"I really love that Barbie can do anything. Our mothers grew up thinking they could be a stewardess. Barbie came along and said, 'You can be the pilot.'" - Elizabeth Wright

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Bild-Lilli

Did you know that the creator of the Barbie doll Ruth Handler got her style idea for her Barbie doll from the German cartoon character Bild-Lilli?  The Bild-Lilli doll was famous from 1952 to 1964, and was commonly sold to men to give to their dates as a sign of wanting to have sex.  Ruth Handler's first Barbie doll has a striking resemblance to the Lilli doll from the promiscuous eyes, bangs and body structure.
Posted by at

2 comments:

  1. AnonymousNovember 9, 2011 at 11:29 AM

    To me this is a very striking fact. I had never even heard of the Bild-Lilli doll before. I find it kind of ironic that a german sexual icon is used in America as a girls play thing. I find myself looking up google pictures of the Lilli Doll to compare her likeness to the original Barbie.

    ReplyDelete
  2. MelindaNovember 9, 2011 at 12:09 PM

    It's crazy huh?! When i first read that fact i did the same thing. They have a striking resemblance in their raised eyebrows and facial features. Most people don't know that fact either because Bild- Lilli dolls never made their way over to America.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)