Click here to hear the origional Barbie ad

You may say that "Lilli" was Barbie's "aunt". Lilli was a 12" doll made in Germany and sold across Europe in the early and mid 1950's. Lilli was never intended to be a doll for little girls. This doll was sold mostly in tobacco shops as a gag gift for men. Here was a 3-demensional "Bimbo" that a man could own. One of the Lillis's ads read:
"Die hochsten Herrn haben Lilli gern" which translates to:
"Gentlemen prefer Lilli"
Lilli was designed by Max Weissbrodt. Lilli was molded after a popular cartoon charater from a gossip newspaper in Europe. In the cartoon, Lilli was known as a true "Bimbo". She wore short skirts, tight blouses and was always looking for a rich man.
As Lilli's popularly grew, so did Lilli's marketing. Ads began to say:
"Instead of flowers, give her a Lilli"
Meanwhile, back in the States, Ruth Handler and her husband Elliot, were having a bit of success themselves. Elliot had started a small business in his garage making and selling Plexiglas items. It grew to a 100 employee business. Then came WWII. Materials were scarce and he began to use wood and cheaper plastics. Toys were the natural next step.
The Handler's introduced the "Ukedoole", a plastic ukelele. Taking a big risk, they invested all their assets, $500,000, into advertising. They sucured a 1 year contract with a new TV show, The Mickey Mouse Club. This was a first; a commercial targeted at making kids as the consumer. The ad showed a boy shooting a "Burp Gun" at an elephant. The "Burp Gun" sold out by Christmas of that year. Their risk paid off!
Ruth Handler had gotten what she thought was a great idea. While watching her daughter and friends play with paperdolls. Why not make a real adult doll that little girls can dress and pretend with? The idea was tossed around but almost everyone agreed, making a doll with breast would be rejected by every American parent.
In 1957, while on vacation in Switzerland, Ruth spotted a Lilli doll in a shop window. Here was a model of what she knew would be a hit with every little girl.
Ruth bought the Lilli and returned to the States. She handed it to her designers and told them the changes she wanted.
After many trials and errors, Ruth's dream finally had come to life. In 1958 Ruth's doll was sent to Japan to be dressed. Japanese housewives were hired to hand sew dresses, swimsuits and pants for the new doll.
This new doll needed a name. This came naturally to Ruth. Since her daughter, Barbara, had inspired her dream, Barbie would be the new doll's name.
Ruth took Barbie to the 1959 American Toy Fair in New York where Barbie was met with mixed reviews. Ruth convinced toy stores to stock her new doll. Barbie was not a success at first as parents didn't know how to take giving their daughters dolls with breast. Young girls of the late 1950's wanted to live the adult fantasy life through their grown-up dolls. Barbie's "birth" is officially recorded as March 9, 1959, the morning that she was first introduced at a major toy fair in New York.
With advertising and the persistence of Ruth Handler, Barbie became a house-hold name.
Today almost every little girl in the world owns a Barbie or two or three!
From Bimbo to icon, Barbie has come a long way!

Back to Home