Inventors
The
History of Barbie Dolls
By
Mary
Bellis
The Barbie doll was invented in 1959
by Ruth Handler (co-founder of Mattel), whose own daughter was called Barbara.
Barbie was introduced to the world at the American Toy Fair in New York
City. The doll was intended to be a teenage fashion doll. There has been
some controversy over Barbie's figure when it realized that if Barbie was
a real person her measurements would be an impossible 36-18-38. The Ken
doll was named after Ruth's son. Barbie first had bendable legs in 1965.
Ruth Handler
After fighting breast cancer and
undergoing a mastectomy in 1970 Ruth Handler, one of the creators of the
Barbie Doll, surveyed the market for a suitable prosthetic breast. Disappointed
in the options available, she set about designing a replacement breast
that was more similar to a natural one. In 1975, Handler received a patent
for Nearly Me, a prosthesis made of material close in weight and density
to natural breasts.
Barbie
® Trivia
Firsts and trivia facts for Barbie
and Ken.
The
Barbie Start Page
Everything Barbie from vintage to
modern! Start here--hundreds of links, photos, articles, how-tos on restoration
and identification, and much MORE! Don't miss the galleries and price guide,
and our latest article on playing with Barbie dolls!
Inventing
Barbie
"In every second of every day, two
Barbie dolls are sold somewhere in the world"
Barbie
Doll Official Website
Everything Barbie can be found here.
Barbie
Doll Collecting Site
Official Mattel website
Barbie
Bazaar Magazine
Official Barbie Doll collectors
club.
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