How did you feel when you learned that Barbie was inspired by Bild Lilli, a German prostitute gag doll? Did that surprise you?

How did you feel when you learned that Barbie was inspired by Bild Lilli, a German prostitute gag doll? Did that surprise you?

It did not surprise me as I remember reading that a long time ago.

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I was in shock! But then I remember seeing older dolls in museums and how they were usually babies, with no sexuality so it made since. I wonder if other countries had similar gag dolls? Also, what would be the likelihood, you would see such a doll when traveling? I guess I expected it to not be so open to anyone seeing them in that time. But since it brought Barbie into the world, I am glad Ruth saw it and realized the potential.

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It did surprise me because it never occurred to me to wonder how Barbie came to be. At the same time, there were surprises around every corner. I think that’s one of the main reasons I found it so fascinating all the way through.

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I was pleasantly surprised about all that went into Barbie’s origins. I had never given it much thought. To learn she had a German predecessor came as a total surprise.

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I did not know about her predecessor. I could be in the minority because i.hadnt thought about how Barbie came to be. In my head she just was always kind of around.

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Similar to @Susan_U I have never considered Barbie’s origins. She has always been around in my lifetime. With that said, I enjoyed how Ruth brought Barbie to “life” after encountering her German novelty sex doll/gag predecessor (yes, that was a surprise!:laughing:). What a gift - the ability to see past the original intent of the German doll and be able to envision the appeal of an adult doll to young girls - remarkable insight.

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I was very surprised that Barie was inspired by a prostitute gag doll. It took Ruth Handler’s imagination to foresee how an adult female doll could be a wholesome fashion and makeup icon. Ruth deserves the credit for her ability to make that imaginative leap, from prostitute to mass market fashion doll.

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I didn’t know about the German doll, but many years ago I worked in a bookstore that carried German magazines that were very explicit in terms of female nudity. I thought they even had “Bild” in the title, so the connection was not surprising to me.

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I hadn’t heard anything about Bild Lilli when I was in my Barbie phase. I was a little shocked that she was based on a hooker. I always wondered where they got the eye shape from.

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I, too, was surprised. I guess I thought someone just “dreamed up” Barbie, and never considered anything had inspired the doll’s creation. It didn’t bother me that the doll was based on a German sex doll; inspiration can come from anywhere.

Didn’t know about the German doll. Not surprised that it served as inspiration for Barbie. It wound up being a male sex toy and Barbie was certainly used that way in the office, especially after Ken doll came along.

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I didn’t know that and had never given it much thought. Almost anything new was inspired by something else so this is no different.

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I was very surprised. I guess I never really thought about it until this book. I just assumed it was a new creation by a Mattel employee

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Not only did I just assume Barbie came out of nowhere, but before this book, I just assumed all toys were just developed at toy companies and put on the market. This Barbie development process was a real eye opener for me about what might possibly go on behind the scenes. I really enjoyed this book for so many reasons with insight into production being one of them.

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This did surprise me. I had never heard this before.

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It was definitely a bit of a shock! The idea that the iconic Barbie, symbol of childhood imagination and endless career possibilities, was inspired by Bild Lilli was unexpected. The contrast between Barbie’s wholesome marketing and Lilli’s origins as a cheeky, sassy gag gift is fascinating.

But it makes sense when you think about how Ruth wanted a doll that represented an adult woman rather than just another baby doll. She saw the potential for a toy that encouraged girls to dream beyond traditional roles, even if the initial inspiration had a pretty unconventional backstory.