Barbie: the Early History by Erica Wolf Essay

Do you know anyone who has their make dream house, super fun pool house, pink convertible, or their receive magic musical movies? No, Im non talking about Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan, This girl is more(prenominal) classic, and more of a role model to every little girl around the world. Shes a fun, outgoing character with an outfit for every occasion. Shes Barbie. Today we go away learn about this astonishing gentlewoman and the affect she has had on toy industry. First we will examine the pink and perfect story of Barbie, then we will try on the many diametric characters in Barbies family, and finally we will hit the shelves to examine the marketing of Barbie merchandise.First we will examine the pink and perfect history of Barbie. Barbie was first off introduced at the American International Toy Fair in New York in February of 1959 according to Barbie The first History by Erica Wolf stomach updated in 2000. Ruth and Elliot double-decker, the creators of Barbie, model ed her after the German doll known as Lilli. Ruth discovered Lilli while shopping in Switzerland and brought her home for her girlfriend to play with. This inspired Ruth to create an adult doll made specifically for little girls. handler eventually had Jack Ryan, an executive of Mattel, purchase the rights for Lilli and make a deal with the company to create a doll similar to Lilli. The new doll would prolong a more soft look and didnt look as made up with makeup as Lilli. Finally, in 1958, the new doll, Barbie Millicent Roberts (named after Handlers daughter, Barbara) was born.At 11 inches tall, debuted as a teenage model in a gruesome and white striped swimming suit that came with sunglasses, high-heeled shoes, and gold colored hoop earrings. The body was shapely with a movable head, arms, and legs. Barbie would be the first doll in America with an adult- wish well body. Though Barbie was thought to be a huge success, some people in America had a terrible reaction toward this new phenomenon. many a(prenominal) female adults frowned upon her mature body figure. Mothers said they would not allow their daughters to play with Barbie because of her very grown up figure. The doll quickly caught the attention of little girls across the country. Soon, the small, sophisticated doll became a worldwide sensation, and stiff the top fashion doll today.Next, I am going to talk about the many different characters of Barbie. Including some of her friends, the different types of Barbies throughout the old age, and the many outfits of Barbie. During the first decade of Barbie in the 60s, thither were themes that went with Barbie. such(prenominal) as Barbie Goes to College . In 1961, Ken was introduced. He wore swim trunks and an unbuttoned shirt, and came with blond, brown or faint vibrissas-breadth. Alternative clothes included a sailors outfit, a college student look and insouciant ensembles for picnics or movies. According to Barbies of the 60s by Amanda Hermes last updated in 2013, in 1963 Mattel released Barbies best friend, Midge, who had brunette hair and wore a sleek red swimsuit and red heels. Barbies little sister, Skipper, appe atomic number 18d in 1964, along with her own boyfriend, Allan.A year later, Barbies family grew to include twins Tutti and Todd followed by her more modern cousin, Francie, who also came in Japanese and African American versions. Christie, the first African American friend of Barbies, came along in 1968. In Barbie annulus History, there have been numerous types of Barbies made since she was first introduced. With a rargon exception here and there, Barbies body hasnt changed much. Some may have more moveable parts, but the size of it and shape remains the same. Her face however, is a different story. Vintage Barbies were made from 1959 to 1966. Vintage Barbies made from 1967 to 1973 ar considered to be Mod Barbies. One of the most notable dolls in this era was Malibu Barbie. She represented a flip-flop i n Barbies evolution. She was made from 1971 to 1977.The next big shift in Barbie Doll History happened in 1977, when in the era of the Halter Dress and Farrah Fawcett hair Barbie underwent a dramatic transition in the configuration of Superstar Barbie. Barbies were made with the big toothy smile and tons of long blonde hair for the rest of the 1970s, all of the 1980s and a large part of the 90s. Well-known designers such as sour grass Mackie created many of the early collectible Barbie Dolls. One of Barbies first transformations after so many years with the Superstar face was with the Mackie Face.In 2000, Mattel introduced the Fashion Model Collection, also known a Silkstones. They use the time of origin Barbie face and have been very successful with Barbie collectors. Barbie has undergone many changes and a lot of diversity over the last ten years. Now a variety of different skin tones, hair colors and face sculpts are used. Mattel released a series of twelve Black Label Basic Ba rbie Dolls, the next step in Barbie Doll History, each featuring different types of Barbie face sculpt.Finally, we will hit the shelves to examine the marketing of Barbie merchandise. Every second 2.5 Barbie dolls are sold. This contributes to sales of more than $1.5 billion U.S. annually, making Mattels Barbie the most successful doll in history. Today, women have active lifestyles, balancing career and home activities creating a very different taste in doll buyers. Mattel first failed to realize the importance of this shift in 2001 when MGA Entertainment released their Bratz dolls, a doll with personality and stead for the new generation of girls.Mattel is still suffering today due to the invention of Bratz dolls. Not only did Mattel not recognize these threats, they also thought it unwise to make major changes to Barbie afraid consumers might not like the changes. It was too late when they finally realized that not changing the look of Barbie would be a abominable idea. In 2006 , sales had dropped 30% despite rushed changes being made to Barbies figure, looks, boyfriends and clothing. They also introduced their own new line of modern dolls called My Scene girls. It was obvious to consumers that this was an imitation of the Bratz dolls, so it never matched popularity.