barbie story
[1945yılındaElliotHandlerveeşiRuthLosAngeles’taküçükbirgarajıbuamaçladonatarakoyuncaküretmeyebaşladılar.DahasonraonlaraailedostuHarold”Matt”Matsondakatıldı.BirlikteortaklarınadlarınınveyatakmaadlarınınilkhecelerininbirleşimindenoluşanMattelşirketinikurdular.
Barbie, Ruth Handler tarafından yaratıldı. 1955’te Alpler’de tatil yaparken bir hediyelik eşya dükkanının vitrininde, Alman tabloid gazetesi Bild Zeitung için bir karikatürist tarafından çizgi romanlara dayanarak icat edilen bir Bild Lilly bebeği gördü. Parlak makyajlı, ince sarışın oyuncak, bir koleksiyon parçası olarak yetişkinlere yönelikti. Daha sonra Ruth, model parametrelerle kağıttan kız figürleri kesip üzerlerinde kağıttan “kıyafetler” deneyen Barbara’nın kızı ve arkadaşlarının oyunlarını izledi. Daha sonra Ruth, çocukların oyuncak bebeklerden daha fazlasına ihtiyaç duyduğunu düşündü ve uzun boyu, dar beli ve belirgin kadınsılığıyla diğerlerinden farklı olan bir oyuncak bebek yarattı. İşleyicilerin kızı Barbara’nın onuruna Barbie adı verildi.
Sarı saçlı, siyah beyaz mayolu ve yan bakan gözlere sahip orijinal Barbie, 1959’da satışa çıktı.
The first batch of dolls was sold at the American International Toy Fair in two versions – a brunette and a blonde in a black and white swimsuit (clothes were purchased separately). At the same time, the parents at first were skeptical about the new baby, and the Handler himself did not believe in his success.
“I immediately said to my wife, ‘Ruth, no mother would buy her daughter a doll these shapes,’” Elliott Handler later recalled.
However, the model-looking doll quickly conquered the world market and became a bestseller in many countries.
“Unlike the bobblehead game, where the little girl is largely limited to the role of mother, Barbie has always represented that women have choices. Even in her early years, Barbie didn’t have to settle for just being Ken’s girlfriend or an avid shopper. For example, she had the necessary clothes to launch a career as a nurse, flight attendant or nightclub singer,” Ruth Handler wrote in her memoirs.
Shortly after the first doll was released, Mattel began producing dollhouses, dishes, clothing, and other related items. Later, Barbie made a friend named Ken, named after the Handler couple’s son Kenneth. The baby gradually acquired friends, relatives, children and pets.
Today, Barbie dolls come in 35 skin tones, 97 hair styles and nine body types. Among them there are large babies with wheelchairs, Down syndrome, vitiligo and other features. Mattel vice president and chief brand officer Lisa McKnight said in a comment to Reuters:
“Barbie used to be more of a unique reflection of beauty and more one-dimensional. “There are a lot of Barbies today and we have different views on the brand.”
In addition, the doll tried on various professions and social roles, from housewife to astronaut, and was also embodied in the images of real people. Over the years, dolls have been released in honor of Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Reese Witherspoon, Gigi Hadid, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Kristen Stewart and other celebrities. In 2021, Anna Kikina, the only woman in the Roscosmos cosmonaut corps, became the prototype of Barbie.
Barbie in Russia
Soviet children learned about Barbie in the 1980s when speculators began selling her. In the early 1990s, the doll appeared on the shelves of Russian stores and gained great popularity; this continues to this day, despite Mattel’s official departure from Russia in 2022. Antonina Tsitsulina, head of the Association of Enterprises of the Children’s Products Industry (AIDT), told socialbites.ca about this.
“Official deliveries were stopped in May 2022 and by the end of the year the previously imported quantity was sold – these were significant reserves. Parallel imports focus on the company’s new and most popular products. Tsitsulina stated that the first to implement direct delivery were retail chains and some marketplaces.
He added that Mattel has also suspended licensing for the production of products under its own brand in Russia in 2022. The organization had a direct representative office in the country, independently supplying products. Following the cessation of operations, all contracts were terminated. However, the company has the right to file legal claims regarding the sale of counterfeit products in Russia.
“The import of original products is not licensed, they can be imported without restrictions using the parallel import mechanism,” the expert said.
According to Tsitsulina, besides the originals, there has always been a wide variety of “Barbie-like” dolls on the market, including those developed in Russia. For example, dolls of the Gulliver company produced in China and toys of other international companies. Still, Barbie remains the undisputed leader in her category.
“We do not have factories in Russia that can reproduce entire lines of toys, from houses to pets to clothes, especially small dolls and accessories. The head of AIDT said that single dolls were found at the Vesna doll factory in the Kirov region.
In the summer of 2023, worldwide excitement for the “Barbie” movie spread to Russia, despite the film not being officially released in the country. As Tsitsulina noted, sales of Barbie and related products in Russia increased 1.5 times from July 21 to July 28, 2023.