Origin
In the mid 1940’s, Ruth Handler and her husband, Elliot, were owners of a toy company named Mattle, with their friend Harold Mattson. Business was slow for them in that time. However, none of them expected the extreme success that they would experience with the release of a brand new idea of the doll, Barbie.
The first idea of the creation of Barbie came from Ruth on a European visit for business. While on her trip, she went searching for inspiration for new toys of her own and came across Lilli, an adult doll made for little girls to play with. Lilli was a huge step up from the paper dolls that many young girls had played with for so many years before in America. So, she brought the doll home for her own daughter. Ruth thought that if her daughter loved this doll so much, then other girls would like it too. This inspired her to create a doll for the typical American girl for an affordable price. When Handler presented her idea of the new doll, she was shot down immediately and was told that she would never be successful in the market with such a doll.
With not the slightest doubt, Mattle released this highly anticipated doll. Barbie Millicent Roberts, named after Handler’s daughter, Barbara, went to store shelves in 1958. She debuted as a young woman, the first in America, at 11½ inches tall. She wore a black and white striped swimsuit, sunglasses, high-heels, and gold earrings. The public was amazed with this new creation. By 1960, the orders started pouring into Mattle. This new corporate giant took several years to catch up with the high demands for Barbie. Within ten years of releasing, Barbie’s new fans spent $500 million worth of her and her products.