DOLLS

DOLLS writer and photographer Chris Varaste visited Mattel headquarters in El Segundo, Calif. He met with Mattel designer Bill Greening and Melissa Terrick in marketing to talk about the brilliant new line, Barbie Basics. Without further ado, we bring you the special interview the three conducted among themselves.

“Barbie®”of the 1970s Could “Move and Groove”

In 2007 when Mattel introduced its Pivotal body for the “Barbie®” doll, fans of the legendary doll were thrilled. With 12 points of articulation, the posing possibilities were endless. Debuting on the Jazz Baby dolls, the articulation was the most seen—up to that point—on any Barbie doll.

A Pageant Theme Inspires NiniMomo’s Barbie® Creations

Long Islanders Nik Moronese and Marie LeBreton may not have taken a conventional path to becoming doll artists. But even though the duo behind NiniMomo took some career detours, their one-of-a-kind (OOAK) designs are a testament that dolls were their true destination. 

She Was as Child-Friendly as She Was Cute!

The “‘My First’” Barbie appeared on the doll scene in 1980 or 1981. Her box has the 1980 copy­right date, but that of­ten means the doll was not available for sale until the following year. Whatever the correct date, most mothers agreed it was about time such a Barbie came on the market.

…Especially If It’s With Barbie. As the Army of the Advertising Doll Versions Out There Will Attest, This Blonde Bombshell Has Definite Sales Appeal

Barbie, America’s best-selling doll, is also the nation’s best-selling adver­tising doll as well, selling and promoting everything from Avon to Wal-Mart.

Clothes Make the Woman, and These Seven Professionals Make the Clothes

Doll connoisseurs know that Barbie evolved from a saucy German “cousin” spotted by a vacationing Ruth Handler, the doll's creator, but even though we recognize her roots are European and acrylic, to boot, she still seems like an honest-to-goodness, flesh-and-blood American gal.

Billed as the Filipino Barbie, This Debut Fashion Doll is an Exciting New Face and Personality on the Doll Scene

Patis Tesoro is well known in the Philippines for her indigenous fashion designs, and more importantly, for almost single-handedly reviving dying local textile and fashion industries, such as the production of piña and abaca cloths, and natural dyeing. Last July, she added another feather to her cap when she, and business partner Guia Gomez, officially launched “Ninay, The First Filipino Doll.”

Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie, passed away on April 27, 2002, at Century City Hospital in Los Angeles at the age of 85. From that fateful moment in 1959 when Ruth unveiled a curvaceous, adult doll to a conservative public who didn’t quite know what to make of the “toy,” this enterprising woman had guaranteed herself a spot in the annals of popular culture. It is hard today to understand just how unsettling Barbie must have seemed to mothers and fathers of the time. This is back before adult collectors embraced Barbie as their own mascot; this was in the days when dolls were for little girls, and little girls were destined for babies and domesticity. Ruth Handler changed all that.

This Year’s Mattel Parade of Barbie Glamour Sways to a Universal Beat

For more than 40 years, Barbie has embodied a world of infinite possibilities, of countless choices. Whe­­ther decked out in blue jeans or a navy power suit, starched lab coat or a lacy tutu, the curvaceous trendsetter has always looked spec­tacular while leaping over her play­ful competition. It’s not sur­prising, then, that the pony­tailed teen, who has been a candy stri­per, a veterinarian and a NASA astronaut, has or­bited into a billion-doll­ar collectible giant. Bar­bie has had a tremendous im­pact on our pop culture, our lan­guage and our art, but we–the contemporary collectors of Amer­ica–have likewise had an effect on the Mattel mascot.