Barbie as we all know is the most popular doll internationally, but how did the toy come to be? Entrepreneur, CEO of Mattel, and mother, Ruth Handler was the creator of Barbie. She was inspired when her daughter was playing with paper dolls, she had the idea to create a doll that [young girls] could play with. Handler’s idea was for kids to play with the dolls modeled on grown-up women, then maybe the girls will imagine what they might be when they grow up. Her dream was to inspire every girl that they have limitless potential, strengthening woman empowerment throughout the globe.
So where did “Barbie” get her name from? Barbara Millicent Handler, Ruth Handler’s daughter. The Handler family was on vacation when the doll’s features started to formulate, she named it after her daughter as a tribute to being her inspiration. As the vacation went on, Handler encountered Bild Lilli; a German doll created in 1952. Stunned by the doll’s physical appearance, Handler was inspired for the body of Barbie.
But why is the toy meant for children to have breasts? The New York Times asked Handler due to the public being disturbed, “If a young girl was going to do role playing of what she would be like when she was 16 or 17, it was a little stupid to play with a doll that had a flat chest. So, I gave it beautiful breasts,” said Handler. 1959, The year Mattel president and Barbie inventor Ruth Handler debuted the doll at the American International Toy Fair in New York, a woman with a retro black and white striped swimsuit and a perfect little ponytail.
But how did each version of Barbie come about? Handler strove to show girls they could be anything through a range of careers traditionally held by the opposite sex, since then, there are over 250 different careers for Barbie. Barbie can be an astronaut, equestrian, computer programmer, president, fashion designer, ballet dancer, a flight attendant, etc. Handler encouraged the doll to be for all kids, so she strove to show diversity in the Mattel business. Furthermore, in 1997, Handler presented the first Barbie in a wheelchair, this created a spark in all kids to feel included no matter their features.
Today, the Mattel line includes 35 different skin tones, 95 different hairstyles, and 9 different body types. In 2009, exceeding 1 billion Barbies sold worldwide, additionally Barbie is sold internationally in 150 countries. Mattel states that every 3 seconds, a Barbie Doll is sold somewhere in the world. Barbie has been around the world, loved by little girls for 64 years and will continue to thrive.
