Barbie is, perhaps, one of the most contentious toys in history.
Few other playthings have stirred up as much passionate discord like Barbie has. Both beloved and hotly contested, the 11.5-inch doll produced by Mattel continues to be one of the top-selling fashion dolls in the world — 60 years after first being released.
American businesswoman Ruth Handler dreamed up Barbie after watching her daughter Barbara play with toys, such as baby dolls and paper cut-outs, that were targeted toward young girls at the time. Originally inspired by the Bild Lilli doll from Germany, which featured a womanly figure including curved hips and breasts, Handler faced some initial skepticism about how an adult-bodied doll would perform as a children’s toy.
“Seeing the doll that acted as the spark, whatever it was, that sparked your imagination and created those endless hours of play — I have these really fond memories of my sister and I — that’s a really powerful thing,” Best says of the lingering connection to the doll. “In 2013, we were getting feedback from moms and kids and dads that we were not connecting with kids in the way we wanted to as a brand, and we weren’t achieving our goals as far as our positioning. So, we did some really deep soul searching across every aspect of the brand and how it was communicated, our advertising, our messaging, going back to the foundation of Ruth’s original intention of this brand, which was to show girls that they have limitless potential,” Culmone says.
Another way the Barbie brand is looking to connect with shoppers — beyond providing a broader array of dolls to better represent men and women , and offering various Barbie content on platforms such as YouTube and Instagram — is through ambition.
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