To Barbie or not to Barbie....

[Bucky]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsGAuBjnl0I <== wrong Barbie, Hitler.

Bonus Trivia: this March 9th, Barbie will turn 50 years old.


from the link...

Born: 9 March 1959
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Best known as: That skinny blonde doll created by Mattel in 1959
        The Barbie doll was created by Ruth Handler for the Mattel company in 1959. Handler and her
husband, Elliot, founded the company with partner Harold "Matt" Matson in 1942. Ruth, inspired
by dolls she'd seen on a trip to Europe, and from watching her own daughter, Barbara, created an
adult doll for children.
        Twelve inches high and plastic, the new "Barbie" doll and her fashionable and
separately-sold clothing were such a hit that Mattel became a publicly-owned company in 1960. New
versions of the toy mirrored fashion trends over the years, and Barbie was the center of a universe
that included a benign boyfriend (Ken), occasional siblings (Skipper, Todd, Stacie, et al), pets (too
many to name, including dogs, horses, cats and a parrot), cars, boats, planes and houses. Special
versions of Barbie included scientists, disco dancers, fashion models, astronauts, rock stars and
lifeguards. By the 1980s the doll's force as a collectible was such that Mattel began making versions
of Barbie specifically for the collectors' market. Critics of the doll say it presents an unrealistic
body image for girls, pointing to Barbie's large bosom, slim waist, long legs, white skin and blonde
tresses.
        Fans say Barbie encourages young girls -- and boys -- by giving them aspirations to be scientists,
disco dancers, fashion models, astronauts, rock stars or lifeguards. Despite the ongoing debate
over Barbie's impact on American culture, the doll remains one of the best-known and best-
selling dolls on the market.
        Extra credit: The Ken doll is named after Ruth and Elliot Handler's other child: a son, Ken...
Ruth Handler was born on 4 November 1916 in Denver, Colorado. She was president of Mattel
until 1973, and died on 27 April 2002... According to Mattel lore, Barbie's full name is Barbie
Millicent Roberts. A press release from 2009 said, in part, "Barbie doll -- Barbie Millicent Roberts --
was 'born' on March 9, 1959, in (fictional) Willows, Wisconsin." March 9th of 1959 was the date that
the doll was first introduced at the annual New York Toy Fair.

Rejected first design for Ken:

[rug]

1. Ken was originally called Klaus.

[hobbit709]

2. The original Lilli doll was based on a hooker in a comic strip.

[Bucky]

3. Gold digger, not hooker

Of course in post war Germany, that's sort of a fine distinction.

[hobbit709]

5. Isn't a gold digger basically a single client hooker.

[tonekat]

4. I was noticing when watching "White Christmas"

how much the actress Vera Ellen could have been the inspiration for the Barbie doll.

She had the "smallest waist in Hollywood" in the '50s, and is believed to have suffered from anorexia nervosa. That poor woman had such a tragic life, and died in obscurity.