![]() She was a doll that represented a modern, well-rounded woman who could be anything from a mother to a doctor to an astronaut. Despite Barbie’s initial success, many parents were concerned about the mature appearance of Barbie’s body, but Ruth Handler saw it as important to give young girls a distinctly adult role model to look up to and aspire to. The first African American and Hispanic Barbie Dolls were introduced in the 1980s. By 1961 Mattel also launched red-hair Barbies, and the same year Mattel introduced Ken (named after Ruth Handler's son), a male fashion doll model. The original price was $3, but depending on accessories, an additional $1-$5 could be added on top. The first dolls were sold in two versions, brunette or blonde, and were sporting a stripy black and white swimming suit. Barbie was introduced as a successful teenage fashion model from Wisconsin and catered to young teenage girls. The first Barbie doll was officially shown at the New York Toy Fair in 1959. Ruth got inspired by this doll during the creation of her first prototype of Barbie and even bought the rights to Bild Lilli. This doll was based on a strip comic in the Bild newspaper and was catered rather as a fashion doll for adults. After a quick research, Ruth found out that there is an adult-bodied doll on the German market, the so-called Bild Lilli. She forwarded the idea of the toy to her husband, who was at the time the cofounder of Mattel, an American toy company founded in 1945. Ruth saw her daughter role-playing with her toys and thought of toys that could fill in the niche as nothing similar was available on the American market. It was named after creator Ruth Handler’s daughter, who inspired her to make a doll that was based on a full-grown character rather than a baby. Check Out The Latest Barbie Doll Auctions on Barnebys Here!īarbie was first introduced to the public on March 9th, 1959, at the American International Toy Fair in New York. The value of a Barbie doll from this period in a mint condition circles today around $25 000. The Barbies from this period that had red hair and bendable legs are considered to be the rare and most valuable examples. Especially prized among collectors are the vintage Barbie doll models produced between 1959 and the late 1960s. Until today Mattel, the company that launched the first Barbie, has sold over a billion Barbie dolls, making it the company's largest and most profitable line. Barbies quickly became a hit and only during the first year of production sold a record-breaking amount of 350,000 dolls. Barbie doll was based on an adult woman and was designed for young girls to role-play independent, career-driven women. The majority of the dolls catered to children were based on infant and toddler-like designs. ![]() Find out today here at Value My Stuff!īefore the first Barbie doll's debut in the late 1950s, there was nothing like it on the American market. Do you have an old box of Barbies that you would like to know more about? Do you believe you have come across what you believe may be an early model Barbie at the thrift store? Perhaps you want to know if your mother’s collection of Barbies is worth anything. ![]() Since then, with every new edition of the doll, new accessories and outfits were added, reflecting the times the Barbies were produced. Related: The History of Barbie: The World's Most Popular Doll Barbies fame began with the launch of the first doll, named Barbie Millicent Roberts, which was introduced in 1959. With a three-dimensional doll, you can feel it, hug it, and brush its hair, and the user gets a better attachment to it. ![]() The idea was that young girls would be able to see themselves in the dolls, which wasn’t as easy with a two-dimensional doll. Created by Mattel co-owner Ruth Handler, the inspiration for Barbie was born when Handler saw her daughter play with paper dolls and realized that there was a need for more physical dolls. Collectors are looking especially for well-preserved, vintage Barbie dolls with original packaging, outfits, and accessories. Made for entertainment for young girls, today, Barbies are also often sought by collectors as highly prized collectible items around the world. Barbie dolls are among the most popular and iconic dolls ever made.
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