Barbie Barbie Barbara Millicent Roberts, known to generations of doll lovers simply as Barbie, made her public debut in 1959. Mattel owner Ruth Handler wanted to offer a doll for girls to dress and imagine themselves as teens or grown-ups. She was inspired by watching her daughter play with her paper dolls. After being exposed to the German figure Bild Lilli, the Handlers had an 11.5-inch doll designed and manufactured in hard plastic and vinyl. Barbie's greatest play value lay in the beautifully designed and manufactured outfits which did indeed allow generations of children to imagine themselves participating in all sorts of exciting activities. UFDC is fortunate to have in its collection many prototypes and pieces of ephemera from two of the designers responsible for much of Barbie's wardrobe. The Carol Spencer collection and the Joyce Christopher collection are now part of the museum and available to the world for study and enjoyment. Although Barbie was "born" at the tale-end of the 1950s her influence on multiple generations of children has earned her a place on the honor role of 1950s dolls. The doll pictured here is the Barbie Model #1. These are only a small sampling of the dolls of the 1950s we the members of UFDC collectively own and house at the UFDC doll museum. We hope you have enjoyed your "virtual" tour! 137