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Monday, June 2, 2008

BARBIE DOLL HISTORY


The History of Barbie starts with Mattel, Inc. which is the company behind the production and distribution of Barbie dolls in the market. Because of the success of Barbies, it is the major revenue of the company from past history to the present. The wonderful invention of the late businesswoman Ruth Handler (1916-2002) and the magnificent design by a German doll named Bild Lilli, the Barbie doll was invented and came to be a reality. Barbie was classified as one of the important dolls promoting the latest trend in fashion dolls. Handler was inspired to create this toy when she watched her daughter Barbara playing paper dolls, and noticed that her daughter often gave them adult roles. During that time most children's toy dolls were played with by infants. Realizing the problem in the market, Handler suggested to her husband Elliot, to help her conceptualized an adult-bodied doll. However, Handler's hubby and the Mattel's directors did not consider her offer.

When Barbie was created, she coined the name of Handler's daughter Barbara. Barbie's debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York on March 9, 1959, the date was also chosen as Barbie's birthday, meanwhile, Mattel acquired the rights of the Bild Lilli doll in 1964 and later on stopped the production of the German-made doll.

When it comes to endorsing the products, Mattel advertised the doll on television, which gathered positive feedback from the buyers. The placement on the television ad was copied by some other toy companies. The doll company reported that over a Billion Barbies have been sold worldwide throughout history in over 150 countries, with Mattel claiming that at least three dolls are sold every second.