Know more about the origin of Barbie Doll

A Barbie doll is a fashion toy where most of the girls through several decades have collected models of Barbie. Up to the present, these dolls continue to grow with variety of models. Here are some interesting facts about the origin of the doll :

• Barbie Doll was invented by American business woman, Ruth Handler.

• The Barbie Doll was officially launched in March 9, 1959 at the American Toy Fair in New York.

• The name "Barbie" was derived from the nickname of Ruth's daughter,Barbara.

• Barbie was modelled from the German adult doll called "Lilli". When Ruth went to Europe, she saw this doll and immediately purchased it. The Lillie doll became popular because children can dress her up in various styles where Ruth got an idea of bringing it to America. In later years, 1964, Mattel bought the rights for Lillie dolls and since then the production was stopped while Barbie dominated the market.

• Mattel Inc. was an American toy company founded by Ruth with her husband, Elliot, to manufacture these toys which increased to sales of 1 billion in 1996. This make them one of the world's largest toy manufacturer.

•  The first Barbie dolls that were released wore a black and white zebra swimsuit available in blondie or brunette.

The official website of Barbie Dolls