Barbie's Secret Past: A Doll's Unauthorized History

A new book, "Barbieland: The Unauthorized History," by Tarpley Hitt, challenges the established narrative of Barbie's creation. The publication asserts that Mattel deliberately obscured Barbie's true origins, which are allegedly tied to a German doll named Bild Lilli. This German character, originally from a comic strip, became a doll in 1955 and was sold throughout Europe before Barbie's 1959 debut.

Hitt claims that Mattel engineer Jack Ryan was asked to copy a Lilli doll, obtained by Ruth Handler, while visiting factories. By 1960, when Lilli's patent was approved in the U.S., Mattel had already sold nearly $1.5 million worth of Barbie dolls. Mattel later purchased Lilli's rights, with Hitt suggesting records of her development became obscure afterward.

The book also details Mattel's subsequent litigious history to maintain Barbie's pristine image, including actions against artists and a lawsuit against the band Aqua over their song "Barbie Girl." Furthermore, it highlights a corporate espionage case involving MGA, the makers of Bratz dolls, where Mattel was found to have engaged in spying, though the damages were later overturned.