Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler (1916–2002) is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration.
Barbie is the figurehead of a brand of Mattel dolls and accessories, including other family members and collectible dolls. Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for fifty years, and has been the subject of numerous controversies and lawsuits, often involving parody of the doll and her lifestyle.
Ruth Handler watched her daughter Barbara at 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, a co-founder of the Mattel toy company. He was unenthusiastic about the idea, as were Mattel's directors.
During a trip to Europe in 1956 with her children Barbara and Kenneth, Ruth Handler came across a German toy doll called Bild Lilli. 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 comic strip drawn by Reinhard Beuthin for the newspaper Die Bild-Zeitung. Lilli was a working girl who knew what she wanted and was not above using men to get it. The Lilli doll was first sold in 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.
Upon her return to the United States, Handler reworked the design of the doll (with help from engineer 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 on March 9, 1959. This date is also used as Barbie's official birthday.
Mattel acquired the rights to the Bild Lilli doll in 1964 and production of Lilli was stopped. 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. The first Barbie dolls were manufactured in Japan, with their clothes hand-stitched by Japanese homeworkers. Around 350,000 Barbie dolls were sold during the first year of production.
Ruth Handler believed that it was important for Barbie to have an adult appearance, and early market research showed that some parents were unhappy about the doll's chest, which had distinct breasts. 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.
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. It is estimated that over a billion Barbie dolls have been sold worldwide in over 150 countries, with Mattel claiming that three Barbie dolls are sold every second.
The standard range of Barbie dolls and related accessories are manufactured to approximately 1/6th scale, which is also known as playscale. Barbie products include not only the range of dolls with their clothes and accessories, but also a large range of Barbie branded goods such as books, apparel, cosmetics and video games. Barbie has appeared in a series of animated films and is a supporting character in Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3.
Barbie has become a cultural icon and has been given honors that are rare in the toy world. In 1974 a section of Times Square in New York City was renamed Barbie Boulevard for a week. In 1985 the artist Andy Warhol created a painting of Barbie.
In 2009, Barbie celebrated her 50th birthday. The celebrations included a runway show in New York for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.[6] The event showcased fashions contributed by fifty well-known haute couturiers including Diane von Fürstenberg, Vera Wang, Calvin Klein, Bob Mackie, and Christian Louboutin.
COLLECTABLES
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Celebrity Collectables
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Barbie
Joanna Gamble of Virginia
Boutique and Gift Shop
This page was last updated on: September 10, 2010
Emerson Barbie Tune Blossom Personal CD-R/RW Player
Barbie Tune Blossom Personal CD (CD-R/RW) Player. On-the-go Barbie girls can listen to their favorite tunes using the brightly colored, flower-shaped Barbie Tune Blossom personal CD Player, including a 20-track programmable memory, repeat track, random play and anti-skip features. For easy listening, the unique butterfly-shaped pink wrap-around stereo headphones match the unit's flower design. Additionally, the gemstone fun button takes the Equalizer System one fashionable step forward operating the equalizer functions for pop, rock and surround sound.
* Gemstone "Fun" Button activates equalizer functions with pop, rock and surround
* CD, CD-R, CD-RW playback compatible
* 60 second anti-skip memory
* 20 track programmable memory system
* stereo headphones included
Emerson
Barbie Blossom DVD Player
Barbie Blossom Player DVD Player with Remote Control. Little girls will love this easy to use front-loading DVD player that plays audio CDs and DVDs. The Barbie Blossom Player features shades of pink with fun flowers and butterfly accents and a pink gemstone fun power button. There's also a wide screen option, high-speed forward and reverse search, as well as a matching 33-key remote control.
* Front-Loading, Vertical DVD Player, with Custom Barbie Opening Screen
* Plays Audio, CD's and CD-R/RW Discs
* Selectable 16:9 (Wide Screen) or 4:3 (Normal Aspect Ratio)
* High-speed forward, reverse picture search and slow-motion forward search
* Full Function Remote Control
Barbie Twist N' Turn Musical Phone
* Barbie Avenue Twist N' Turn Barbie Musical Animated Phone is a TeleMania Segan Products/Dominion Entertainment, under license from Mattel production.
* Authentic 7-1/2" sculpture of Barbie wearing Poodle Skirt dances to original Chubby Checker music while the record turns.
* Features: Demonstration Button, Last Number Redial, Switchable Ringer, Tone/Pulse Switchable, & Volume Control.
* ETL Listed & FCC Approved. Hearing Aid Compatable. Requires 4 "C" Batteries NOT included.
* Box size approx. 11.25" high x 9.25" wide x 6.5" deep. Barbie Twists to the Chubby Checker Music. Great for any collection or for fun play
Barbie™ Beauty Queen Watch
An American icon.
Silvertone. 9" leather-look strap.
Adult size only.
Barbie Blossom
Telephone with Caller ID
Barbie Blossom Phone Caller ID Telephone. Girls can catch up with their friends in style with this cute and colorful telephone, featuring a bright pink hand set with comfortable rubber grips, bubble gum pink base and sparkled number display. The fabulous design is matched with cool phone features including a gemstone fun button which activates a Barbie melody ring tone and a flashing light in the Barbie flower frame for those important incoming calls. The Barbie Blossom Phone Caller ID Telephone features 64 number caller ID memory, last number redial function, tone/pulse switchable dialing and selectable display language (English/French/Spanish.) Message waiting function and caller ID display are available through subscription service from local phone company.
* Gemstone FUN Button Activates Barbie Melody Ringtone
* Flashing Flower Petals with each incoming call
* 10-Memory Auto Dialer (Stores up to 10 of your most frequently dialed numbers)
* Caller ID Display Shows the Name and Number of the Calling Party (Requires Caller ID Subscription Service from your local telephone company)
* Selectable Display Language (English/French/Spanish)
Barbie Bloom Tube
13" TV with Digtal Tuner
Barbie Bloom Tube 13-Inch Television With Digital Tuner is perfect for little girls' bedrooms, this pretty-in-pink 13-inch color Barbie Bloom Tube features fun, colorful flower graphics and a remote-control. This fully-featured television includes parental control, automatic channel programming, 120 minute sleep timer, front headphone jack, front panel audio and video inputs to easily connect a DVD player or gaming system.
* ATSC/NTSC Dual Digital Tuner
* Automatic Channel Programming with parental controls
* Programmable 120 Minute Sleep Timer
* Easy Access Front Cabinet Audio and Video Input Jacks for gaming
* Full Function Remote Control
Emerson Barbie Blossom 13
Barbie Blossom Player DVD Player with Remote Control. Little girls will love this easy to use front-loading DVD player that plays audio CDs and DVDs. The Barbie Blossom Player features shades of pink with fun flowers and butterfly accents and a pink gemstone fun power button. There's also a wide screen option, high-speed forward and reverse search, as well as a matching 33-key remote control.
* Front-Loading, Vertical DVD Player, with Custom Barbie Opening Screen
* Plays Audio, CD's and CD-R/RW Discs
* Selectable 16:9 (Wide Screen) or 4:3 (Normal Aspect Ratio)
* High-speed forward, reverse picture search and slow-motion forward search
* Full Function Remote Control
Barbie Flower Karaoke CD+G System (Pink)
Reconditioned Includes Microphone, CD Player, Compatible with CD+G, CD-R/RW, Features Master Volume Control, Auto Voice Control, Echo Control to Reduce Hollow-Sounding Tracks, Balance Control, 2-Digit LED Display
Barbie Petal Sound Systemfor iPod. Girls can listen to their music in style with this fun Made for iPod speaker system, featuring bright pink and purple flower speakers and light pink buttons. The Barbie Petal Sound System Made for iPod includes a pink gemstone fun button that activates a light ring around the system. The speaker system features a Made For iPod top-mounted docking station, 2 dynamic full range speakers, stereo headphone jack, RCA video out jack and an alarm with snooze button. The system works with Apple iPods® (including Mini, Nano, 5G, and Video) as well as our Barbie Petal MP3 Player and recharges iPod batteries when connected to the docking station.
* Integrated, top-mounted iPod docking station works with all iPods and standard MP3 Players
* Five universal iPod adaptors and cover included
* AM/FM stereo with digital frequency display
* Gemstone button activates nightlight
* Wake to iPod or radio
Radio Barbie 1GB MP3 Player (Pink)
Emerson's Barbie MP3 player is a great way for girls to listen to their favorite music while showing off their favorite icon. This MP3 player is easy for any young girl to use with the direct USB plug making it easy to connect directly to computer and download music without having to search for USB cord. MP3 Player is capable of playing WMA files as well as MP3 files. Player has a LCD display with a blue backlight making it easy to read track artist, title, track number and countdown. Girls can enjoy the fun of singing their favorite songs and recording them onto player, allowing them to share their talents with friends and parents. Player operates on one AAA battery(not included) that gives player seven hours of playback time. MP3 player comes with earphones, USB cable, and CD-ROM.
* MP3 Player with direct USB plug
* Compatible with MP3 and WMA files
* LCD display with blue backlight; displays ID3 tag
* Voice recording capabilities
* Operates on 1 AAA battery, not included; 7-hours playback time
Barbie Petal Sound System
with iPod Dock
Radio Barbie 1GB MP3 Player (Pink)
Barbie Petal MP3 Player with Photo Viewer. On-the-go Barbie girls can have music and photo entertainment in the palm of their hand with the new Barbie Petal MP3 Player - a compact and colorful way to sport the hottest in high technology! Girls can listen to their favorite MP3's or rock out to one of the four embedded Barbie songs included on the Player using the comfortable ear bud headphones. A gemstone fun button also activates voice recording! More than just a music player, the Barbie Petal MP3 Player lets girls carry their favorite JPEG photos with them everywhere they go. Images are displayed on the 1.5-inch screen and can be navigated using the bright pink flower-shaped buttons. The Barbie Petal MP3 Player comes with a built-in rechargeable battery (16 hour lifespan per use), built in flash memory, USB cable, start-up disk, headphones and pink lanyard for your neck.
* Gemstone Fun Button Activates Voice Recording
* 1.5 display, 512MB Built-In Memory; Four Embedded Barbie Songs
* Supports: MP3 and WAM format Music and JPEG format Photos
* Built-In standard mini USB Port, USB Cable Included
* Built-In Rechargeable Battery
* MP3 Player with direct USB plug
* Compatible with MP3 and WMA files
* LCD display with blue backlight; displays ID3 tag
* Voice recording capabilities
* Operates on 1 AAA battery, not included; 7-hours playback time
Rose Splendor
Barbie® Doll
The Most Collectible Doll in the World®… a great addition to any Customer's collection or the perfect way to start one.Ages 6 and up. Imported.
African American, Caucasian
$54.00
