Barbie Clothes
In March of 1959 a fashion doll by the name of “Barbie” was manufactured and introduced to the Unites States by famous toy company Mattel. This doll was created during a time when little girls played with dolls that were predominantly infant like. One woman got the idea for the Barbie dolls when she noticed her daughter playing and giving her dolls adult roles like daddies and mommies. Her daughter and friends enjoyed pretending they were grown ups because they wanted to know what it felt like to be grown up. The first Barbie clothes worn was a white and black stripe swimming suit and were designed by a Mattel fashion designer. Japanese workers hand stitched the first Barbie clothes from home. The first year of production saw approximately 350,000 dolls sold. To date an estimated billion Barbie dolls have been sold worldwide.
Since the inception of this doll Mattel has designed and manufactured many accessories to go along with the adult image. For example Barbie has a boyfriend by the name of Ken and she drives a pink convertible. Everyone needs a place to live so a the Barbie house is a townhome a home needs couches, chairs and a bed. Next came Barbie furniture to make her townhome complete. Barbie has been marketed through many venues such as books, fashion lines, and video games. Barbie is also a movie star because she has appeared in different animated films.
Nintendo Entertainment Systems has created a Barbie game. It is a video game geared specifically toward little girls and consists of different “dream” levels with Barbie dodging obstacles, if she doesn’t dodge an obstacle she loses “Zs” and has to start that level all over again. Sometimes she will even have to start the game from the beginning. She can get get help from animals by selecting what the animal should to to help her through the obstacle. Another Barbie game is a fashion game designed around Fashion Week in Paris. Little girls can design outfits and accessories for the models to wear when walking down the runway.
Many dolls have come and gone. Very few dolls have survived as many decades and changes as Barbie dolls. The popularity of this doll has rarely wavered and its line of products a one of the most successful in the history of toys. Barbie and her many accessories are still popular among young girls as well as collectors.
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