Barbie Fever. Barbie mania.
Did you know that “Barbie” had a German Mama?
Here she is… Lilli in her up-to-the-minute ski outfit, a “Blond Bombshell” based on a comic strip character first published in Germany’s Bild-Zeitung on 24 June 1952.
Ruth Handler, wife of a co-founder of Mattel, saw “Lilli” in 1956 while holidaying in Europe, and bought six dolls to take back to the US. Including this one where she was dressed ready for the slopes.
Mattel’s designers were ordered to come up with a similar doll for the US market, so they “tweaked” Lilli’s shape and Ruth Handler renamed the doll “Barbie”, after her daughter Barbara.
On 9 March 1959, the first Barbie doll was unveiled to the toy industry at the New York Toy Fair.
So Barbie is a German American… but it was not until 1964 that Mattel managed to obtain the rights to “Bild Lilli”, and production of the doll had to end in Germany. Then Lilli became a part of history.
In fact it had been sold in the United States as just “Lilli” or as “Lilli Marleen/Marlene” and marketed briefly to young girls.
And in 1958, a year before Barbie appeared, German cinemas were showing a murder comedy, Lilli – ein Mädchen aus der Großstadt, – Lilli A Girl From The Big City, where Lilli used her charm and good looks to help the police deal with “baddies” at a hotel, while also holding down her job at a newspaper.
Lilli was young, pretty, flippant and quite a character, and with her wardrobe of over 80 outfits, including this typical Bavaria Tracht, she mirrored the trends of popular female culture and international fashion of those post war times.
Catalogue photo of Lilly in her ski outfit is from fondationtanagra. In those days snowfalls were heavier and lasted longer than today, so skiing was something of an “everyday” experience during the winter months in many of Germany’s regions.
I watched “Barbie” today in the cinema. I loved it. My 8 year old god child was rather bored (she was excited about the bed cinema & popcorn). It’s not a typical kids film. It’s about the “real world”. It’s about feminism. It’s comedy. It’s fun. Barbie is leaving her Truman’s world. Good job, Greta Gerwig!
The movie is ending, that Barbie decides to be a human living in “our humans world” and making an appointment at the gynecologist. And she’s not in love with Ken! Oh dear! Ken may not sell anymore…
Enough told. Everyone who loves Barbie should watch it.
Stuttgart547 