Barbie

Before Barbie was introduced to the world, it was assumed that girls only wanted to play with baby dolls. That was the conventional wisdom in the toy industry until 1955 when Ruth Handler, the wife of Mattel co-founder Elliott Handler, bought a German Bild Lilli doll. The doll was based on a newspaper comic strip character that featured an independent woman with a mind of her own and - obviously - good fashion sense. The adult female doll with the extensive wardrobe inspired Ruth, who had also noticed that her own daughter preferred to play with adult dolls. Handler decided to develop her own fashion doll through which girls could live a vicarious fantasy life. With the help of her husband Elliott, Handler bought the Lilli patent, named the new version after her daughter's nickname, and Barbie Millicent Roberts was born.

The doll debuted on March 9, 1959 at the American International Toy Fair. With her 38-18-33 figure and countless accessories, Barbie sold over 350,000 dolls in her first year. She was joined by boyfriend Ken in 1961, sisters Skipper and Tutti, brother Todd, and friends Midge, Skooter, Ricky and Chris. In ten years, Barbie generated over half a billion dollars in sales, became a worldwide icon and the target of intense feminist criticism. Meanwhile, the rights to the Bild Lilli doll itself had been bought by Mattel, which then stopped production of Barbie's inspiration.

As the years passed and fashions changed, Barbie's appearance altered and her wardrobe grew and grew. One of the most significant changes to her general look came in 1971 when her sideways glance was changed to allow Barbie to look straight ahead. As a pop culture icon, Barbie has also turned up in her own comic books, in video games, and even briefly in 1999's Toy Story 2.

Over the years, Barbie has weathered a number of controversies and obstacles, from criticism of her seemingly sexist persona to competition from up-and-coming doll lines like Bratz. But through it all, Barbie has demonstrated the same independent, can-do attitude that made her a favorite of young girls for six decades, and her popularity shows no signs of waning. You can visit some of the very first Barbies at Geppi's Entertainment Museum in our "America Tunes In" and "Revolution" galleries.

GI Joe

The success of the Barbie dolls in the early 1960s inspired a few people in the toy industry to consider a previously unheard-of concept - selling a doll to boys. Licensing agent Stan Weston convinced Hasbro's Don Levine to create a line of military-themed, articulated G.I. Joe "action figures" covering all four branches of the military. Levine prohibited employees from using the "D" word when referring to the G.I. Joe figures, and hand-sculpted and painted a prototype to demonstrate the kind of toy they were looking for. The Joe line debuted in 1964 and instantly won over a generation of boys eager to stage their own adventures. The success of the figures inspired Hasbro to launch an official club for fans, and by the end of the year there were over 150,000 members.

In 1965, with 2 million Joes sold, Hasbro introduced new outfits, a footlocker to store everything, vehicles, and an African-American Joe. The G.I. Nurse doll was a rare failure. In the late '60s, anti-war sentiment and competition from other figures like Gilbert's astronaut Major Matt Mason and Ideal's Captain Action hit the Joe line hard. Distancing Joe from his military origins, Hasbro altered the line in the 1970s. G.I. Joe joined an Adventure Team that focused on environmental rather than military missions. With more realistic hair and "Kung Fu Grip," Joe was bigger than ever, but the resurgence was short-lived. Joe ended the first phase of his career battling global catastrophes in 1976. An 8-inch Super Joe line in 1977-78 failed to reignite interest. The impact of the energy crisis on the price of plastic spelled temporary retirement for Joe.

When G.I. Joe was recalled to active duty in 1982, he was based on the new 3-3/4" standard size for action figures established by the success of Kenner's Star Wars toys. Now a team of individually named heroes with an enemy organization called Cobra, hundreds of accessories, vehicles and play sets, the G.I. Joe line easily overshadowed its predecessor as Star Wars waned in popularity. Joe's revival owed its success to a unique marketing partnership with a monthly Marvel comic book, an animated series, and a TV campaign.

In the late '80s the toy line became more fantasy-oriented, with characters like Cobra leader Serpentor-featured in 1987's G.I. Joe: The Movie, subsets like Battle Force 2000, and Joes modeled on wrestler Sgt. Slaughter and football player William "The Refrigerator" Perry.

1989 marked Joe's 25th anniversary. By 1991, with the 3-3/4" line dwindling in popularity, the original 12" Joe returned in a Hall of Fame series. Today, G.I. Joe still battles for justice in all sizes. Kids know that G.I. Joe will always be a Real American Hero...and knowing is half the battle. Geppi's Entertainment Museum takes you on a tour of duty through Joe's career in our "Revolution" and "Expanding Universe" galleries. In the "Revolution" gallery, I'm very proud to showcase that one-of-a-kind prototype created by Don Levine back in 1963.