Pull up a chair on my front porch and share my journey.
I’m about to take you down memory lane, some you can relate to, some will be of interest to you, only because its history we all shared in one way or another..
Gloria, is my name, but this is not about me as much as is the interesting historical icon I will be sharing with you, Pull up a chair, make yourself comfortable, stay awhile. But let me start from my unpainted country front porch. My best childhood friend, Linda, whom I have not seen or heard from for many, many years was joining me for the afternoon, After one summer break she just disappeared, never saw her again, till now.
My Front Porch Encounter
There was a gentle breeze through the old cedar and mesquite trees hovering over the well shaded route 1 mailbox. I could see her approaching as she traveled the old winding dirt road. We hugged, cried, laughed, and settled into the rocking chairs with a glass of iced tea on my old country Texas porch trying to catch up on the many years that had passed us by.
At one point she turned and looked through the screen door.”Glo” (she used to call me, Glo),just as she had many, many years ago, is that a Barbie?” I smiled, “it sure is” “I never knew you collected Barbies,” I replied No, actually I don’t collect them the way collectors do” I said with a grin. “Come inside, I want you to meet my girls.
Inside, she stopped in her tracks. Everywhere she looked stood Barbies dressed in gala gowns-rich velvets, delicate lace, shimmering satin, flowing tulle and sparkling trims. Every gown had been deigned by hand. Every doll has a name. My Christmas Girl, My August Girl, to me they were not simply dolls sitting on a shelf. They were my girls.
If Barbie has ever held a special place in your heart, I’d like to welcome you, please come in, join us. I’m delighted you are here. Together we’ll discover fascinating history, remarkable people, beautiful fashion and perhaps even a few memories of your own. I hope you leave with a deeper appreciation for Barbie’s history and the memories she has created for us through generations
Come on in, my girls have been waiting for you. But you must have heard about the doll before the doll. She shook her head “No”, you say, brace yourself because I was stunned too.
I sew for fun, a hobby, I guess, for me, I find it very therapeutic. No rushing, no deadlines, no customer to satisfy, no pressure to be perfect. I just let my mind wander with creativity, freedom, imagination, and passion. After I retired, I promised my little niece, I would help her sew dresses for her Barbies. You see, I never owned a Barbie, or any doll. I was more of a tomboy, climbing the mesquite trees, running in the rain, chasing lizards, making mud pies on that winding dirt road
I loved my childhood, even though we had very little. I remember my mother sewing on her old treadle Singer sewing machine, it was one of my favorite memories. She made all our clothes, she never had been trained, she did not have tutorials, night classes, internet, she was self-taught. She never stopped working. She was my hero.
THE HIDDEN DOLL BEFORE BARBIE ARRIVED
Did you know Barbie’s story began with a German comic doll by the name of Lilli?
Her journey is one of the most fascinating stories in toy history. The Bild Lilli doll was a West German line of fashion doll launched by Griener & Hausser in August 1955 and continued until 1964. Actually, Barbie’s design was inspired by Lilli ,a comic strip character created by Reinhard Beuthien for the German tabloid newspaper Bild..
In 1953 the newspaper decided to market their Lilli doll, Reinhard contacted Max Weissbrodt of a toy company, O &M, Hausser in Neustadt bei Coburg, Weissbrodt designed a prototype doll based on Beuthiens’ cartoons, it was sold from 1955 till 1964.
Surprisingly, Lilli was never intended for children, the Lilli cartoons Reinhard published were not for children. Lilli was marketed to adults primarily men as a novelty, a joke, more of a gag gift at tobacconists, kiosks, and newspaper stands that normally sold flowers, chocolates and other small giftware, never at toy stores for children. Her indiscrete, stylish wardrobe made her the “star of every bar”. Per research approximately total of 130.000 were made and sold. She was a little expensive, something of a luxury item. She was not displayed everywhere..
As her popularity grew and in order to cash in her popularity, the German toy factories produced toy accessories and eventually Lilli became popular with children and parents. The fashion design Maar mirrored was the lifestyle of the 50’s. Her wardrobe became a variety of outfits for parties, the beach, and tennis, as well as cotton dresses, pajamas and poplin suits. Up to her last years her wardrobe consisted mainly of the traditional “dirndl” German dress. Including Italy, and the Scandinavian countries Lilli and her fashions were sold as children’s toys.
RUTH
THE VISIONARY, THE FORCE, THE TRAILBLAZER
When someone says Barbie, we immediately know who you are talking about, we know who it is, we picture the doll in the black and white stripped swimsuit, Barbie, of course! But, if you say Ruth Handler, many would say, uh, what, who?
Her parents Jacob and Ida Moskowicz, were Polish Jewish Immigrants. Ruth was the youngest of ten children. From Denver, Colorado born November 4, 1916, born Ruth Marianne Mosko. But because her mother was in poor health, Ruth she was sent to live with Sarah, one of her older sisters and her husband, at 6 months of age. She remained with Sarah until she was 19.
Ruth worked at Sarah’s drugstore and soda fountain. This experience provided her with work ethics, business operations and customer relations. History tells Ruth was a tomboy and did not favor dolls. The hardships of her immigrant family made her the fighter, innovator, survivor, and she projects these attributes the rest of her life.
During her high school years she met her husband, Izzy Elliot Handler, they married in 1938.Prior to relocating to Los Angeles, Ruth attended the University of Denver and worked for Paramount Studios as a secretary, around 1936-1938. This added to her professional and business experience at the drug store. Together and from a garage they launched their first business producing decorative objects and furniture. Ruth took charge of the business side, marketing, overall sales, production.
Within a decade she helped the company achieve $2 million in annual sales. She learned responsibility, business exposure and family life at an early age. These experiences contributed to her innovative mindset and creativity.. They both founded Mattel with another partner Matt. Mattel brand name comes from the combination of Matt and Elliot MATT-EL.
In 1945Ruth and Elliot and Matt co-founded Mattel, Inc. Thru her leadership and business background she acquired licensing and a partnership with Disney to produce Mickey-Mouse-themed toys. Under her leadership and aggressive actions Mattel expanded rapidly.
On a trip to Switzerland with her daughter, Ruth saw that her daughter was intrigued by the Lilli doll .Ruth purchased it and brought Lilli to America. Recognizing the doll’s potential, Ruth worked to secure the rights to Bild Lilli for Mattel. After negotiations with the German manufacturer, Mattel acquired those rights in 1964, allowing Ruth’s vision for Barbie to move forward without competition from the original Lilli doll. Finally, Lilli was hers to re-create, reinvent, humanize, makeover to the doll she had in mind. She not only changed the Lilli name to her daughter’s name, Barbara aka Barbie. But also did some alterations to her body, hair and facial features.
Ruth believed that Barbie could serve as a role model for young girls, encouraging them to dream big and pursue their goals without limitations. Barbie’s signature color is “Barbie Pink”. Ruth understood the power of marketing and branding, and she utilized her creativity and business savvy to propel Barbie to international success.
Yes, of course, she faced challenges as a female entrepreneur in a male dominated industry. Through all that, she overcame all the obstacles with determination, creativity, and business know how. She insisted on perpetuating the values of independence and self-determination through Barbie. She paved the way for women in business and demonstrated that gender is not a barrier to success. No one could have believed that a little girl, born November 4, 1916 in Denver, Colorado, would one day change the lives of so many little girls and the toy industry for eternity. Ruth served as executive vice president, then as President and later served as co-chair on the board.
She earned Women of the year in Business by the Los Angeles Times and Advertising Women of the year. Eventually she was recognized as a force to recon with that her impact on society would take her to be recognized in one of the highest ways possible. She was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Handler’s vision was recognized, she captured the children’s imagination and each little girl would realize that the only one blocking your path is of their own creation.
Ruth Handler championed the empowerment of women and played a major role in breaking gender barriers and promoting female representation in the workplace. In her later years she was diagnosed with cancer and eventually lost control of Mattel in 1985. She had to wear a prosthesis which she found too uncomfortable and founded Nearly Me, specializing in prosthetic breasts for cancer survivors. In spite of all the hurdles she remained committed to empowering women.
We lost this great lady to cancer in 2002 at the age of 85, her husband, Elliot, succumbed to heart failure in Century City at the age of 95 in 2011.Society may have lost a real trailblazer business woman and inventor, but look what SHE LEFT US.
Affiliate Disclosure
We believe in transparency. Some of the products and services we recommend may include affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through these links, we may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support our ability to continue creating valuable content and resources. Please review our full Affiliate Disclosure for additional information.
Some of my other pages and opportunities you might enjoy!
If saving money is your thing look here or here.
Or if you want a healthy lifestyle look at these options.