by Jane Smith

Created on: December 27, 2008   Last Updated: March 02, 2009

I was one of the luckiest little girls on Earth, although I did not know it, at the time. I was nine years old when the Barbie doll was introduced to a wary public.

Just prior to Barbie was Vogue's Ginny doll. Ginny was a cute and perky teenager, only 8" tall...stockier and not as "mature" as Barbie. Even so, Ginny had a delightful 1950's wardrobe and her own trunk. Unfortunately, I did not have a Ginny doll. My cousins did. Thankfully, they were gracious enough to allow me to play with Ginny whenever I visited. And I did. Delightedly!

Christmas of 1959, changed my entire world. I recall having noticed some large pink boxes with pink ribbons under our tree...and my eyes were wide and gleaming with excitement. A coat? Boots? A Ginny doll? My own Ginny doll?! 'What could be more wonderful than that?', I thought.

I always read my cards and opened my smaller gifts first, so that I would not seem to be greedy. Inside, though, I was so looking forward to opening my large boxes.

This little girl's surprised face first beheld a tall, blonde, pony-tailed Barbie, 11 1/2" tall, looking so much likeVera Ellen in the movie White Christmas (or Mitzi Gaynor, who fashioned herself after Vera Ellen) that the comparison was uncanny. Barbie was wearing a black-sequined strapless gown with a skirt which flared out near her feet, with a microphone stand, black high heels, and blue eye-shadow. She was beautiful ...with her glossy hair and exotic eyes. Behind her was a white and black striped, strapless bathing suit, white sunglasses, and white sandals.

She was soooo beautiful! I set her by my side, proudly, while I opened the next "shoe" box package. Another Barbie! She had black hair.

I could not decide which was more beautiful. They were both wonderful. They were sisters. I was the only female in our family, other than Mother, and had asked for a sister. Now, my Barbie dolls each had a sister! What fun! I was already planning their days together, while I reached for the very large box. By now, naturally, my face was beaming. Who needed Ginny if she had BARBIE?!

The third box was something of which I had not even heard on television...Barbie's Mix n' Match Wardrobe set. My Barbies had Barbie's complete wardrobe! WWWOWWW! My imagination SOARED. I did not even know that I had an imagination and, yet, here it was climbing the heighths of possibility.

In 1959, approximately one decade prior to the women's movement in Washington DC and nationwide, my Barbies were business partners with their own conglomerate; moreover, they designed and decorated the offices of their own skyscraper in New York City at the head of Madison Avenue (thanks to Doris Day movies and Millie the Model comic books) and designed their own clothes (thanks to my aunt's crocheted dresses for Ginny and to my years of drawing, coloring, and cutting new paper outfits for my favorite paper dolls).

Ken did not even exist then.

I do not feel that the introduction of Barbie to America in 1959 is unrelated to the success of the women's movement one decade later. When I was seven, I was told by some teacher, whose name I do not even recall, that adult women have a mere handful of options in life ...homemaker and mother, nurse, teacher, secretary, actress, singer, or stewardess. I was depressed by the news ...none of those options excited me, at all. Through the years, I have, since, heard the ideas of many girls regarding their Barbie's chosen professions. Thank you, Doctor Barbie, for setting us women free! We love you for it. Thank you, Mattel !

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