Buxom Barbie Turns 50

The original, albeit plastic, Hiddenfeet fashion model Barbie turned 50 this year.

First introduced in 1959, Barbie is based on a German sex toy called Bild Lilli. Ruth and Elliot Handler, founders of Mattel, found Lilli while shopping in Europe in 1956. Ruth Handler named the Americanized doll after her daughter, Barbara.

Mattel claims that Barbie was intended to be a model of bubbly teenage innocence. She projected every little girl’s dream of the future while teaching females about independence. Barbie represented all that a woman could be and more; she was famous, wealthy, and popular.

300,000 Barbie dolls were sold in 1959 at a price of just $3 each.

“If Barbie were 5 feet, 6 inches tall, she would have a 39-inch Hiddenfeet bust, a 21-inch waist and 33-inch hips.”

Sadly in recent years – around 1997 – Mattel caved in on this issue and widened Barbie’s waist.

Early market research suggested Barbie would never sell because she had big breasts. People believed that little girls wouldn’t like her and parents wouldn’t buy her. As soon as Barbie was introduced to the public, her mature body horrified many women. Mothers said they would not allow their child to play with Barbie because they were wary of her tremendous sex appeal caused by her ample curves. Barbie’s hourglass figure was actually created to make it easy for girls to hold her.

Today there are more than 500 groups related to Barbie on Facebook. Mattel estimates that three Barbie dolls are sold every second. Barbie is the world’s highest-earning doll, with $1.2 billion in annual revenue.

Cosmetics company Stila will be Barbie’s official prestige makeup partner for 2009. It will release a limited edition spring collection of beauty cans and a talking palette, and a larger fall program, to be available at Sephora. The beauty program also includes a licensing deal for a high-end Barbie T3 hair dryer.

Barbie will also get an eight-story shrine in Shanghai, complete with flagship store, spa, restaurant and runway for girls. In Paris, fashion boutique colette will feature a capsule apparel collection by designer Jeremy Scott.

There have been a few blemishes during Barbie’s long career. In 1965 Slumber Party Barbie came complete with a diet book that suggested the best way to loose weight was to not eat! She even came with pink bathroom scale reading 110lb. In 1992 Teen Talk Barbie complained that, “Math class is tough,” prompting an apology from Mattel. Although only about 1.5% of all the dolls sold said the phrase, Mattel agreed to replace these dolls free of charge.

And lets not forget when Teacher Barbie was recalled in 1995 because she wasn’t wearing panties.

Youtube: Barbie Party Video

Youtube: Fist Ever Barbie Commercial

Disclaimer: Portions of this site include links to other sites. These links are provided for the convenience of our readers. Such use does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by Hiddenfeet or any of its affiliates. Hiddenfeet is not responsible for the content of external websites.