1 00:00:01,880 --> 00:00:04,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to this Day in History class, where we bring 2 00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:09,560 Speaker 1: you a new tipbit from history every day. Today is 3 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:22,880 Speaker 1: March nine. The day was March nine, nineteen fifty nine, 4 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: in New York City, at the American Toy Fair, Barbie 5 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: Millicent Roberts from Willows, Wisconsin made her first appearance. The 6 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 1: plastic doll was eleven inches or eight centimeters tall, with 7 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:42,840 Speaker 1: blonde hair and idealistic body proportions. Up until this point, 8 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:46,920 Speaker 1: the most popular toy dolls in the United States didn't 9 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:51,199 Speaker 1: have adult features. But the first Barbie doll sold for 10 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 1: three dollars, and the toy quickly became a sensation for 11 00:00:55,280 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 1: children all over the world. Since Barbie's birthday, She's gotten 12 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:05,039 Speaker 1: a family, had an impressive number of careers, been to 13 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 1: a ton of places, and taking part in plenty of 14 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 1: entertaining storylines, and she can be worth a lot more 15 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:17,360 Speaker 1: than three bucks. Today, some Barbies fetch thousands of dollars, 16 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:23,200 Speaker 1: but her popularity has not come without controversy. Ruth and 17 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:27,920 Speaker 1: Elliott Handler, along with Harold Mattson, were co founders of 18 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 1: the toy company Mattel. When the Handlers were on a 19 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:35,280 Speaker 1: trip with their children, Barbara and Ken in nineteen fifty six, 20 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:38,720 Speaker 1: they saw a doll named build Lily that looked like 21 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:42,880 Speaker 1: an adult with feminine traits. That was different from the 22 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 1: dolls American children usually play with, which typically looks like infants, 23 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:51,760 Speaker 1: but Lily was on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. 24 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:54,360 Speaker 1: The Lily doll was based on a comic strip character 25 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: and initially put in tobacco shops for guys to buy 26 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:02,040 Speaker 1: as gags, but the adult figured doll, which could be 27 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 1: dressed up in different outfits, soon became a hit for kids. 28 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:11,400 Speaker 1: When Ruth came across Lily, she had already realized that 29 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 1: her daughter preferred playing with paper dolls that she pretended 30 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 1: were adults, and Lily was the perfect inspiration for Ruth's 31 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 1: own version of an adult doll. Elliott and executives at 32 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 1: mattil weren't so hot about the idea of an adult doll, 33 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,280 Speaker 1: but when Ruth got back to the States, she an 34 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: engineer Jack Ryan set to work on creating the tiny 35 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:41,359 Speaker 1: waisted doll the world came to know and love as Barbie. Barbie, 36 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 1: with her frilly bangs and blind or burnette hair pulled 37 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:48,919 Speaker 1: back into a ponytail, was marketed as a teenage fashion model. 38 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:53,520 Speaker 1: She wore a black and white striped swimsuit, had high 39 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:58,000 Speaker 1: arched eyebrows and stylish sunglasses, and her eyes were fixed 40 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:02,520 Speaker 1: in a sideways glance. And like Lily, Barbie also had 41 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 1: a wardrobe that could be purchased separately. Barbie's pale skin, 42 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:12,520 Speaker 1: exaggerated proportions, and glamorous style were reminiscent of the stars 43 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: America idolized at the time, like Rita Hayworth and Elizabeth Taylor, 44 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:21,639 Speaker 1: and even though many parents complained that Barbie's measurements were 45 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:27,160 Speaker 1: unrealistic and could negatively affect kids self image, many others 46 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 1: saw Barbie as challenging stereotypical gender roles. About three hundred 47 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: thousand Barbie dolls sold in the first year after it 48 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: was released. In nineteen sixty one, the German toymaker Grinder 49 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 1: and Hauser sued Mattel for patent infringement, saying that Barbie 50 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:47,920 Speaker 1: was a quote direct takeoff and copy of Bild Lily 51 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: and that Mattel had falsely claimed it was the originator 52 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 1: of Barbie's design, but the case was settled out of court, 53 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:59,840 Speaker 1: and Mattel soon bought Grinder In Houser's copyright and patent 54 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:02,839 Speaker 1: rights for Build Lily for twenty one thousand and six 55 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 1: hundred dollars, and Barbie sales kept skyrocketing. Mattel had pioneered 56 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: the use of commercials to market toys to kids, and 57 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:16,480 Speaker 1: they used this tactic to grow the consumer base for Barbie. 58 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:22,440 Speaker 1: In nineteen sixty one, Ken Carson, Barbie's Boyfriend, was introduced. 59 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:28,080 Speaker 1: In nineteen sixty three, Mattel launched mid Hadley, Barbie's Best Friend, 60 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:32,159 Speaker 1: to prove that Barbie wasn't just a sex symbol, and 61 00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty four, Barbie's first little sister, Skipper Roberts, 62 00:04:36,839 --> 00:04:41,360 Speaker 1: joined the family. Over the years, Barbie and her menagerie 63 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 1: of friends, family, boyfriends, celebrity companions, accessories, and homes grew, 64 00:04:47,279 --> 00:04:53,920 Speaker 1: and so did her resume, with jobs like registered nurse, astronaut, pilot, scientists, 65 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:58,719 Speaker 1: game developer, and president. Making the cut. Barbie also went 66 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:01,560 Speaker 1: through a lot of changes in a parents her eyes 67 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:04,719 Speaker 1: were changed to look straight ahead. She now comes in 68 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: different body types, and there are non white Barbies representing 69 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:14,160 Speaker 1: people of many different ethnicities and nationalities. Barbie, a symbol 70 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:17,320 Speaker 1: of the times when she was introduced, was culturally and 71 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:21,400 Speaker 1: economically compelled to reflect a changing society as time went on. 72 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:25,839 Speaker 1: Mattel has fought to keep Barbie relevant in recent years, 73 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:30,600 Speaker 1: facing changing consumer habits and a mercurial market by focusing 74 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 1: on inclusivity, but updates to the dolls, figure and background 75 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:39,960 Speaker 1: have kept Barbie alive for sixty years. I'm Eves Jeff 76 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:42,920 Speaker 1: Coote and hopefully you know a little more about history 77 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. And if you like to 78 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:50,360 Speaker 1: follow us on social media, you can find us at 79 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:56,640 Speaker 1: T d i h C Podcast on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 80 00:05:57,320 --> 00:06:00,760 Speaker 1: We'll see you tomorrow.