many parents fear that such a toy could become an easy target for hackers and teach their children something bad. However, these fears are not unfounded: from the very beginning of sales, the company's servers have been repeatedly subjected to large-scale hacker attacks.

Mattel has experienced a change of leadership and has been in crisis for a long time. Only later, turning to the production of video games, she got out of this crisis. But still, most often her activities are associated with the production of the legendary Barbie doll.

Criticism of Barbie

Often, the doll is criticized for its too thin forms: girls, trying to be like their ideal, fall ill with anorexia and bulimia. There is even such a thing as "Barbie syndrome", which manifests itself in an obsessive desire to follow the ideals of beauty that are imposed by the media. We already wrote about Valeria Lukyanova, who did everything possible to resemble her favorite ideal since childhood.

Barbie is also accused of imposing outdated stereotypes about female behavior on girls. So, for example, a series of talking Barbies released in 1992 said, among other things, the words “Math is difficult,” which rightly outraged parents: the doll clearly encouraged girls to neglect their studies.

In many Muslim countries, Barbie is banned due to excessive frankness. However, in many of these countries there are analogues of Barbie: Fulla, Razanna and Jamila, who wear hijabs and are distinguished by more modest forms. Fulla and Razanna do not have boyfriends, while Jamila has a fiancé, Jamil, whom she later marries.

The most unusual images of Barbie

Every 3 seconds, one Barbie doll is sold in the world. Over the 58 years of her existence, she has changed many professions and images: from a blonde with a model appearance to an IT developer with a ponytail and a simple T-shirt. It seems that this is the secret of her popularity: Barbie changes with the world, and now you will see her most unusual roles.

Barbie just changed outfits and professions from year to year, and people themselves looked for a hidden meaning in her images, invented it, then they themselves protested and fought against it. For more than half a century, this amazing process took place, about which the writer Linor Goralik wrote a whole book.

Once Ruth Handler watched her daughter Barbara play with paper adult dolls, change their outfits and give them adult roles. She was tired of playing baby dolls for a long time. So the idea was born to create an "adult" doll for girls.

1. Barbie for adults

1959 The prototype of Barbie was the Heinz Frank Lilly doll, the heroine of popular German comics. According to the plot, a sexy busty blonde in pin-up style breeds money-bags "cats" for money and gifts. The doll was not originally intended for children, but was sold in tobacco shops and adult stores.

Mattel bought the rights to this doll - Lilly was no longer produced.

It is hard to believe, but then, in 1959, all suppliers refused the doll, citing the fact that there would be no demand for it. The first Barbie looked 30 years old, she had "heavy" makeup and unnatural face and body shapes. But in the retail market, the doll sold out instantly. Parents protested, and the girls were delighted.

A year later, the company slightly changed the “coloring”: lighter eyebrows were rounded, the eyeliner of the lower eyelid disappeared.

2. Barbie for gender equality

1960 The struggle of feminists in the early 60s for gender equality did not go unnoticed by manufacturers. The doll had the first profession - fashion designer. The recognizable image of Barbie, which by that time was already sold in many countries, in turn, served as a catalyst for the movement for women's rights around the world.

In total, Barbie had 80 different professions - from modeling to "male".

3. Doll "like a mother"

1961 Barbie motorist, fashion designer, singer, ballerina, nurse, teacher, stewardess, firefighter - the girls were crazy about the doll. She dressed like a mom, went to work like a mom, wore makeup and hair like a mom, and was the perfect role model. Barbie was credited with the stigma of a consumer doll, a fashion doll obsessively addicted to rags.

In fact, Ruth Handler wanted to create a doll that children could play with, dress her up, comb her hair, style her hair, fiddle in every possible way, imitate situations from adult life, and thereby instill good taste in girls. By the way, everything in Barbie's different years there were 19 types of hairstyles, and more than 75 designers came up with clothes for her.

4. Teenage pregnancy or family image

1963 Barbie has a best married friend, Midge. Once the company created a set of " A happy family”, where Midge had a false plastic belly with a baby inside, next to her grown child along with Barbie, Ken as a paramedic. It would seem that the girls were shown the image of family and motherhood. But critics also found something to complain about here: the new image of dolls encourages teenage pregnancy among young people.

5. Barbie dances the twist and turns around at the waist

1967 Due to the numerous reproaches of parents about the adulthood of Barbie, the company released a doll with a baby face. She had a blush all over her cheek, discreet makeup, a rounded oval face. The doll lasted only 3 years - it was not accepted by children who were used to seeing Barbie as an adult.

Cruise missile specialist Jack Ryan invented for her hinges so that the doll's waist rotated, elbows, knees and wrists bent - at that time the twist dance was very popular. Barbie later gets "addicted" different types sports, for example, the Barbie ballerina was specially designed to perform splits, pirouettes and other ballet steps.

6. A man is also an accessory

1968 Ken was discontinued as he was not very popular. In fact, he played the role of another Barbie pet, and critics accused Mattel of giving girls the wrong idea about gender relations.

But a year later, Ken had to be returned. As it turns out, he played a much bigger role than just a companion doll for sale. It turned out that Ken guarded the sexy and free-thinking Barbie from unnecessary questions from children and parents. In fact, he guarded the woman's reputation.

7. The first black doll

1969 During these years, there was a struggle of blacks in the United States for equal civil rights. Ruth Handler came up with a black girlfriend of Barbie - Christy. Thus, the company earned the loyalty of the African American population, and the doll itself influenced the tolerance of the views of many generations of children and adults.

8. Farewell to Lilly

1972 Until now, all Barbies have squinted to the left, like a Lilly doll from the comics. Now, Barbie has finally begun to look straight and generally look more natural. Her lips were no longer folded in a bow and her smile opened a little, her hair fell naturally, there was almost no makeup.

9. Famous smile and blue eyes

1977 Thanks to the Brady Family TV series popular in the 70s, the doll got the famous “California smile”, a round, joyful open face, an upturned nose, a girlish blush and painted eyelashes. These years saw the peak of popularity, and this face has become the most recognizable face of Barbie in the whole world to this day. In total, Barbie dolls had 19 different body and face shapes.

10 Racial Equality Worldwide

1980 The Dolls of the World series is the fruit of worldwide globalization: black Barbie, Spanish-speaking, Oriental, Italian Barbie, Parisian and even the Queen of Great Britain. Now even mothers were happy to buy dolls for themselves and play with them, hiding behind an adult hobby. The Barbie collection already has dolls with 11 skin colors and 9 eye colors.

11. Barbie and charity

1980 The company produces collectible Barbies, the money from which goes to charity. For example, a doll by Australian designer Stefano Canturi cost $302,500 and was wearing a pink diamond necklace and a diamond ring. The proceeds from the sale at Christie's went to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Another collectible 2007 Barbie in a deep red dress was released in support of the nationwide movement to combat cardiovascular disease.

12. The barbie that parents demanded didn't please the kids.

1983 Parents continued to demand a change in appearance, and the company released Barbie in a pseudo-childish image: a more rounded face, a nose with a button. Parents liked the blushing Barbie - "angelic face", but again the children did not like it, and the production of the doll stopped.

13. Barbie - "day-night"

1985 Women have proven that they have the right to build a career on an equal footing with men, and numerous innovations have made it easier to care for children, social structures have appeared that give single mothers the opportunity to work full time. This is how the businesswoman Barbie appears - “day-night”: in the afternoon - a business suit, in the evening - a dress for going out.

Interestingly, only Barbie had all the achievements and successes, for which Mattel was also repeatedly accused. But in practice, male dolls are not popular, and parents simply would not always buy a set like “Barbie and Ken are lawyers” for children.

14. A world without adults

1987 There is everything in the world of Barbie. Except adults. She is the most beautiful, smart, dexterous, but she herself has no one to take an example from. Worse, she constantly has younger sisters, and her parents again disappear to God knows where. In total, Barbie has 70 friends and relatives.

In 1987, Grandma and Grandpa dolls appear at a friend of Midge's. Their place is mainly in the kitchen as attendants; in comics, parents sometimes bring their grandchildren to them to tinker, and they themselves disappear to have fun with Barbie. This is the image of the elders that is transmitted to the children. Although the children themselves are happy to play with dolls in caring and kind grandparents, which, apparently, they miss so much.

Designers experimented a lot with the color and length of Barbie's hair, which either shortened or "grew". When Barbie with toe-length hair was released, it became hugely popular - after all, girls really love to do hairstyles for dolls!

The doll became more mobile: the creators of Barbie "taught" her to bend and turn all parts of the body - and Barbie became a cyclist, rider, athlete, dancer.

Mattel produced Barbie dolls of different nationalities dressed in folk costumes, and "taught" the toy to speak different languages. And, of course, over the forty-five years of her “life”, the famous doll has made a career in many areas: for example, she has been a flight attendant, doctor, business woman, rock star, military pilot, firefighter, teacher, and even a presidential candidate!

Barbies have always been very popular, repeating the appearance of superstars: Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn ... New idols come with new times, and with the release of the Lord of the Rings movie epic, Mattel released a new series of dolls depicting the heroes of the famous fantasy trilogy.

Conclusion

Barbie doll has become for several generations not just a toy, but an image-symbol, the meaning of which depends on the person's attitude towards this doll. For some, she is the personification of “sexuality without love” and an irrepressible thirst for consumption (after all, thousands of different accessories and luxurious clothes are produced for her!), And for some, she is the embodiment of beauty and love for life, this doll encourages someone to creativity, but someone is not interested at all.

And, probably, those who will say will be right: “After all, if this doll haunts everyone for almost half a century, then there is something special about it!” Barbie's story continues, and while she has had—and continues to have—strong competitors in the global girls' toy market, another doll is unlikely to replicate her phenomenal rise to global stardom.

Until the advent of the first Barbie doll, the toy market for girls was represented exclusively by baby dolls. Having created the American version of the German souvenir toy Bild Lilli, which served as a prototype, Mattel has launched a unique product on the market that has no analogues and direct competition.

Professionals met the doll very coldly. There were also those who took up their heads and began to talk about morality. But already at that time, Mattel had formed the right “prolongation of the game” marketing strategy: Barbie became only the basis, the very high-quality product, followed by the release of various additional accessories providing the company with additional profit. A special merchandising system was created: dolls in all separately sold outfits were located on the steps of a special staircase in the shop window.

Development and formation

Since the first release of the doll, the manufacturer has relied on quality: professional clothing designer Charlotte Johnson has been developing outfits for her, which later became legendary and recognizable; artist Betty Lou Maybey creates the first promotional photos and literary image of Barbie for catalogs and the upcoming Barbie Magazine.

In two years, Mattel's profit rose from $26,000,000 to $100,000,000. Sales growth was largely due to the expansion of the Barbie doll line - the appearance of Ken dolls in 1961 and the African American Christie, which came out exactly to the "color" revolution, which resulted in an era of tolerance and equality for the black population.

In the 1970s, the company suffered a series of commercial failures, as a result of which the Handlers were replaced by a new group people, led by Arthur Spaa, who managed to return the company to its previous position in two years. Since then, the concept of the Barbie doll has been steadily changing, from visual performance to quality and production, which is also associated with the opening of new technological opportunities, markets and a change in the geography of production.

One of the main conditions for the long-term success of the market was the constant development of the product, which was adjusted to the currents of fashion and time. Mattel clearly listened to the opinion of the consumer audience, instantly responding to emerging trends.

In 1989, the first collectible dolls Barbie, which led to the creation of the modern Barbiecollector line, designed for a separate segment of the audience.

In the 1990s, in order to enter the market of a number of countries, Mattel licenses production to several companies that produce regional models of dolls.

In the 2000s, Mattel continued to develop various innovations, experimenting with its products: dolls with an exaggerated head size appeared, which subsequently stood out in a separate line called My Scene, originally developed by one of the designers who later left for a competitor company.

The second half of the 2000s was marked by protracted litigation with MGA, which put Mattel almost on the verge of ruin, which could not but affect the Barbie doll. Due to the total reduction in the cost of production, the involvement of a significant number of Asian and Latin American designers, the quality and appearance dolls fall significantly. The trend continues for this moment. Only at the beginning of 2010 did the concept of the doll change again, and the manufacturer carefully strives to maintain its reputation by popularizing it with various collaborations.

In the future, due to the long financial crisis associated with the payment of compensation to the MGA company and litigation, the quality of the dolls is steadily declining. Mattel terminates the contract with the Japanese manufacturer of synthetic hair, reopens production in Malaysia and seeks to reduce the cost of the brand's products as much as possible.

Carefully creating a positive image of the toy, Mattel endowed it with a love for animals, of which there are already more than 50, including dogs, cats, ponies, parrots, chimpanzees, pandas, lion cubs, giraffes, zebras and horses.

Despite this, the doll is constantly under pressure from the public, which accuses her of various omissions, as well as one or another negative impact on children. So, for example, the distorted family model that is present in the game line is blamed: Ken's boyfriend and many younger sisters. However, Mattel deliberately avoided the image of Barbie and Ken as a married couple. Only in the 1990s, under the pressure of criticism, it was decided to marry their best friends Alan and Midge. In addition, being unmarried, Barbie, respectively, could not give birth to children. Mattel also compensated for this moment through adoption: in the mid-2000s, several Going Home dolls were released, released in support of American couples who decided to become parents of Chinese babies abandoned by their mothers. At the moment, the Barbie doll continues to exploit the positive image of a free girl / young woman.

Specifications

Throughout the history of existence, the appearance of the doll has repeatedly changed: new molds, types of bodies and their shades have been developed. Since its release in 1959, the look of Barbie has undergone dramatic changes that continue to this day.

1999 Generation Girl Barbie

Traditionally adhering to the 1:6 format (11.5-12"), Mattel produced both micro-versions and Supersize Barbie dolls, reaching the size of a small child.

Almost all dolls are made of rubber and plastic, but there are porcelain and hard vinyl editions in the collection line. Barbie dolls' hair is usually stitched and made from synthetic fibers.

Game and Collector's Editions

Despite the fact that the doll was originally produced as a children's toy, at the moment, due to its long history, there is also a collection line: many dolls that came out in the first decades of Barbie's existence have long become collectibles.

For fifteen years, collectible Barbie dolls have been divided into:

limited edition- a circulation of no more than 35,000 copies, dolls are not available for free sale. They are most often sold in display boxes complete with a certificate of authenticity.
Special Edition- circulation is not more than 35,000 copies, dolls are special editions in a particular series. The certificate of authenticity is attached.
Collector Edition- a circulation of no more than 35,000 copies, dolls are intended for collecting.

In 2004, the final formation of The Barbie Collection line took place with the subsequent classification:

Platinum Label- the circulation of dolls is not more than 1000 copies.
Gold Label- the circulation of dolls is not more than 25,000 copies.
Silver Label- the circulation of dolls is not more than 50,000 copies.
pink label– collectible dolls without limitation of circulation in free sale.
black label– collectible dolls united by pop culture themes. Issued without limitation of circulation and go on free sale.

The following concepts can also be classified as:

OOAK- dolls created in a single copy by Mattel designers. Most often timed to coincide with auctions, charity sales, etc.
Exclusive- play-line or collectable (with appropriate label) dolls released specifically for a retailer (including the official Barbie Fun Club) or convention. It can be a modified doll, an edition with more accessories, or a completely new release.