In the world of toys and dolls, few have achieved the iconic status and enduring popularity of Barbie. As Greta Gerwig’s highly anticipated “Barbie” movie sparks excitement and captivates audiences worldwide, did you know that Barbie first launched in Japan, and this seemingly unexpected beginning led to a series of intriguing events?
Barbie First Launched in Japan: The Unveiling of an Amusing Anecdote
In the second season of the “LA Made” podcast, hosts Antonia Cereijido and M.G. Lord share an interesting story. They talk about how toy designer Jack Ryan at Mattel made the first Barbie dolls. Jack Ryan started making Barbie dolls after asking a Japanese toy company to change a German doll called Lilli. This is a fun detail to learn more about in the podcast.
The Unexpected Detail from Japan
As Ryan and the Japanese toy company worked together, a funny detail came up. The company decided to add nipples to Barbie’s chest. This surprised Mattel’s marketing team. Of course, they were hesitant to sell kids’ toys with such a bold feature.
A Swiss Solution to a Delicate Dilemma
When Ryan saw the problem with the dolls, he came up with a clever fix. He used a special file, like the ones used for watches in Switzerland, to gently remove the nipples from the dolls. The picture of Ryan carefully removing Barbie’s nipples is a funny memory that Cereijido shares. It’s a moment that helped shape how Barbie was made.
A Repeated Process and the Final Resolution
Even though Ryan tried to send back the Barbies without nipples, the dolls kept coming back with them. This happened many times. But, after a while, the Japanese company got the hint. They finally took off the nipples, making the dolls fit Mattel’s idea of a more suitable toy for kids.
The Marketing Team’s Reaction
You can just picture how surprised Mattel’s marketing team must have been when they first saw the dolls. Remember, this was the 1950s, a time when people thought very differently than they do today.
Exploring Barbie’s Rich History
Besides the funny story about Barbie’s early days, “LA Made: The Barbie Tapes” shares lots of cool facts about Barbie’s history. In different episodes, the podcast talks about all the small details about Barbie. It even talks about the hard choices Mattel had to make, like what features Ken, Barbie’s boyfriend, should have.
A Fascinating Journey into Barbie’s Origins
The “LA Made: The Barbie Tapes” season started in July. It has three episodes full of interesting facts. Listeners can dive into Barbie’s world by listening to old interviews with important people like Jack Ryan and Ruth Handler, who invented Barbie. A special guest is M.G. Lord. She wrote “Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll” and knows a lot about Barbie.
Barbie’s exciting history is full of surprising links between different cultures and designs. A Japanese toy company added nipples to Barbie, which was unexpected. Then, a Swiss file was cleverly used to remove them. Barbie’s journey to becoming loved by millions shows how creative and flexible its makers were. The “LA Made” podcast shares interesting facts about Barbie’s past. These stories make us appreciate this lasting toy even more.
