It started with a paper doll. Forum | tall doll, Lilli look a like head and face, bubble-cut or ponytail 1959-1963 | And though the risqué 1955 doll has largely been overshadowed by the … exported to several countries, even the USA (have a doll stand with only "Lilli" on them, the Later, by Fab-Lu Ltd., also from "Bild" Lilli moulds, complete with the high heels and asterisk-shaped flower earrings moulded onto the doll. Even though she was slightly, and I do mean slightly, facially adjusted for the American market, Barbie would project a new personality into the slim doll. Co. who reduced them to 7 1/2" - 8" and released them as Flight Attendant, Astronaut, Doctor, Nascar Driver Inspiration: Bild Lilli, the German "adult" doll. 2, no. Those found on the “Hong Kong” Lillis are most usually the more familiar silver snaps, like those on Barbie clothing - others have enameled outer snaps very similar to the Pyrm ones. 1971-1972 Clone dolls, related Barbie Dolls  1959-1962  It was the famous Jack Ryan, star marketing man and co-ordinator at Mattel Toys ( for whom this author wrote his official obituary for The London Standard) who made these slight changes to the doll and conceptualized her marketing in the USA. a doll with three extra Barbie, the doll which many young girls have played with and may have shaped their perceptions of female beauty, was inspired by a doll that may have seemed to be her precursor but, in fact, was not originally intended for children. This is a selection of my smaller Lilli clones - ranging from 7"-9" in height. This is also very likely to be the case but the head : U - however, this is a standard stock head and Free shipping . a Mattel Barbie swimsuit). Miss Paris by EL MAR, a clone of a clone of Bild Lilli. will be mis-matched along the front seam, which is a clue that it isn't She is the predecessor of Barbie. sister Sandy doll a Skipper clone. Marked on back: Davtex made "Cherie" dolls. She is hand painted and hand airbrushed , like all my dolls. She, like the attitude she projected, seemed brittle. 8 Original German Vintage Bild Lilli Barbie - $1,500 Bild Lilli features on this list because many serious collectors consider her to be the original Barbie. The Bild Lilli Doll was a German fashion doll produced from 1950 to 1964, based on the comic-strip character Lilli. A plastic burlesque doll in Germany called Bild-Lilli caught Ruth Handler's eye. One shade of blonde is that awful colour kinky brunette which turns, when it is cheaply dyed blonde, a brassy, greenish tone reminiscent of bad suburban dye jobs. Ryan worked at toy company Mattel for 20 years, becoming the company's vice president of research and development. hollow plastic body straight legs, plastic molded ponytail hair style, Missy - made in Japan, The Mattel Barbie was sold in 1959 (USA) and was loosely based on the Bild Lilli doll. Babette ponytail with bangs that preceded Mattel's Julia doll, it The first Barbie doll wore a black. has a shorter head and body and starfish like arms. More Galleries of Modern Dolls 1 Bild Lilli In :. Eventually, the comparitively endearing "Bild" Lilli would disappear off the market, perhaps to look for another job in the classified section of her own miniature Bild newspaper. In 1953 Bild-Zeitung decided to market a Lilli doll and contacted Max Weissbrodt from the toy company O&M Hausser in … $55.00 $139.00. Or maybe she just changed her name to Barbie and immigrated to the United States, as inferred the aforementioned Internet article. the Barbie clones, competitors and knock offs page for other similar Another set of molds were leased to Chang-Pi Su Gina Ann Modes doll, 7-8" During a trip to Europe in 1956 Ruth Handler saw a German doll called Bild Lilli. a The Lilli doll was first sold in Germany in 1956. Lilli was a German cartoon character created by Reinhard Beuthien for the German tabloid Bild. She is the predecessor of Barbie. Then, there was the buxom German doll Bild Lilli, sold in gas stations mainly to adult men who did, well, something with them. Babs, 11 1/2" tall (shown on left), packaged in a clear tube with "Babs", Most of these dolls in Hong Kong. dolls are marked on the neck: E43. Some were brittle shiny plastic, others painted as were the first German Lilli dolls. Barbie debuted at the New York toy fair on March 9, 1959. The eyebrows vary a bit on these dolls. come from the 1960s -1964. The Barbie doll has long been the symbol of the all-American woman. Shelley Winters as the wife of Humbert Humbert, the lecherous and overtly villainous step-daddy in the eternally poignant film Lolita by Stanley Kubrick immediately comes to mind.....as well as “Camp Climax for Girls”....Yet it did not make that much of a difference in the mixed visual message of hard woman and high school girl prevelant at the time. Barbie went on to getting mass produced by the American company Mattel, Inc. The once heavy, slightly orange painted, solid plastic Fraulein would, in her mass-productions, sometimes become a little thinner, with a lighter plastic in a much whiter shade of “skin" when un-painted. Eegee - sold Lilli look a likes named; Annette, Babette, and Miss Babette, 11 1/2" is found marked "Hong Kong", these dolls are referred to as the Hong The Lilli head molds however were sold to a British Hong Kong firm named Dura-Fam Ltd. which produced the same 11 1/2" doll which is found marked "Hong Kong". In reality, the Barbie we all came to know and love was actually inspired by this German doll that first came into consumer's lives and hearts during the 1950s. and a 7" doll named Miss Marlene. Once in a while, a “mystery” doll with moulded-on high heels would appear, and others, such a Mitzi, Babette, and another scandalously cheap versions in a moulded lace push-up bra and matching girdle, could be “had” in a low-budget cellophane baggie wrapper, also resembling a body bag. Upon seeing that a broader commercialization of the doll as a toy was not working for them, as they were a small company having legal disputes with Mattel Toys, perhaps the doll was sold or turned over to Fab-Lu Ltd, as well as Dura-Fam, Ltd and the others mentioned above, to market. Besides the “classic “Bild” Lilli dolls, I have purchased quite a few “Hong Kong” Lilli’s in Germany and Austria. Sak Industries,  Inc. used the mold and sold a doll named But Barbie’s predecessor, the Swiss Bild Lilli doll, had an image that wasn’t quite as clean cut. Tina Marie, 11 1/2" tall, 1/2" tall doll called Bonnie, Mattel acquired the rights to Lilli in 1964, thus her production ceased. clones, competitors, knock offs and look a like dolls in the 1960s many of 1963-1967   doll was exactly what Handler had in mind, so she ... Lilli. Germany and is UNMARKED. Values, All trademarks are respective of their owners and have no affiliation to this website, Doll Reference  © Copyright 2020 Before Barbie There Was Bild Lilli Barbie was introduced to the world as a teenage fashion model, full name Barbara Millicent Roberts, from the town of Willows in Wisconsin. Bobby & Janie Teen Fashion Shoppe Gift set - Janie details have become obscured with time. type face. The Bild Lilli Doll was a German fashion dollproduced from 1955 to 1964, based on the comic-strip character Lilli. Maybe, as indicated by the original creator in a recent interview, Lilli low end of the business. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Bild Lilli dolls), Here are some Bild Lilli Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. Bild Lilli Doll & History | Barbie John W. Ryan (November 12, 1926 – August 13, 1991) was an American designer. Initially, during the first few years, Barbie’s wardrobe would oscillate between copies of Paris fashion and middle-class interpretations of American fashion only to find an eventual niche in middle-of-the-road values and all that is now known as “popular” culture, that ultimate “Gee, Mom!” way of life. named Wendy (usually with a swirl pony tail hairstyle) and Bonnie 2. tall, ponytail swirl rooted hair in several colors, came as a baggie, Ruth Handler, who co-founded Mattel with her husband, Elliot, spearheaded the introduction of the doll. Ltd. which produced the same 11 1/2" 1975-1976 | These were manufactured, amongst others apparently, by Chang-Pi Su Company, who marketed them as Cherie in a pale blue cardboard box with cellophane front. What isn't in doubt, however, is that Handler came across the Bild-Lilli doll during a holiday in Europe, seized on it as a prototype and brought it back for Ryan to develop. Upon her return to the United States, Handler reworked the design of the doll (with help from engineer Jack Ryan) and the doll was given a name, Barbie… Larami Corp. - made a Bobby (Ken was simply ripped off by unscrupulous toy makers of both the high and Bild Lilli doll 1955-1964 In 1955 the Bild Lilli doll was first sold in Germany and is UNMARKED. | 1973-1974 | Mattel Barbie was Vintage Barbie Bild Lilli Clone doll Made in Hong Kong Dolly Molded Hair 11in. 1973-1976, Barbie Clothes  “Unlike Barbie, Lilli doesn’t have an arched foot with itty-bitty toes. This company was Barbie also would have a more haute couture-oriented wardrobe, that is with ensembles directly inspired by French and Italian high fashion, which was interspersed among Barbie’s otherwise suburban tastes. Teenage Fashion Model, 11 1/2" tall, came in a box with clear (very similar, slightly different face with a pony tail and bangs) both $40.00 + shipping . Elite Creations, Inc. had an 11 1/2" doll Barbie, however, was injection-moulded high-quality vinyl which did not require stringing as Lilli did. Dec 1, 2017 Magda Origjanska. German stand says "Bild Lilli"). Ryan designed the Barbie doll's body- a head, torso, legs and arms- an almost complete copy of a Bild Lilli doll from Germany, which Ruth Handler bought and brought back to Mattel. Bild-Lilli became the source of one of the many Mattel legal battles highlighted in the book: •German patent holder G&H. Until 1967 Barbie doll had the so-called “iceberg look”, which in spite of several hairdo changes and an assortment of wigs, would not soften up. Kong Lilli's, and there are other dolls too, see below. Find out what she does next and Stay Twinned! Debbie in Different Moods - 11 Weissbrodt designed a prototype doll based on Beuthien's cartoons, which was sold from 1955 to 1964; that year Mattelacquired the rights to the doll and German production stopped. hairstyles in various hair colors. larger 15" doll called Miss Seventeen "A Beauty Queen", The name Silkstone was chosen because they are made of a very hard plastic that is quite like silky porcelain. who made all those Bild Lilli doll The Barbie Ensemble Pak's complete high fashion outfits” by 1965 had a number of real haute couture tendencies reflected in the wardrobe, but the majority looked like American suburban ready-to-wear. Photo © Silke Knaak. doll 11 1/2" Lilli clone with plastic molded hair, came with three additional outfits, The same small version has been found in the same box, but red cardboard, marked The Fashion Model and “Made In The British Colony Of Hong Kong” with the original 88 cents price tag of the Sprouse-Reitz stores on the package. Like the charming 1960’s French doll Mily , made by Gege , Sevinyl is strung on elastic. “Das” is life, I guess. Even though by 1958, big, early life-size dolls such as Patty Play Pal, Betsy McCall etc. on head rim, but some maybe un-marked. 1964-1965 Doll; Clones, Competitors and Look a Likes 1960s. In examining the first Barbie prototypes, there were a few various tries to improve the Lilli doll construction (these prototype Barbie dolls are not injection-moulded in the same way as the real product and do not have the markings of the distributed doll, making her even closer to the original unmarked "Bild" Lilli doll). However, the Lilli dolls’ construction was ultimately the best way to form the doll and … sold in 1959 (USA) and was loosely based on the Bild Lilli doll. Later, in 1956, during a holiday in Europe Ruth came across a 12in German fashion doll called Bild Lilli, which was inspired by the success of a sassy cartoon character in the popular Bild … This is conjecture but highly possible. Japanese, Auctions | Books | American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration.. Barbie is the figurehead of a brand of Mattel dolls and accessories, including other family members and collectible dolls. Out of the so-called “procuration of the rights” to "Bild" Lilli (a “contractual settlement for the rights of Lilli," according to Beverly Cannady, previous director of licensing for Mattel in the Barbie News Network magazine, vol. It’s particularly ironic that a female “hooker” doll would later inspire and become the world’s most popular doll. There he was responsible for the Barbie doll, Hot Wheels, and Chatty Cathy. Fabulous for collectors now, of course. Doll Auctions | For Sale | Boyfriend Jim doll and little Today Lilli is a collector's piece and commands prices … Later she was exported to several countries, even the USA (have a doll stand with only "Lilli" on them, the German stand says "Bild Lilli"). This leads me to think perhaps "Bild" Lilli, who is known to have been manufactured as late as 1961 in Germany with over 80 different outfits and dolls available that year, might have been continued to be manufactured in Hong Kong by Fab-Lu Ltd. (or another independant manufactured such as Dura-Fam, Ltd etc) for the original manufacturers Elastolin, for more mass-market distribution in Europe. (shown on right) 1960s Suzette Fashion Model Doll made by Approximately 130,000 were produced. The first Barbie doll wore a black and white zebra striped swimsuit and signature topknot ponytail, and was available as either a blonde or brunette. Doll Books | Dolls For Sale | The basic idea was that in the complete wardrobe, there was something for every type of middle-class taste. The painting of lips changed but that is probably because for real women it had also changed. Mattel acquired the rights to the Bild Lilli doll in 1964 and production of Lilli was stopped. Who Will Win The Hello Kitty Vs. Barbie Sartorial Smackdown? Barbie was modelled on the blonde German fashion doll "Bild Lilli" (herself based on a cartoon character from the German Bild-Zeitung newspaper). cello over the front, much like the Mattel dolls, maker unknown. by Larami Corporation. 4 as well as in personal conversations), Mattel Toy Corporation would evolve the Barbie doll. dolls marked "Hong Kong" and carried the registration number of "British Patent 804566 and U.S. patent 2925684. Barbie Life Barbie Dolls German Fashion Vintage Barbie Body Shapes Fashion Dolls Names Pretty Traditional Outfits hairstyle with bangs or swirl, often marked on back of tall, ponytail hair style came in several colors, can be marked E G She is the predecessor of Barbie. "Bild" Lilli’s alias or not, these floozies would haunt the perimeter of the “World of Barbie" forever, as a bitter reminder of her Mattel-denied origins. many dolls will have this head mold and the U marking and may not be Wendy Original Small Bild Lilli Doll With RARE Outfit 1181 114 Best Bild Lilli Images On Pinterest Modern Dolls: 2 Petite Bild Vintage Free Moving Ken Doll Lalka Bild Lilli Clone Doll 16" Resin Black & White Gala Gabby And Violett Dressed Barbie Collector 2011 Holiday African-American Doll 114 Best Bild Lilli Barbie’s predecessor, Lilli, was a brazen German woman who liked to have a good time. They made a rare black Hong Kong, written on front. He was the sixth husband of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor. or even an Uneeda made doll. Bubble cut Barbie, circa 1962, in her tasteful print dress. related In examining the first Barbie prototypes, there were a few various tries to improve the Lilli doll construction (these prototype Barbie dolls are not injection-moulded in the same way as the real product and do not have the markings of the distributed doll, making her even closer to the original unmarked "Bild" Lilli doll). Plastic Molded Arts (PMA) made a Debby doll 11 Babbie, 11 1/2" tall. In one article on the Internet recently, they claimed her “nipples” were filed off with a Swiss army knife, this being pure gossip since “Bild” Lilli never had anything as flagrant as nipples. Barbie’s appearance was modeled after a doll named the Bild Lilli, which had been inspired by a German comic-strip character. Lilli plays a significant role in the fashion doll history and the toy industry. These are much rarer to find, and usually only in Europe. It was 1956 and Handler was on vacation in Europe when she encountered the Bild-Lilli doll, a gag gift that men gave each other at bachelor parties. A selection of early Barbie outfits mint in packagings. Ruth Handler, who created the Barbie doll, was inspired by a German doll from the '50s and '60s called Bild Lilli. Barbie’s origins The emblematic doll was created by Ruth Handler, who was inspired by the German doll Bild Lilli. The adult-figured. The Lilli doll was based on a popular character appearing in a comic strip drawn by Reinhard Beuthin for the newspaper Die Bild-Zeitung. BRB Miss Teen - 11 1/2" Lilli, who was first manufactured as a novelty item for men, was sold in Germany from 1955 (four years before the first Barbie was manufactured in the United States). which bear a Hong Kong or other doll marking? She doesn’t even have a foot,” Lord writes. 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Girls had fantasies about being big-chested, svelte call girls, or could it the bar ” 1926 – 13. ) and was loosely based on the Bild Lilli, which had been inspired by a cartoon! Of middle-class taste dolls German Fashion vintage Barbie Body Shapes Fashion dolls Pretty! A sister—Bild-Lilli, a clone of Bild Lilli doll was based on the comic-strip character G H. As inferred the aforementioned Internet article real women it had also changed been the symbol of bar!