Barbie Turns 65 Today

    __By Tiffany Amber Stockton__

In February, President William Henry Harrison received the spotlight focus. This month includes my mother's birthday on the first of the month. Her name is Barbara (often shortened to Barbie), so I thought it might be fun to look at the doll of the same name. My mother was 9 years old when the doll premiered and shared a name with the daughter of Barbie's creator.

BARBIE CHANGES BABYDOLL PLAYTIME

On March 9, 1959, a display at the American Toy Fair in New York City featured what has now become an iconic item. Ruth Handler came up with the idea after seeing her daughter ignore her baby dolls in favor of playing with paper dolls patterned after adult women. She and her husband worked with the toy company Mattel to mass distribute this doll, and at its height, about 3 dolls were being sold every second! This huge success has led to over 1 billion of these dolls being sold since its debut.

Handler's goal for this doll was to inspire young girls to "be anything she wanted to be" and to communicate to them that they had choices beyond the traditional gender roles of the 1950s. Since the first doll to appear on retail shelves, more than 200 career options have been featured through wardrobe and accessory inclusions. Dolls have also been modeled after 6 different body types, 9 skin tones, 6 eye colors, 11 hair colors, and 10 hairstyles, along with dolls in wheelchairs and dolls with prosthetic limbs.

Although the Barbie doll has generated a lot of controversy over the years, primarily in regard to the appearance of the basic body, Mattel has worked hard to make the doll relatable worldwide through clothing and accessories, as well as skin tone. The slim waist, large bust and seemingly never-ending legs might have helped create an unrealistic body image for young girls, but the generally-accepted adult female body also endeared the doll to millions of girls aspiring to become successful women as adults.

From fashion designer and architect to Olympian and ballerina, from astronaut and pilot to doctor and entrepreneur, Barbie has demonstrated success across many cultures and genetic origins. She's had friends and boyfriends, nieces and even children join her. This "toy" has stood as a strong symbol of achievement in dozens of countries.

Today, Barbie has achieved historical renown through nearly four generations all around the world. And thanks to the recent movie, the doll is seeing a resurgence in popularity, giving it a chance to make even greater impact on future generations to come.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* Did you ever own a Barbie Doll? More than one? If so, how did you play with it most?

* Do you feel the goal of Barbie helped or hindered the way girls have viewed themselves throughout the doll's history so far? How so?

* Where do you see Barbie heading in the future?

** This note is for our email readers. Please do not reply via email with any comments. View the blog online and scroll down to the comments section.

Come back on the 9th of each month for my next foray into historical tidbits to share.

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BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with talking entirely too much. Today, she has honed those skills to become an award-winning, best-selling author and speaker who is also a professional copywriter/copyeditor. She loves to share life-changing products and ideas with others to help improve their lives in a variety of ways.

She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children, one dog, and three cats in southeastern Kentucky. In the 20 years she's been a professional writer, she has sold twenty-six (26) books so far and is represented by Tamela Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook and GoodReads.

The History of Barbie Dolls

By Terrie Todd

Barbara Millicent Roberts was born March 9, 1959, two weeks after me. Though she appeared about eighteen years my senior at the time, she has somehow managed to maintain her youthfulness and still doesn’t look a day over 23.

Plastic will do that. 

The original 1959 Barbie

Prior to Barbie’s debut, most dolls represented babies—designed for children to cuddle and care for like real infants. Married to the co-founder of the Mattel Toy company, Ruth Handler probably kept a lookout for new toy ideas. When she noticed her daughter, Barbara, assigning her paper dolls adult roles, it sparked the idea for a teenage fashion doll. The concept did not impress Mr. Handler or his board.

His wife persisted. Mattel introduced the first Barbie doll, named for the Handlers’ daughter, at the 1959 American International Toy Fair in NYC. The first year, Mattel sold 350,000 of the 11.5-inch dolls. 

That's a pretty sophisticated teenager!

By the time I became interested in Barbie, her empire had exploded. Alas, I never actually owned one. I’m not sure whether my parents didn’t buy into the hype or if they took issue with Barbie’s impossible body shape, but they chose to give me a “Tammy” doll instead—12 inches tall and shaped more like an average teenager. I didn’t mind until I realized Tammy couldn’t fit any of Barbie’s clothes. Her flat feet called for nothing but simple rubber sneakers. Though my mother sewed some brilliant outfits for Tammy, I still craved a “real” Barbie of my own. (Ungrateful little snot!)

Over the years, more friends joined Barbie, including her boyfriend, Ken (named for the Handlers’ son), her best friend, Midge, and little sister, Skipper. One could purchase every conceivable outfit and accessory, as well as homes, cars, boats, and more for the popular doll. 

Barbie's little sister, Skipper

Did freckles make Midge less attractive than Barbie? She should know girls are now drawing on freckles where none appear.

Good ol' Ken. The perfect boyfriend.

In her 63-year existence, Barbie has managed over 150 careers. As an astronaut, she reached the moon in 1965, four years ahead of Neil Armstrong. She’s run for U.S. president numerous times. Although she’s clearly never won, I wonder how many ballots she’s spoiled as a write-in candidate? She’s even been a mermaid.

Her original body shape became the topic of much criticism when someone calculated that a similarly proportioned human woman would stand five feet, nine inches tall and be severely underweight. (In 1965, Barbie came with a fuzzy pink bathroom scale permanently set to 110 pounds.) Concurring that Barbie’s shape might contribute to an unhealthy body image in children, Mattel increased her waist size in 1997.

Barbie continued to evolve with the times, fashions, and political correctness. In 2014 she made the cover of Sports Illustrated in her original black and white swimsuit. Meanwhile, her friend “Ella” underwent cancer treatments as Mattel distributed bald dolls to hospitals in limited numbers.

Mattel reinvented Barbie again in 2016, responding to public pressure that she did not reflect diversity of modern women. Barbie now comes in 22 skin tones, 94 hair colors, 13 eye colors and five body types. I suspect this move profited Mattel, given all the new sizes of clothing needed to go with the various dolls. Still, good for them.

Barbie has appeared in books, films, and video games. She has her own TV show, You Tube channel, and vlog. Streets have been named for her, painters and photographers have captured her, the wealthy have collected her. If you’re ever in Taiwan, you can even visit a Barbie Café.

A quick look at Amazon tells me you can order a doll for as little as five Canadian dollars, or for up to sixty for this years’ “Holiday Barbie” in all her sparkly glory.

As for me, I’ll thank God for the four or five “careers” I’ve learned, my closet filled with previously owned clothing, and a 1959 body that still mostly works.

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.” Proverbs 31:30

Terrie Todd is the award-winning author of four historical and two split-time novels. Rose Among Thornes won the 2022 Word Award for best cover and the Debra Fieguth Social Justice award. The Last Piece won The Word Guild’s best contemporary novel award. Terrie lives with her husband, Jon, in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada where they raised their three children. They are grandparents to five boys.



 

Orphaned and adopted as a toddler in 1922, Lilly Sampson pursues a nursing career in hopes it will redeem the shameful crime of arson she committed as a child. When her self-sabotaging choices only build the ash heap higher, Lilly prepares to sacrifice everything for the sake of a child she tried to abort. Can Lilly reconcile with the one person who shares all her secrets and find the strength to raise a son with special needs?

2019: While unraveling a mysterious link in her ancestry, 36-year-old Diana DeWitt is fear-stricken by the two most staggering invitations of her life: to adopt a teenager’s baby, and to marry her best friend. Will the truth Diana uncovers about her Grandmother Lilly release the grip of rejection and free her to embrace a life she only dreamed of?

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