No doll in history is more popular and iconic than the Barbie doll. When visionary Ruth Handler introduced it to the public in 1959 through the toy company Mattel, demand went through the roof as girls finally had a toy that projected style and fashion all in a three-dimensional figure. But what makes a simple plastic doll so iconic? The history of Barbie shows that Barbie has stood the test of time and has managed to stay relevant for several generations, in what I like to call “The Barbie Effect”.
How was she named?
The doll was named after Handler’s daughter Barbara and was inspired by a racy German doll from a Comic Strip called Bild Lilli (Barbie Media). The doll itself was a breakthrough for young girls, representing the idea that girls can be anything.
The Public’s Reaction- What was Ruth Thinking?
Before the doll became popular it faced various issues prior to getting out of the market. At the time Mattel was a male-dominated industry. Therefore, the idea that the doll had breasts, a nonexistent feature of a doll’s figure at the time, became a huge subject for debate turning producers away from the idea. Despite her colleague’s opinions, Ruth insisted that the doll could be a huge impact on young girls socially and mentally. Ruth strongly believed that young girls wanted to pretend to be bigger girls, rather than pretend mommies. She wanted to show women worldwide that they can be the center of their own lives, instead of being household caretakers (Vice).
When the doll made its first debut at New York City’s American Toy Fair in 1959, the product line idea of Barbie felt flat. The American Toy Fair consisted of an all-men audience. This led to renewed criticism of the doll for being overly sexual and for having breasts. After the toy fair fail the idea of Barbie started to fade, as research showed that moms weren’t supportive of the Barbie idea.
Nonetheless, things started to change as Dr. Ernest Dichter did a focus group and moms started to perceive Barbie as a well-groomed doll who can teach their daughters how to snag a husband. In the 1950s women didn’t have many job opportunities, so having a husband was seen as a meal ticket. With this in mind, Ruth managed to win over the producers at Mattel, and Barbie was produced! (The Toys That Made Us).
Barbie’s Evolution & Careers:
Producers at Mattel knew they needed help from outside sources to help dress Barbie in the newest fashions. Therefore, Mattel partnered with a professional staff of top fashion designers, makeup artists, and elite couturiers. In 1985, Oscar de la Renta was Barbie’s first designer collaboration (Barbie Media). Throughout the years, Mattel showed that Barbie reflected what women embraced in different eras. In the 60s, Barbie’s face was remodeled to capture the 60s youth movement with the addition of real lashes, as false lashes began to be part of women’s makeup routine, and the addition of a rotating waist to reflect the era’s dance movement.
But this wasn’t the only time Barbie went under the knife. The brand continued to remodel Barbie’s facial features, hair, attire, and accessories depending on what was popular in each era. In the eras where men dominated the workforce, Barbie had over 200 inspirational careers empowering young girls worldwide. Each Barbie made had an adventurous story behind her portraying a realistic suburban personality, which distanced her from being perceived as a sex symbol. “It was our society that made Barbie — literally and figuratively. Her world was destined to evolve, like ours” (BillyBoy 1987: 44).
Quickly Barbie became a muse and inspiration to artists and designers worldwide, including Andy Warhol, Jeremy Scott, and Peter Max, to name a few. This is when the Barbie effect started! In 1997, the hit song, “Barbie Girl,” by Aqua topped the charts worldwide (Barbie Media). Then in 2014 at Milan Fashion Week, Moschino brand delivered a whole fashion collection, inspired by no other than Barbie and her dream wardrobe. The Barbie collection got sold out in less than an hour! Scott previously told WWD, “The thing I love most about Barbie is that she is the ultimate muse, she’s worn every style and design imaginable and at the same time she’s had every possible profession you can dream of” (WWD).
Barbie’s Body Image Controversy:
Mattel estimated that they sold one Barbie doll every three seconds. The average girl owned at least eight Barbie dolls. However, in 2016 sales started to go down by 16%. For the first time ever, Barbie fell from the number one spot as the hottest Christmas toy for girls. Losing her crown to Disney’s Frozen. Millennial moms started to see that Barbie lacked relevance and positive imagery. Barbie’s body image expectations were dramatically unrealistic. The doll was composed of a tiny waist, big breasts, a long torso, and skinny legs. If you haven’t already make sure you check out my past blog post on 25 Body Positivity Affirmations.
The truth is that Mattel had designed Barbie in a mannequin form making her suitable for all types of clothing, but because it was in realistic form Mattel got swept up in the complicated history of body image. Besides Barbie’s unrealistic body image expectations, millennial moms also felt that Barbie had outdated gender roles and an absence of ethnicities. Additionally, as society embraced self-love and body positivity Barbie fell as a negative influence (Warc).
“Barbie Effect” comes back stronger than ever:
To lift sales and recover Barbie’s reputation, Mattel introduced Barbie dolls of different shapes and sizes. This included a full-figured curvy Barbie, as well as tall and petite Barbies. The new line of Barbie also featured seven different skin tones and twenty-four hairstyles. Mattel also provided a new story that focused on what Barbie does, not what she looks like. The story was portrayed in a film called Imagine the Possibilities, the film got over 50 million views from all over the world.
In addition, Barbie launched its first-ever commercial featuring a boy playing with the doll. They also launched a campaign with dads playing Barbies with their daughters. This showed that dads can also be imaginative when playing with their kids. To re-establish what Barbie stood for and gain back the public, the brand posted #throwbackthursday images on Instagram, revisiting all of Barbie’s professions throughout the years and stating her female leadership role in society.
By the end of 2015, Barbie’s sales were up 15%, reversing eight consecutive quarters of sales decline (Warc). The public, especially racial minorities, rapidly responded positively to the new line of Barbies. Stating that it helped them gain confirmation that society accepts them for who they are. Mattel’s Barbie transformation also drew them significant media coverage. The special “Barbie Effect” was on its way upwards, once again.
The Barbie doll continues to evolve with the times, whether it’s with a change of body, face, hair, or clothes. As Mattel president Dickson stated, “Haters are going to hate. We want to make sure the Barbie lovers love us more. And perhaps changing the people who are negative to neutral. That would be nice”. As generations pass, Mattel has always worked hard to maintain the special “Barbie Effect”. It’s been 64 years since Barbie’s introduction to the public. Fast forward to 2023, the public is more excited than ever for the very first Barbie nonanimated film (starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling). Whether you love her or hate her, there’s no doubt she’s iconic and recognized worldwide!
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