The idea for Barbie was born when a woman named Ruth Handler was watching her daughter play with dolls. In the 1950s, girls of all ages only had paper or cardboard dolls to play with and preferred to play with cutout dolls of teenagers and adults. So, Ruth Handler thought of creating The Teenage Fashion Doll for older girls, in the form of a three-dimensional doll, called Barbie, named after her daughter Barbara (Heppermann 2010). However, Mrs. Handler encountered resistance when she presented this idea to her husband, and he did not think her idea would work. During their trip to Germany, she found a doll called Bild Lilli. This doll was a strong-minded person who would use anything at her disposal to get what she wanted. Bild Lilli had an adult body; which was exactly what Handler had in mind for Barbie. In 1959, Barbie made her debut at the American International Toy Fair. This was the beginning of a new revolution in dolls, because for the first time, dolls were not only made of paper and cardboard dolls, but also a more realistic three-dimensional doll that looked like what girls want to be. , and can physically hold. But, like many toys, Barbie's fame was not without its challenges. The design of the toy is supposed to resemble the body of a woman in the prime of adolescence. Barbie is tall and slim with a small waist and full chest with blonde hair and blue eyes. When Barbie was first released, it was priced around $3.00 (currently it costs around $15-40), which became an instant hit. The toy is made in such a way that the body is made of ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic and the head is made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride). The toy, like many other dolls, is quite explicit.... ... middle of paper ...... poses to images of dolls on the body Image of girls 5 to 8 years old. Developmental Psychology, 42(2), 283-292. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.42.2.283Heppermann, C.M. (2010). The Good, the Bad and the Barbie: the story of a doll and its impact on us. Horn Book Magazine, 86(6), 119-120. Taken from EBSCOhost. Klara, R. (2009). Be a doll, won't you? It's Barbie Brandorama. Brandweek, 50(42), 33. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Parker, S. (2008). Happy birthday, Barbie. Economist, 132. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Stonehouse, C. (November 25, 2008). Express.co.uk -I spent £20,000 to look like Bardot. Express.co.uk – Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. Retrieved December 29, 2010 from http://express.co.uk/posts/view/72658/I-spent-20-000-to-look-like-BardotZAN, J. (2009). Barbie means business. Beijing Review, 52(12), 40-41. Taken from EBSCOhost.