Spires residents get all ‘dolled’ up
The campus of the Spires Retirement Community at Berry College had the opportunity to enjoy a special exhibit recently.
“A Gallery of Barbie Dolls Through the Decades” displayed over 100 Barbies from the original 1959 iconic doll to the dolls from the 2023 movie, and all the years in between. Barbie will celebrate her 65th birthday on National Barbie Day, March 9, 2024, which is also the day she debuted as “Barbie, Teen Age Fashion Model” at the American International Toy Fair in New York City in 1959.
The dolls in the gallery were part of a collection of Angel Express, Inc., Goods and Services Network, a local independent, all volunteer, nonprofit corporation begun in 1993.
“The new Barbie live action movie is the biggest movie of the year, and also the largest grossing film ever for Warner Brothers Studios,” said Angel Express founder and executive director Janet Baltzer. “I predict it will be a Broadway musical in two years. So there is a renewed interest in Barbie and her impact on our world. I thought it was the perfect time to unpack our Barbie collection and have some fun with all the beautiful dolls.”
Baltzer presented a 40-minute program on the complete story of Barbie.
“I thought the history was fascinating,” said Spires Independent Living resident Lynn Todino.
Barbie was based on a German doll for men, patented by a rocket scientist, and named for an American teenager.
The Barbie doll was a longtime dream of Ruth Handler of Los Angeles, California, who founded the Mattel Toy Co. with her husband Elliott and friend Matt Matson (“Matt + El”) in 1945. Her two children were Barbara and Ken.
All the dolls of that era were baby dolls to prepare little girls for their limited traditional roles and motherhood. Paper dolls with fashion wardrobes were also popular. Ruth noticed that her daughter would project her dreams for her future on the onedimensional paper dolls. Ruth thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could three-dimensionalize this. Little girls would rather ‘be’ a grown-up doll than ‘mother’ a
baby doll.” But when she presented this concept to Elliott and her male colleagues, they rejected it. A doll shaped like a woman with breasts would be controversial, unpopular, and hard to produce. So, Ruth put the idea on hold for almost 10 years.
Meanwhile in Hamburg, Germany in 1955 a doll was created in two sizes, 7.5 and 11.5 inches. Bild Lilli was based on a shapely adult risque cartoon character in Die Bild Zeitung (The Picture Newspaper), a popular tabloid newspaper. She was sold in tobacco shops, news kiosks, and bars as a fantasy gag gift for men. But children became interested in her and her 100-piece wardrobe and she made her way into toy shops all over Europe. Then in 1956, Ruth Handler and her family discovered Lilli in a toy store in Lucerne, Switzerland. There was the doll Ruth had envisioned years before. So, she bought three dolls and brought them back to L.A.
Mattel hired Jack Ryan, a U.S. guided missile systems engineer to become head of research and development and to design the patents for an American version of Lilli. Ruth named the new doll Barbie, who looked a lot like Lilli, for her daughter Barbara. After some legal battles, Mattel owned the copyright for Lilli in 1964.
Barbie is now the biggest selling doll and toy in history with more than 100 sold every minute somewhere in 150 countries, and over 1 billion sold since 1959. Her boyfriend, Ken, named after the Handler’s son, first appeared in 1961.
The original Barbies sold for $3 in 1959 (about $24 today). However, now collectible Barbies sell for hundreds, even thousands of dollars. At the Spires event, Baltzer showed examples and talked specifically about some of the most valuable and interesting dolls in the collection, including her own 1960 Bild Lilli doll from Germany which is very rare.
“My Lilli doll has been naked in a box for over 50 years,” Baltzer said. “In doing research for this event, I realized how important she is to the history of Barbie. So, I asked Angel Express volunteer Brenda Maynard to get her ready for this presentation by making a fabulous new ensemble for her. Lilli is now proudly the star of the collection.”
Baltzer also showed her own original 1959 brunette Barbie doll and her wardrobe. Angel Express volunteer, Cathy Bruce, showed her original Ken and his case and wardrobe from 1961.
The gallery also included a large selection of Barbie career dolls. Barbie has been empowering girls to dream big with over 250 career choice dolls. For example, four years before Neil Armstrong landed on the moon and 13 years before women were admitted to the astronaut corps at NASA, Barbie was an astronaut. In 2022, two Barbies were taken to the International Space Station to encourage girls to pursue careers in science.
Other categories in the Gallery were Vintage, International, Famous People, glamorous Holiday Barbies, Storybook, Miniature, Commemorative Events, and Fashionista Diversity dolls and accessories. This included a number of vintage and modern Kens including Ryan Gosling as Ken from the 2023 movie.
Spires resident Roz Simpson said she loved learning that Barbies are made for special needs girls. In 1997 Mattel made the first Barbie with disabilities, “Share A Smile Becky” in a wheelchair. But she was discontinued because her chair wouldn’t fit through the doors in the Barbie Dreamhouse. The 2019 wheelchair Barbie is ADA compliant, and the latest Dreamhouse has access ramps. One of the newest dolls on the market debuting in April 2023 is Down’s Syndrome Barbie made in partnership with the National Down’s Syndrome Society. Her ensemble is in the colors and symbols of Down’s Syndrome Awareness — blue and yellow butterflies. All three of these dolls share a special place in the Gallery. Roz also recently bought a soccer Sports Barbie for her 8-year old granddaughter.
A group of 40 Spires residents have established “The Sunshiners” who rotate in smaller teams every Monday visiting and spreading cheer to the Spires Magnolia Memory Care residents. They transported a number of the Magnolia residents, some in wheelchairs, to the Barbie event.
“The Magnolia residents loved having their pictures made wearing some glamorous Barbie accessories in front of a glittering pink photo booth complete with an inspiring Barbie poster for any age saying “Never Lose Your Sparkle,” Sunshiner Judy Guard said.
The Spires event began with a fun moment. A special trio of Sunshiners, “The Barbettes,” was organized by Lynn Todino with piano accompaniment by Judy Guard. They performed “Hello Dolly” to the delight of the 75 men and women, and two companion dogs in attendance.
“I always forced my daughter to go along with me and her brothers and I turned her into a tomboy,” shared Ken Rouse, the Spires own real life Ken. “I realize now that I didn’t allow her to be a girl. I really want to buy her a Barbie doll to let her know how I feel.”
Baltzer hopes Angel Express can present a Barbie 65th Birthday Celebration open to the community in March 2024.