Barbie Turns 50

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From the BUSINESS section: Barbie Turns 50



Barbie, as she looked in 1959

“I told you so!” This was how Ruth Handler, creator of the Barbie doll, responded to her business partners after the famous toy sold 351,000 “units” during its first year of production.

They had told Ruth that the Barbie doll would never be successful. Why? Because “they didn’t think that the public would accept a doll with breasts,” said Handler.

Clearly, little girls accepted this “more mature” version of baby dolls.

Since then, they’ve sold more than 1 billion Barbie dolls and more than 173,000 are sold…EVERY DAY!

Barbie’s roots go back to Lilli – a racy plastic doll based on a German comic strip character. The voluptuous Lilly was far from being a toy for little girls; let’s just say she was “developed” more with men in mind.

Throughout the years, the Barbie doll has faced harsh criticism. Some people in the United States attacked the Barbie doll for having an unrealistic physique -and therefore leading to negative body image- pigeonholing her as anti-feminist.

Others have blamed Barbie for creating even more materialistic kids.

Ruth Handler defended her creation, saying that Barbie helped break conservative gender roles of women in the 1950’s.

During her first half century of life, Barbie has worked as a doctor, pilot, astronaut and she’s even been a candidate for the presidency of the United States.

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Vocabulary:

To turn. Cumplir (años)

I told you so! ¡Te lo dije!

Racy. Subido de tono

Harsh. Duro, severo

Physique. Físico

To pigeonhole. Encasillar, clasificar

Published by: Drew Crosby