B is for Barbie Doll: Inventions by Women A-Z

First Barbie (1959)--available as brunette or blond

My granddaughter has a fabulous Barbie doll collection, complete with doll houses, clothes, accessories, and just about anything you could imagine. When I first saw it, all I wanted to do was sit down and play dolls with her, which I did and had a ball.

So where did Barbie come from, you might ask? Who invented this one of a kind doll?

Ruth Handler
(1916-2002)

The lady with the nice smile on the left, Ruth Handler, was the inventor, and she was one savvy business woman. She and her husband were co-founders of the Mattel Toy Company.....that's right, Mattel. 

One day, as the story is told, Ruth was watching her daughter play paper dolls with some friends. She noticed the girls were playacting scenes from the future, not the present, and began to imagine a doll they might like. Certain she was onto something big, she modeled the doll after a popular doll in Germany (initially sold to adults) that she had discovered on a trip. She named the doll Barbie after her daughter Barbara. (The Ken doll invented later was named after her son).

Barbie was introduced to the public at the 1959 American International Toy Fair in New York City on March 9, 1959 (which happens to be Barbie's official birthday). The doll was an instant success, in fact so successful, Mattel was soon listed as a Fortune 500 company.

 Not everyone liked the new doll. Some parents voiced concerns about the doll's adult chest, which clearly showed a woman's breasts. Ruth was adamant the doll have an adult appearance, but did agree to one change in 1971. Barbie's eyes, instead of casting a "demure sideways glance," were changed to face forward. 

Meanwhile, Barbie's measurements were somewhere around height 6 feet, weight 100 pounds, and body size 39-19-33. In 1997, in light of criticism that Barbie's body shape was unrealistic and young girls might try to emulate the doll, Barbie's waistline was made larger.

Barbie has been sold in over 150 countries and remains popular to this day. The average girl age 3-11 owns at least 10 dolls. 

How about you? Are you a Barbie doll fan?

Sources:
http://www.women-inventors.com/Ruth-Handler.asp;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie
http://www.teenink.com/opinion/pop_culture_trends/article/175098/The-Barbie-Effect/

Copyright 2015 © Sharon Marie Himsl

A is for Alphabet Blocks: Inventions by Women A-Z

Parents have long understood the educational value of alphabet blocks in teaching their children how to read, in addition to inspiring the imagination and encouraging coordination skills as a building toy. 

Alphabet blocks are just plain fun.  

In the 19th century, alphabet blocks were found in school rooms everywhere in the educated world. Historically, some form of alphabet blocks existed as far back as 1693. The English philosopher John Locke wrote that “dice and play-things, with the letters . . . teach children the alphabet by playing,” and make learning how to read enjoyable. 

Does anyone reading this not remember playing with alphabet blocks as a child?

"Baby at Play" (Thomas Eakins, 1876)

Similar references to alphabet blocks appeared in 1798 in a book called Practical Education (Maria and R.L. Edgeworth) as "building bricks," in 1820 (U.S.) as "multi-colored blocks," again in 1837 (Germany), and in 1850 (England) as "terracotta toy blocks." 

Adeline Dutton Train Whitney (1824-1906)

But the alphabet blocks that most of us identify with today were invented by a Massachusetts woman named Adeline Dutton Train Whitney. 

Adeline was well educated and came from a well-to-do family. Her father owned a successful shipping business. After marrying at nineteen and raising four children, Adeline pursued her dream of writing. She wrote poetry and over twenty books, stories mostly for young girls. 

Adeline held to traditional values typical of her time, opposing women's suffrage and promoting the domestic role of women in the home. At age 42 (1882) Adeline patented a set of alphabet blocks constructed of wood, and officially became the toy's inventor. Her model is still used today, although they are often made with non-wood materials.

 

Sources:
http://www.aauw.org/2010/09/16/alphabet-blocks/
http://famousamericans.net/adelineduttontrainwhitney/
http://www.toyhalloffame.org/toys/alphabet-blocks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_block

Sharon M. Himsl

Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011. 
Published with Evernight Teen: 
~~The Shells of Mersing

A Busy Summer

It has been a busy summer babysitting my grandchildren, my daughter's in July and my son's in August. All in all it amounted to six weeks with these dear ones, ages 1, 4-1/2, 4-3/4, and 6.

Wow, I was quite unprepared being full-time Mommy again, when you consider I went from writing 20 hours a week in my quiet home office and daily lunches on the patio with my husband, but what a wonderful way to get close to one's grandchildren.

I had been insanely jealous of two friends who regularly spent time with theirs, as all are just a short drive away. Mine are 13 hours and an air trip away. I think I may have beat them this summer though on Grandma time. I am now an expert on Thomas the Train, Bob the Builder, Wii Mario, and Lightning McQueen and all the other cars. Plus, I had a good refresher course on changing diapers, morning routines, picky and not-so picky eaters, playing ball (all kinds), bikes with training wheels, finding playgrounds at the park, story times at the library, and good places to eat ice cream. Whew, what a busy time we had. Chatter, chatter, chatter all day long, and those little feet moved nonstop. 

 While gone, my husband was left in charge of a tree from Home Depot still waiting to be planted, a small vegetable garden, and other plantings. As he is not normally inclined in this direction, I was on the phone constantly, reminding him to water everything. Funny, not once during this process did I remember to ask him to water my house plants or feed my new fish, a sweet little blue betta.

When he arrived in California two weeks later, he was so proud of himself having taken care of everything. It was then, and only then, that I remembered the fish and the houseplants. Ouch! I was sure they would be dead after 3 weeks! But guess what? The houseplants survived and so did the betta. Bettas are amazing!! They are the perfect fish for the negligent pet owner.



 I really need to get the word out. Bettas are for you, if pets aren't your thing. I came home full of remorse, but the little guy was no worse for the wear and was swimming around happily in his foodless cage like nothing in the world was wrong. My daughter had actually recommended I get a betta, when I protested that her dad and I traveled too much. Come to think of it, I do sort of remember her telling me that these critters actually survive in mud puddles in the wild, so I guess his sterile cage complete with colored rock and plastic flowers is a grade up, right? Can you believe it?

Sadly, during my stay in California (and husband's, since he came for 1 week) we received the shocking news that a dear nephew (only 30 years old) had died. It has stopped the family in its tracks and we are all still processing the news. It will require another trip and helping out wherever there is a need. The day I found out, it was my birthday and the family in California was preparing a party for me.

We had the party and it was joyful, complete with mushy kisses on the cheek from my 2 grandsons but it was also bittersweet knowing that our extended family was grieving, a grief my husband share as well. I still remember caring for this nephew as an infant, along with his two little sisters so his parents could take a holiday in Cancun. It's hard to believe his short life is now over, and indeed it was SHORT. The old die first, right? I will grapple with this shocking, sad news for months to come. I know his parents will grieve for a lifetime.

Now after being back one full day, my quiet life with my husband feels like pure luxury. I am eager to start back on my writing and need to establish a solid writing routine again. My writing partner, who I check in with weekly, is already urging me to get started. I only worked 10 hours or so on my book during the six-week period. Although my rewrite is complete, I have been putting it through a thorough check for plot, and character and conflict development, and had found areas that needed another look.

After this revision, I will print it out again and begin a quick line edit (hopefully quick). Then I will send it off to a children writer's group I belong to for review. Meanwhile, I will start the long search for an agent and continue my ongoing study of the e-publishing market. Writing this book has been a long haul but I'm anxious to move on because I have so many other ideas for future books and I can't wait to get started.



Copyright 2011 © Sharon Himsl