Editing Barbie (section)

==History==

===Development===

[[File:Ruth Handler in 1961.jpg|thumb|Barbie creator [[Ruth Handler]] with an assortment of Barbie and Mattel products (1961)]]
[[Ruth Handler]] watched her daughter Barbara play with paper dolls, and noticed that she often enjoyed giving them adult roles. At the time, most children's toy dolls were representations of infants. Realizing that there could be a gap in the market, Handler suggested the idea of an adult-bodied doll to her husband [[Elliot Handler|Elliot]], a co-founder of the [[Mattel]] toy company. He was unenthusiastic about the idea, as were Mattel's directors.<ref>Mary G. Lord, ''Forever Barbie: The unauthorized biography of a real doll'' ([[Bloomsbury Publishing]] USA, 2004).</ref>

During a trip to Switzerland in 1956 with her children Barbara and [[Kenneth Handler|Kenneth]], Ruth Handler came across a German toy doll called [[Bild Lilli doll|Bild Lilli]].<ref name="WP-20230525">{{cite news |last=Javaid |first=Maham |title=Barbie's 'pornographic' origin story, as told by historians - A new trailer for the Barbie movie shows her visiting the real world. In reality, the doll was based on a German sex toy called Lilli. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/05/25/barbie-trailer-creator-pornographic-origin-doll/  |date=May 25, 2023 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20230526144415/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/05/25/barbie-trailer-creator-pornographic-origin-doll/ |archivedate=May 26, 2023 |accessdate=May 26, 2023 }}</ref>{{efn|In an interview with Mary G. Lord, the author of ''Forever Barbie'', Ruth Handler said that she saw the doll in [[Lucerne]], Switzerland. However, the book points out that on other occasions Handler said that she saw the doll in [[Zürich]] or [[Vienna]].}} The adult-figured doll was exactly what Handler had in mind, so she purchased three of them. She gave one to her daughter and took the others back to Mattel. The Lilli doll was based on a popular character appearing in a satirical [[comic strip]] drawn by Reinhard Beuthin for the newspaper ''[[Bild]]''.<ref name="Lilli">{{cite news |title=Sassy with a sidelong glance: Meet Lilli, Barbie's German inspiration |url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/sassy-with-a-sidelong-glance-meet-lilli-barbie-s-german-inspiration-20230719-p5dpo0.html |access-date=August 29, 2023 |work=Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref> The Lilli doll was first sold in [[West Germany]] in 1955, and although it was initially sold to adults, it became popular with children who enjoyed dressing her up in outfits that were available separately.<ref name="Lilli"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Meet Lilli, the High-end German Call Girl Who Became America's Iconic Barbie Doll|url=http://www.messynessychic.com/2016/01/29/meet-lilli-the-high-end-german-call-girl-who-became-americas-iconic-barbie-doll/|website=Messy Nessy|access-date=10 February 2018|date=January 29, 2016}}</ref>

Upon her return to the United States, Handler redesigned the doll (with help from local inventor-designer [[Jack Ryan (designer)|Jack Ryan]]) and the doll was given a new name, ''Barbie'', after Handler's daughter Barbara. The doll made its debut at the [[American International Toy Fair]] in [[New York City]] on March 9, 1959.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://jwa.org/thisweek/mar/09/1959/ruth-mosko-handler | title=Ruth Mosko Handler unveils Barbie Doll | publisher=[[Jewish Women's Archive]] | access-date=8 March 2014}}</ref> This date is also used as Barbie's official birthday.

===Launch===

[[File:MattelBarbieno1br.jpg|thumb|upright|The first Barbie doll was introduced in [[Blonde versus brunette rivalry|both blonde and brunette]] on March 9, 1959.]]
The first Barbie doll wore a black-and-white zebra striped swimsuit and signature topknot [[ponytail]], and was available as either a [[blonde]] or [[brunette]]. The doll was marketed as a "Teen-age Fashion Model", with her clothes created by Mattel fashion designer Charlotte Johnson.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Barbie|url=https://www.firstversions.com/2014/12/barbie.html|access-date=2021-06-02|website=FirstVersions.com}}</ref>

Analysts expected the doll to perform poorly due to her adult appearance and widespread assumptions about consumer preferences at the time. Ruth Handler believed it was important for Barbie to have an adult appearance, but early [[market research]] showed that some parents were unhappy about the doll's chest, which had distinct breasts.<ref name="oust">{{Cite web|title=Mattel, Inc. History|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/mattel-inc-history/|work=International Directory of Company Histories. Vol.61.|publisher=St. James Press (2000)|access-date=May 7, 2014}}</ref>

Barbie sold about 350,000 units in her first year, beating market expectations and generating [[upside risk]] for investors. Sales of Barbie [[Deadweight loss|exceeded]] Mattel's ability to produce her for the first three years of her run. The market stabilized for the next decade while volume and margin increased by exporting [[Refurbishment (electronics)|refurbished]] dolls to [[Japan]]. Barbie was manufactured in Japan during this time, with her clothes hand-stitched by Japanese homeworkers.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dean |first1=Grace |title=Barbie is the star of the summer's hottest blockbuster. The much-hyped movie is the pinnacle of a 60-year history filled with rejections, lawsuits, and controversies for the world's most iconic doll. |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/barbie-history-mattel-ruth-handler-ken-doll-toy-fashion-movie |website=Business Insider |access-date=14 October 2023}}</ref>

[[Louis Marx and Company]] sued Mattel in March 1961. After licensing Lilli, they claimed that Mattel had "infringed on Greiner & Hausser's patent for Bild-Lilli's hip joint", and also claimed that Barbie was "a direct take-off and copy" of Bild-Lilli. The company additionally claimed that Mattel "falsely and misleadingly represented itself as having originated the design". Mattel counter-claimed and the case was settled out of court in 1963. In 1964, Mattel bought Greiner & Hausser's copyright and patent rights for the Bild-Lilli doll for $21,600, {{Inflation|index=US|value=21000|start_year=1964|r=-3|fmt=eq}}.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Toy monster: the big, bad world of Mattel|last = Oppenheimer|first = Jerry|publisher = Wiley|year = 2009|isbn = 978-0071402118|location = Hoboken, N.J.|pages = 33–34}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-dec-23-fi-barbie23-story.html| title=Mattel Wins Ruling in Barbie Dispute | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | access-date=29 April 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Charlotte Johnson with 1965 Barbie doll.jpg|thumb|Clothing designer Charlotte Johnson with a 1965 doll]]
Barbie's appearance has been changed many times, most notably in 1971 when the doll's eyes were adjusted to look forwards rather than having the demure sideways glance of the original model. This would be the last adjustment Ruth would make to her own creation as, three years later, she and her husband Elliot were removed from their posts at Mattel after an investigation found them guilty of issuing false and misleading financial reports.<ref name="oust" />

Barbie was one of the first toys to have a marketing strategy based extensively on television advertising, which has been copied widely by other toys. In 2006, it was estimated that over a billion Barbie dolls had been sold worldwide in over 150 countries, with Mattel claiming that three Barbie dolls are sold every second.<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5370398.stm |work=[[BBC News]] | title=Vintage Barbie struts her stuff | date=September 22, 2006 | access-date=April 26, 2010}}</ref>

Sales of Barbie dolls declined sharply from 2014 to 2016.<ref name="wsj.com">{{Cite web|last=Ziobro|first=Paul|date=28 January 2016|title=Mattel to Add Curvy, Petite, Tall Barbies: Sales of the doll have fallen at double-digit rate for past eight quarters|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/mattel-to-add-curvy-petite-tall-barbies-1453991134|website=[[Wall Street Journal]]|access-date=23 September 2020}}</ref>  According to [[MarketWatch]], the release of the 2023 film [[Barbie (film)|''Barbie'']] is expected to create "significant growth" for the brand until at least 2030.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2023 "Barbie Doll Market" Regional Sales and Future Trends Analysis |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/2023-barbie-doll-market-regional-sales-and-future-trends-analysis-2023-04-25 |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=MarketWatch |language=EN-US |archive-date=July 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230719074132/https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/2023-barbie-doll-market-regional-sales-and-future-trends-analysis-2023-04-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref> {{anchor|Barbiecore}}As well as reinvigorated sales, the release of the film triggered a fashion trend known as "Barbiecore"<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2023-06-27 |title=The Long, Complicated, and Very Pink History of Barbiecore |url=https://time.com/6290606/barbiecore-trend-history/ |access-date=2023-07-19 |magazine=Time |language=en}}</ref> and a film-related cultural phenomena named [[Barbenheimer]].