Who and What was Barbie?
by Kim H.
February 1959 at the American Toy Fair in New York City, Ruth and Elliot Hander, founders of Mattel Toys, introduced the first adult female doll. Her full name was Barbie Millicent Roberts; she was from Willows, Wisconsin, went to Willows High School, and her first career was teenage fashion model. She stood 11 _ inches tall and weighed 11 ounces. At the time the country had already gone through two wars and a depression, and the fifties represented a coming of age for lost young adults. So when Ruth’s daughter Barbara started to grow older and imitate adult conversations and the senses around her; she thought that young girls should have a three-dimensional representation of themselves. But was America ready for a risky female doll that had a woman’s figure? Not according to the all male members of Mattel Company. When Ruth first shared her idea with them, she was turned down because Mattel claimed it would have been too expensive to produce and the average consumer was not going to pay the price to cover the cost. However Ruth approached Mattel when she came back from Europe with a Lilli doll, a German doll that was replicated from a comic strip and she was not the typical innocent doll that American children were used to playing with due to of her “woman” figure that had large breasts and sexy clothing. So in order for Mattel to keep up with Europe, it was forced to accept the new Barbie (named after her daughter Barbara) and thus the new American doll cult was born.
At first, Americans across the country were not so easily seduced by the innocent charms of Barbie, who at the time had heavy facial make-up and was wearing a black and white swimsuit with high heeled shoes. Also her eyes held a side-glance that was often seen from she wolves at bars. So mixed reviews condemned her as “sleazy, scary, and spellbinding.” Barbie who became such an American icon had her own fashion designer Charlotte Johnson that designed accessories such as bridal wear, tennis wear, ballerina wear, and something to wear for football games, however those were only the basics. Not bad for someone who started out with just a one-piece bathing suit and high-heels? She was even nicknamed “daddy dolls,” I’m not sure what that meant except it might have been a response to “Slumber Barbie.” Imagine women figure dolls carrying around teddy bears and wearing teddies. Makes you think whom were these dolls created for? But you have to love the young girls favorites, which were Barbie as homemaker and hygiene-influenced designs. What does that mean “hygiene-influenced” designs? Does that mean with every Barbie came a tube of toothpaste and dental floss? In the 1950s two important skills a young American girl was taught in school was hygiene and homemaking. And why? To get a husband.
Mattel seized on the new American consumers children and teenagers. In the 1950s TV became a part of the American households so the birth of capitalism through advertising ads reached almost everyone. At the time the only dolls available were Betsy Wetsy and Chatty Cathy. So Barbie was not just a doll but represented dreams and hopes for all young American girls. The marketers of Mattel studied the trends and cultural patterns especially among the suburban teenagers. So all little girls started screaming, “Barbie Barbie.” And moms around the United States did not have to teach their little girls what was expected of them because Barbie created and formed an identity with a degree of respectability. For example, Barbie could wear a glamorous gown and be a homemaker. Doesn’t that appeal to you? Doesn’t that make you want to run to the first toy store and buy one? Another aspect of Barbie taught pre-teens about undergarments; such as, strapless bras, girdles, and slips. This was probably the inspiration for Victoria Secrets. But this was acceptable for moms because grown up questions about puberty was often embarrassing to talk about and thus answered by Barbie. Although Ken was introduced in 1961, he played a very important role in Barbie’s image. Ken was named after Ruth’s other child. Which would make him technically Barbie’s brother. Because Barbie was a homemaker and needed a man in order to not be viewed by the American public as a failure. To this day Barbie has held American Society hostage to her 1 billion fashions and accessories that have been created since 1959. The first Barbie in 1959 sold for $3.00 and now on eBay, it can be purchased in mint condition for up to $10,000.
Although Barbie during the 1950s projected the image of manners and a balanced life, there was another image that was not portrayed by mainstream. Betty Friedan called the trouble among American women “the problem that had no name” and asserts that it has no name because women were told by ads and TV that the problem doesn’t really exist. I have created some images of under represented Barbie’s, whose voices were not heard during the 1950s. So it really doesn’t matter if you are for or against Barbie. She’s here to stay.
Barbie Fun Facts.
Bellis, Mary. The History of Barbie Dolls.
Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 1963
Inventing Barbie.
Wolf, Erica. Barbie: The Early History.
Domestic violence Barbie: 1950s Housewife.
“No really I fell down the stairs.”
Book and sling sold separately.
Depression Barbie: 1950s housewife
Suffered from “the problem that has no name”
Pills and necklace not included.
Single Mom Barbie: Under represented 1950s.
“Don’t worry children, in 1964 I’ll go to college and have 80 more careers to choose from”
Bulimia Barbie: 1950s Suburban Housewife.
“I’m in a major crisis. I won’t be able to fit in that dress I saw in McCall’s magazine.”
AA Barbie: 1950s Housewife.
“Hubby won’t care if I sneak a drink before he gets home. As long as dinner is on the table.”
February 1959 at the American Toy Fair in New York City, Ruth and Elliot Hander, founders of Mattel Toys, introduced the first adult female doll. Her full name was Barbie Millicent Roberts; she was from Willows, Wisconsin, went to Willows High School, and her first career was teenage fashion model. She stood 11 _ inches tall and weighed 11 ounces. At the time the country had already gone through two wars and a depression, and the fifties represented a coming of age for lost young adults. So when Ruth’s daughter Barbara started to grow older and imitate adult conversations and the senses around her; she thought that young girls should have a three-dimensional representation of themselves. But was America ready for a risky female doll that had a woman’s figure? Not according to the all male members of Mattel Company. When Ruth first shared her idea with them, she was turned down because Mattel claimed it would have been too expensive to produce and the average consumer was not going to pay the price to cover the cost. However Ruth approached Mattel when she came back from Europe with a Lilli doll, a German doll that was replicated from a comic strip and she was not the typical innocent doll that American children were used to playing with due to of her “woman” figure that had large breasts and sexy clothing. So in order for Mattel to keep up with Europe, it was forced to accept the new Barbie (named after her daughter Barbara) and thus the new American doll cult was born.
At first, Americans across the country were not so easily seduced by the innocent charms of Barbie, who at the time had heavy facial make-up and was wearing a black and white swimsuit with high heeled shoes. Also her eyes held a side-glance that was often seen from she wolves at bars. So mixed reviews condemned her as “sleazy, scary, and spellbinding.” Barbie who became such an American icon had her own fashion designer Charlotte Johnson that designed accessories such as bridal wear, tennis wear, ballerina wear, and something to wear for football games, however those were only the basics. Not bad for someone who started out with just a one-piece bathing suit and high-heels? She was even nicknamed “daddy dolls,” I’m not sure what that meant except it might have been a response to “Slumber Barbie.” Imagine women figure dolls carrying around teddy bears and wearing teddies. Makes you think whom were these dolls created for? But you have to love the young girls favorites, which were Barbie as homemaker and hygiene-influenced designs. What does that mean “hygiene-influenced” designs? Does that mean with every Barbie came a tube of toothpaste and dental floss? In the 1950s two important skills a young American girl was taught in school was hygiene and homemaking. And why? To get a husband.
Mattel seized on the new American consumers children and teenagers. In the 1950s TV became a part of the American households so the birth of capitalism through advertising ads reached almost everyone. At the time the only dolls available were Betsy Wetsy and Chatty Cathy. So Barbie was not just a doll but represented dreams and hopes for all young American girls. The marketers of Mattel studied the trends and cultural patterns especially among the suburban teenagers. So all little girls started screaming, “Barbie Barbie.” And moms around the United States did not have to teach their little girls what was expected of them because Barbie created and formed an identity with a degree of respectability. For example, Barbie could wear a glamorous gown and be a homemaker. Doesn’t that appeal to you? Doesn’t that make you want to run to the first toy store and buy one? Another aspect of Barbie taught pre-teens about undergarments; such as, strapless bras, girdles, and slips. This was probably the inspiration for Victoria Secrets. But this was acceptable for moms because grown up questions about puberty was often embarrassing to talk about and thus answered by Barbie. Although Ken was introduced in 1961, he played a very important role in Barbie’s image. Ken was named after Ruth’s other child. Which would make him technically Barbie’s brother. Because Barbie was a homemaker and needed a man in order to not be viewed by the American public as a failure. To this day Barbie has held American Society hostage to her 1 billion fashions and accessories that have been created since 1959. The first Barbie in 1959 sold for $3.00 and now on eBay, it can be purchased in mint condition for up to $10,000.
Although Barbie during the 1950s projected the image of manners and a balanced life, there was another image that was not portrayed by mainstream. Betty Friedan called the trouble among American women “the problem that had no name” and asserts that it has no name because women were told by ads and TV that the problem doesn’t really exist. I have created some images of under represented Barbie’s, whose voices were not heard during the 1950s. So it really doesn’t matter if you are for or against Barbie. She’s here to stay.
Barbie Fun Facts.
Bellis, Mary. The History of Barbie Dolls.
Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 1963
Inventing Barbie.
Wolf, Erica. Barbie: The Early History.
Domestic violence Barbie: 1950s Housewife.“No really I fell down the stairs.”
Book and sling sold separately.
Depression Barbie: 1950s housewifeSuffered from “the problem that has no name”
Pills and necklace not included.
Single Mom Barbie: Under represented 1950s.“Don’t worry children, in 1964 I’ll go to college and have 80 more careers to choose from”
Bulimia Barbie: 1950s Suburban Housewife.“I’m in a major crisis. I won’t be able to fit in that dress I saw in McCall’s magazine.”
AA Barbie: 1950s Housewife.
“Hubby won’t care if I sneak a drink before he gets home. As long as dinner is on the table.”
posted by Leslie Madsen-Brooks at 10/30/2006 01:51:00 PM
2 Comments:
Wow, some creative pictures. It is very interesting that the poster says Barbie taught girls about what it meant to be a woman. I think the 1950s is the first time where parents begin to rely on alternative methods to raise and teach children. Dolls, T.V. shows, public school, after school sports teams… it seems that parents who lacked time to raise their children sought out ways to raise them by proxy. It has gotten to the point where now parents complain to schools if the schools don’t raise children to the moral/mental/spiritual levels parents feel the school is responsible for providing.
The pictures are hilairous, but a little scary becuase they're not so far from the truth. It's odd how Barbie is never shown as a full-blown housewife. From what I can tell, she's either dating Ken (in pursuit of marriage), or having a wedding. Is this because she's marketed toward little kids?
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