Sabtu, 19 Juli 2008

Barbie Dolls - Where Did They Come From?

Dear Santa, Please can I have a Barbie doll for Christmas?

Barbie dolls have probably been on Christmas wish lists for several generations of girls. In fact Barbie has become a household name for many years. Who created the first concept of the Barbie doll?

The story started with the birth of Ruth Mosko in Denver Colarado in 1916. Ruth married Elliot Handler in 1938. Elliot Handler and his business partner Harold 'Matt" Matson formed the company Mattel. The name was created by a combination of their names 'Matt-Ell". Mattel originally manufactured picture frames, but after making dolls furniture from scraps decided to focus on toy manufacturing for which Mattel is now famous.

Ruth Handler noticed that her young daughter Barbara was more interested in playing with adult dolls, than the baby dolls that were available at that time. While traveling in Europe she saw a German doll called 'Lilli' which she bought for her daughter. The original 'Lilli' doll was not a children's toy, but a joke style gift for men.

Mattel bought the marketing rights for 'Lilli'. They changed the doll's name to Barbie, named after Ruth's daughter Barbara. Barbie was first released for sale in the United States in 1959 and became a hot seller. Barbie's boyfriend 'Ken' was introduced in 1960. Ken was named after Ruth's son Kenneth.

The Barbie doll was first displayed at the New York International American Toy Fair on March 9, 1959. This date became Barbie's official birthday .There is now a fictional biography of the life of 'Barbie' with additional family and friends created and sold as separate dolls.

Barbara White is not related to Barbie and does not have as many outfits
To browse through some of the many versions of Barbie and her outfits which have been produced since 1959 visit http://www.barbiworld.com
For more great articles check out Barbara's free article submission directory http://www.articlesbeyondbetter.com


Barbara White has a passion to empower others towards success and excellence in their personal and professional lives.

Barbara has a background of over twenty years in educational leadership, teaching children and adults to be their absolute best and overcome all challenges. Now as President of Beyond Better Development, Barbara works with individuals and organizations to accelerate growth and success. For more information visit her website http://www.livingbeyondbetter.com For more great articles go to http://www.articlesbeyondbetter.com

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