The Toys That Made Us on Netflix

[cjefferys]

OK so seriously, what was that exactly?

See my post above yours.

An odd choice to make sure it was often seen in the shot. The way the scene was framed and set up, it's almost like either the interviewee or the filmmaker wanted to make sure it was prominently shown for some reason but yeah, it just ended up distracting from the interview so it was a poor decision IMO.

[Werewolf]

But it's not cool to further such myths if we know better.

No worries.

It's a bit disappointing to hear that's the angle the show was going for. I suppose it's more exciting for the show to perpetuate the myth that Barbie was molded after a "sex doll" than the more boring truth that Lilli was just a fashion doll.

[Earth 2 Chris]

THANK YOU! That was kind of nuts and really took the focus away from the show. My one complaint.

Quote Originally Posted by Earth 2 Chris View Post
Yes, Barbie was essentially the German sex doll Bild Lilly repackaged as a fashion doll for girls.
Calling Lilli a sex doll isn't really accurate. It wasn't even anatomically correct. Lilli was a fashion doll from a comic strip (which is probably pretty tame by today's standards) for a German newspaper. The fashion doll was originally intended as a gag gift, for adults, but quickly became popular with German children and earned its greatest success as a play doll.

The Lilli doll design was heavily retooled, like adding rooted hair and removable shoes, for the original pony tail Barbie. The 1959 Barbie was very similar but not an exact copy.

More on Lilli:

http://www.marcdolls.ch/englilli.html

It would be like taking something from the back part of a Spencer's and rebranding it under Fisher Price nowadays.
Ninja Turtles was an incredibly violent and dark adult comic before becoming the beloved G rated cartoon and toy line it's famous for.

Sorry, just going by the general feel of the doll. It was definitely the angle the show was going in with the doll, and it's more fun to say "Barbie came from a sex doll" than to really get the facts right. But it's not cool to further such myths if we know better. My bad.

Chris

[Hedji]

That damn chair in the Barbie episode was a bit distracting.

OK so seriously, what was that exactly?

[cjefferys]

Out of curiosity I did some googling and apparently it's a sculpture called Girl in a Sling Chair by Frank Gallo, there used to be one in the Playboy Mansion too.

[thunderbolt]

I kept trying to figure out what that was back there.

[palitoy]

That damn chair in the Barbie episode was a bit distracting.

Most executives skin a human being and leave it laying around...

[cjefferys]

That damn chair in the Barbie episode was a bit distracting.

[palitoy]

I have and really enjoyed it.

[PNGwynne]

I have to think Mattel's environment was vastly different to Kenner. Kenner was probably closer to Mego in that way.

That strikes me as apt. Did you read the Mattel vs. Hasbro book, Miller's Toy Wars?

[palitoy]

Yeah, that's a good point, star Wars isn't a Kenner property.

[Werewolf]

Also, i think some of the Mattel guys are bitter.

I think the big difference is the SW team at Kenner were working on a licensed brand and MOTU was created in house. So, the MOTU guys feel more of an ownership of the property. MOTU was such a mish mash of ideas (Conan, Flash Gordon, Tarzan, LOTR, Norse mythology, etc.) and so many different people worked on it. The artists that did the Boris Vallejo inspired box art and card art should also not be over looked in the brand's early identity and success. But the toy line would not have become the phenomenon, it was, and the lasting pop culture icon, it still is, without the Filmation cartoon.

[palitoy]

I have to think Mattel's environment was vastly different to Kenner. Kenner was probably closer to Mego in that way.

Also, i think some of the Mattel guys are bitter. I once read Sweet got the boot and was working at Home Depot.

[jimbutsu]

This is a good observation, but remember the MOTU guys weren't so old 25 years ago when the line came out. But Hasbro is a client of ours at work, and the woman I deal with is very dry and doesn't seem to care much about the product. She's dispassionate about the toys. That always amazes me because I'd give my left leg to work there.

More like 35 years ago, and that would mean they were even younger then!
But I was referring more to attitude than I was to actual age - the Star Wars guys didn't come off like that, and they are every bit as beholden to the passage of time.

Interestingly, I've also talked to Hasbro in a non-toy context, and I agree 100% with your take, though I didn't even think about that when I was watching the show...

[Werewolf]

Yes, Barbie was essentially the German sex doll Bild Lilly repackaged as a fashion doll for girls.

Calling Lilli a sex doll isn't really accurate. It wasn't even anatomically correct. Lilli was a fashion doll from a comic strip (which is probably pretty tame by today's standards) for a German newspaper. The fashion doll was originally intended as a gag gift, for adults, but quickly became popular with German children and earned its greatest success as a play doll.

The Lilli doll design was heavily retooled, like adding rooted hair and removable shoes, for the original pony tail Barbie. The 1959 Barbie was very similar but not an exact copy.

More on Lilli:

http://www.marcdolls.ch/englilli.html

It would be like taking something from the back part of a Spencer's and rebranding it under Fisher Price nowadays.

Ninja Turtles was an incredibly violent and dark adult comic before becoming the beloved G rated cartoon and toy line it's famous for.