Hobbies And Interests
Barbie's Inspiration and Premiere
In 1945, toy maker Elliot Handler partnered with Harold Mattson to form the Mattel toy company. Elliot's wife Ruth noticed that her daughter, Barbara, assigned a grown-up persona to her paper dolls when she played with them. On a trip to Switzerland, Ruth spotted a German doll named Lilli. The 3-D doll was shaped like a grown woman and girls could dress her in actual clothes, a far cry from baby dolls or paper dolls. Ruth created her own doll and named her Barbie, after her daughter. Mattel premiered Barbie to the world at the 1959 New York Toy Show. Toy makers were nonplussed, but the public loved her.
First Barbie
Mattel's very first Barbie stood 11 ½ inches tall. She wore her hair in a typical youthful '50s style of curls on top and a high ponytail in back. She was available as either a blonde or brunette. She wore red lipstick and her eyes were painted to be playfully cast to the side. She was marketed as a "teen fashion model" and as her first ever outfit she wore a strapless, black and white-striped one-piece bathing suit. She came with black open-toe high heels, cat's eye shaped sunglasses and a stand upon which she stood due to holes in the bottoms of both of her feet.
Early Clothing
One of the biggest draws of the new Barbie doll was the ability for girls to dress her in the glamorous fashions they saw on Hollywood starlets. The 1959 Barbie came with 22 fashionable clothing ensembles, many of which were evening or party looks. Ruth hired an actual fashion designer named Charlotte Johnson to create the clothes in exact replicas to 1/6 scale. For that first Barbie, Mattel sold ensembles such as "Evening Splendour," a lovely brocade sheath dress and coat, the red and white striped outfit named "Roman Holiday" and even a gorgeous look called "Wedding Day" that came complete with a veil and bouquet.
Accessories
Each of the original Barbie outfits came with accessories that fit the theme of the ensemble. Outfits for around the house came with items such as mirrors, cosmetics and aprons. Fashionable daytime outfits came with handbags, belts and hats, and glamorous evening ensembles came with jewelry, gloves, coats and fur wraps. All outfits came with shoes and sometimes had a change of shoes as well. Mattel also sold accessories such as shoes, jewelry and handbags separately for different looks.