As the world’s most-recognised doll, fans might think there’s nothing they don’t know about Barbie. After all, she’s been part of children’s lives around the globe since 1959.
There’s been Tropical Barbie, Peaches ‘n’ Cream Barbie, Malibu Barbie – and in more recent times – even a Dame Valerie Adams Barbie!
But it turns out the iconic doll – all 29cm of her – has had a secret life all along and it’s about to be revealed, with the release of the Barbie movie, starring Hollywood heavyweights Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
In the film, narrated by Helen Mirren, Barbie gets expelled from Barbie Land for being a less-than-perfect looking doll and from there, well, the plot gets a little mysterious.
“Whatever you think it is, it’s not that. It’s something else,” teases Ugly Betty actress America Ferrera, who also stars in the film.
Whatever fate Barbie meets on the silver screen, there’s no denying the origin story of the Barbie doll is intriguing. Back in 1956, US businesswoman Ruth Handler was holidaying in Switzerland when she spotted a doll called Bild Lilli.
The doll was based on a German comic strip character of the same name – a post-war, gold-digging buxom broad who went through life seducing wealthy men.
Bild Lilli dolls were marketed to adults as novelty gifts, but Ruth figured that little girls might also appreciate this kind of toy.
At the time, girls were usually presented with baby dolls – make-believe versions of the babies they were expected to one day give birth to and care for. Instead, Ruth thought, why not let them play with a make-believe version of their future selves?
She took the idea to toy company Mattel and within three years the first Barbie, complete with pneumatic breasts, an impossibly tiny waist and ridiculously long legs, rolled off the production line.
Mattel also purchased all the patents and copyrights to Bild Lilli and “retired” her in 1964, paving the way for Barbie to rule the roost.
And rule she did. Sixty-four years later,…
Read the full article here
