First, before I go on to talk about Barbie's 50th birthday, I want to announce that I am the guest blogger for Novelspot all this week, starting today. My first post is up at http://novelspot.net/node/2743. So go and leave me a comment. I will be talking about my road to publication.
Now on to Barbie. As says at http://barbiestyle.barbie.com/, it is her 50th birthday. I remember my first Barbie, which did not twist and wore that striped bathing suit. I also remember we had to take her in to this toy store to exchange her for the next version that did twist and move.I still had the same Ken and Barbie's sister, Skipper, for years, though.
Supposedly,Mattel introduced Barbie in 1959, and she became a household name. About 90 percent of American girls ages 3 to 10 owned her and she has been sold in 150 countries.
What I did not know was according to author Robin Gerber, Barbie was initially inspired by "a sexually-themed gag toy for men."It was said that a woman, Ruth Handler, based the doll off this Swiss doll, Billi-Lilli, that was a curvaceous plastic bombshell originally sold as a sex toy/gag gift. Mkes you see Barbie in an all new light, doesn't it?
Though with the advent of all the electronic goodies that little girls want more now, slowing down Barbie's sales, still this doll sells at a rate of three dolls per second. Maybe faster one of those than Nascar race cars?
Anyway, I wish I had my Barbie, Ken and Skipper. Ken, I had let my son when he was two years old, play with it. Big mistake. He decided to take the doll apart. Skipper and Barbie, I am not even sure what happened to them. Now these three dolls would be worth something, especially as they were in tip top condition.
What shocked me was seeing the 1959 Barbie and the new one to be out this year, harking back to that 50s Barbie. Same striped bathing suit, except now a two-piece. I remembered the big hype on her being not a normal body type--too thin--and yet the new one looks like an anorexic model that you see on the runways these days.
Oh well. . .
Anyway, Barbie, happy 50th birthday. And watch out for menopause.
2 comments:
I had the original Barbie doll also. Later a ?Midge? doll? Someone who wasn't Barbie and definitely wasn't Skipper.
There's a whole bunch of people who take Barbie dolls and customize them, sometimes putting them in little dioramas. I would not be surprized to learn that "Menopausal Barbie" is out there somewhere.
After 50 years Barbie is still in great shape; how does she do it?
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