What is Barbie's English name?

Barbie Barbie (a nickname for Barbara)

Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie.

Barbie culture

On April 27th, 2006, Ruth Handler died suddenly in Los Angeles. More than 654.38 billion Barbie dolls distributed in more than 654.38+050 countries around the world have lost their mothers. These beautiful dolls with slim figure, long legs and thick hair are not only the most famous dolls in the world, but also equally famous cultural symbols.

Ruth Handler's daughter's name is "Barbara", and her daughter's choice of toys is also the inspiration for her invention, so she nicknamed those new plastic dolls her daughter. /kloc-Barbie, born in 0/959, is 43 years old this year, and she is better than.

The once popular cabbage dolls and teddy bears should live longer. No one knows why, even her creator Ruth Handler can't explain it. Whether in the toy world or in real life, longevity is a thing that contains mysterious factors. Someone once asked Ruth Handler: Why did Barbie behave so well? She just smiled and replied, "I am a marketing genius." Maybe she is. However, Mattel Toys, which she co-founded, also produces many other types of toys. Not only did no one perform better than Barbie, but many of them died.

From dolls to cultural symbols

America likes to celebrate, even if it is not clear why it is successful. Amid cheers, Barbie finally surpassed the definition of toys and became an immortal symbol. She attracted the attention of andy warhol, a master of pop music, who was as infatuated with her as he was with Marilyn Monroe. For a period of time in the late 1990s, she lived on American radio programs almost every day, although the Danish singing group Water jingle sang Barbie. As a representative of life in the 20th century, she was put into the time container of the American government. Some cultural critics say Barbie is one of the archetypes of women and the modern Mona Lisa, but in the eyes of feminists, she is a slut, which is harmful to children's minds. Even serious universities have to condescend to study Barbie phenomenon. Students have to finish this assignment in sociology class: How has Barbie been criticized for becoming a role model? Do you think manufacturers should consider these criticisms? There are no "correct" answers to these questions, but a series of inferences must be made before making a value judgment.

No matter what the opinions are, one thing is certain: Barbie is the first living woman born in the doll design industry, and she is no longer a passive baby. Barbie's adult design has opened the eyes of little girls, who can perceive the world outside the kindergarten through Barbie and let them experience all aspects of adult life with Barbie. From beach girls to politicians, Barbie's ever-changing image has inspired children's imagination, and they hope to be like Barbie when they grow up. As Ruth herself said: Through this doll, little girls can realize that they can realize any dream.

The birth of Barbie

Ruth Handler is another classic example of the American dream. Her parents immigrated from Poland to Denver, Colorado, in order to avoid military service. Her father is a blacksmith, and her mother is exhausted to raise ten children, but the hardships of life don't seem to have brought much harm to this big family. Ruth Handler wrote in her memoirs that as the youngest child, she didn't lack love when she was growing up.

19 years old, Ruth came to Hollywood alone. She didn't want to enter the film industry, but went there to study industrial design. She met Handler at school and soon married him. 1942, the couple founded martel Company in a garage. At that time, the main product was photo frames. Later, they added a business to design and manufacture furniture for children's playrooms. A few years later, the company began to make money, and its main business turned to producing toys. A good business environment enables Ruth Handler to travel to Europe. In Switzerland, she found a doll named "Blonde Lily" made in Germany (it is said that the prototype is a stripper). Her figure is impeccable, with all kinds of signs, and her dress is also "exposed", which seems to be specially designed to arouse boys' desires.

Although a little shy, Ruth bought three "lilies" and brought them back to America. She said that she had been thinking about designing a "mature" doll for her children, but all the male colleagues in her company said that there would be no such demand: children like dolls just as children like dolls. But the temptation of "Lily" was so great that Ruth finally couldn't help but design her American version-Barbie. This doll is an "adult" with full breasts, but it is wrapped in beautiful clothes. The first batch of Barbie dolls were produced in Japan and made their debut at the American Toy Fair on 1959. The name of the exhibition is "Barbie-a role model for girls". Barbie has achieved unexpected success, selling 350,000 Barbie dolls in the first year. Today, the global sales of Barbie dolls have exceeded 654.38 billion.

According to the statistics of martel Company, an American girl of 1 1 may have 10 Barbie dolls, while a French girl of the same age has five. But millions of adult women also buy Barbie. "To them, no matter how old they are, she is more than just a doll," Ruth Handler said. "She has become a part of them." Barbie collectors are even more gender-neutral: a Barbie doll that costs $3 for 1959 may now be worth $5,000 if it is well preserved.

Innocent forever?

"A thousand beauties" is one of the reasons for Barbie's enduring. She can be a dancer, a policeman, a doctor and an astronaut. She can be chinese baby, an Indian doll, a black doll, anything except her ancestor Lily. Although Barbie has a charming figure, she has no other sexual characteristics except her plump breasts. Children with a little understanding often ask such a question: "Why doesn't Barbie have a navel?" At this time, mothers will say, "That's enough, son. If you ask me again, I'll put Barbie away. "

In the face of feminist doubts, Ruth Handler said that her Barbie was a professional woman, not a vase with an empty heart. But Barbie seems to have too many occupations. At the age of 43, her marriage prospects are still bleak. She has a childhood boyfriend named Ken, who got the name from Ruth Handler's son. Barbie and Ken have been talking about love for many years. Who knows what Ken is thinking? Born in the innocent 1950s, Barbie may feel that she can't cope with such a big change, and Barbie's friends of all ages are equally confused.

Barbie legend

◆ Barbie has 45 nationalities.

Barbie has 43 kinds of pets. Her first pet was a horse named Dancer.

◆ Barbie has endorsed more than 80 professions.

◆ All the Barbie families sold have a length from head to toe that exceeds the distance of 7 circles around the earth.

◆ Since 1959, about 10 billion pieces of clothes have been produced for Barbie and her companions to wear, and about 100 pieces of new Barbie clothes are introduced every year.

◆ Barbie's appearance has been modified and improved more than 500 times before it becomes what it is today.

◆ The best-selling Barbie is "Long Hair Barbie", whose hair length extends from the top of the head to the toes.

◆ Barbie * * * has three sisters, namely Jobi introduced by 1964, Stacy introduced by 1992, and Little Kelly appeared by 1995. (Yi Ming)