Despite the scrutiny Barbie® has endured, especially in the last few years, Barbie® has been a girl’s best friend for decades. The last thing on a child’s mind, especially as a young girl, is the measurements of a doll. Playing with Barbie® is all about having fun, having an imagination and having a best friend, not about body image.
Ruth Handler, the co-founder of Mattel Toys, invented Barbie® in 1959. Realizing there was not a teenage doll out there for girls to play with; she set out to create the first grown-up dolls for little girls. Making its debut at the 1959 Toy Fair in New York, Barbie® was met with skepticism. She was small, yet sophisticated. “As a teenager, Barbie® doll was completely unlike any of the baby or toddler dolls popular at the time. Critics posed the question — Would anyone buy this new doll?”
Believing in her creation, Ruth and Mattel Toys introduced Barbie to the world. The rest is history, so the saying goes. Barbie® captured the hearts and minds of young girls across the country and eventually became a worldwide phenomenon.
Barbie® continues to be one of the most famous and most loved dolls around. With collectable Barbie’s dating back to the beginning of her invention, her story is sure to live on in the hearts of girls, both young and old, for years to come.
Source: Barbie Collector
Posted by Gigis Dolls
