The Story of Barbie and the Woman Who Created Her,” from 2017. This charming picture book, with illustrations by Amy June Bates, reminds us that Barbie isn’t just about outrageous pink outfits, tacky Dream Houses, and Malibu beach parties.
Barbie contains multitudes. Ruth Handler created Barbie in 1959 as a teen fashion model. At the time, the only dolls available for little girls to play with were baby dolls.
But Handler — who launched Mattel with her husband in 1949 as a doll-furniture company — noticed that her own daughter was more interested in paper dolls that looked like adults.
She thought, Why not create a more sophisticated specimen with different clothes she can wear on her imaginary adventures?Handler based Barbie’s bodacious body on a German sex doll named Lilli.
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