When most folks associate “Germany” with beer, Nazi’s, sauerkraut or Hitler, but few associate Germany with the Barbie doll.
It’s in the news that the famous Barbie doll has turned 50 years old, but few folks know that the wholesome Barbie was modeled after a German whore doll named Lilli!
I just finished reading “The Stella Awards” book by Randy Cassingham, a tad dated, but a must-read for anyone interested in frivolous lawsuits and tort reform (also a popular web site), and read a page on a Barbie lawsuit where the judge noted that the Barbie doll was originally introduced by Ms. Ruth Handler, based on the German whore doll called “Lilli”:
Lilli - The German whore doll
In a discussion of the amuzing Mattel vs. MCA lawsuit, Cassingham notes the connection between Lilli and Barbie:
“A professional floozy of the first order, Bild Zeitung’s Lilli traded sex for money, delivered sassy comebacks to officers, and sought the companionship of ‘balding, jowly fatcats’. . . .
While the cartoon Lilli was a user of men, the doll (who came into existence in 1955) was herself a plaything – a masculine joke, perhaps, for West German males who could not afford to play with a real Lilli.
A German brochure from the 1950’s confided that Lilli (the doll) was ‘always discrete’, while her complete wardrobe made her the ‘star of every bar’. (1)”
As Mattel relishes in Barbie’s 50th birthday, let’s take a moment to reflect on Barbie’s hooker past:
Barbie gets in-touch with her prostitute roots
(1) The Stella Awards, Page 244-247