Filo.explica│10 things you didn’t know about Barbie: the story of the most famous doll in the world

The inventor of Barbie was Ruth Handler, an American businesswoman who had a great concern: her daughter Barbara did not find any fun playing with baby dolls. I wanted to play with a doll that was already an adult. On a trip to Switzerland, Ruth saw a 27-centimeter mannequin, silky hair and sharp curves. There she came up with the first version of the product that would change the lives not only of her, but also of several generations of girls. In 1959 the first Barbie was launched, which was named in honor of the daughter of its creator. And already at the touch the first great controversy was generated: some adults did not agree that the doll had such a pronounced chest, and believed that it could be offensive. Barbie’s success was due not only to its particular characteristics. It also had to do with a period climate. In the 50s, that is, once the Second World War ended, the home entertainment market was co-opted by a new material that would be all the rage: plastic. The first batch of Barbies was manufactured in Japan. For a cost issue, Mattel had the dolls manufactured at the Kokusai Boeki Company. But there was a problem: they had painted slanted eyes. So Ruth Handler had to return them.
Barbie was installed in the American market (and then around the world) hand in hand with the growth of another complementary industry: advertising. Another curious fact. Barbie, although she is only a doll, has a biography, which was built over the years. Her full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. It is endemic to Willows, Wisconsin, United States. And all dolls manufactured from 1959 to the present are supposed to be 19 years old. In addition, he has three sisters (Skipper, Stacie and Chelsea) and a brother, Todd. And she has a boyfriend, of course, named Kenneth Sean Carson. That is, Ken. It first appeared in 1961.In the 60s a version was released that imitated Jackie Kennedy, the wife of the then president of the United States. In 1969, the first African-American Barbie appeared. And the best-selling of all time is the 1992 “Totally Hair Barbie”. In recent years, some versions of Barbie were very controversial, or at least there were people who got angry. That happened with a doll in a wheelchair, and especially happened with the pregnant Barbie, which had to be withdrawn from sale by the claims of conservative sectors of the United States.Barbie is now not only the name of a doll, but is a registered trademark in the strictest sense of the term. That is, it is a product designed to set trends, to change the culture, and, ultimately, to make money. In that sense, the logo is very relevant. Let’s move on to Barbie, the movie. Without a doubt, the color that represents Barbie is pink. And Greta Gerwig’s film, in that sense, went three towns, because the director and her production designer needed so much pink paint for the film set, so much, that it caused a shortage of that material worldwide. Although that sounds like a marketing strategy…

Original source in Spanish