Bild Lilli -- Barbie's Secret Past

The Barbie Doll has quite a reputation. Some mothers love them, some hate them. I remember standing in the aisle of a toy store in my neighborhood town, eagerly eyeing the much-talked about doll in the black and white striped swimsuit. There were two -- Blonde Barbie and Brunette Barbie. I recall being amused and perplexed about this doll that didn't look anything like my other dolls.

Barbie made her debut in 1959 in New York. I was five years old at the time. Eventually, I got a blonde  Barbie doll, that looked like this:

Barbie has always had some controversy -- look at her shape and her beginnings. Barbie was based on a cartoon from the German Tabloid Newspaper, The Bild. (a paper of mostly pictures, 'bild' in German means picture.)

She looks more like a pin-up girl -- long legs, small feet, buxom with a small waist and pouty lips. For sure, a man dreamed her up. She was named Lilli and she was a Sunday regular in the Hamburg Germany paper -- just filling up some extra space. It was the 1950's and 1960's. It was post-war Germany. In 1953, the newspaper decided to market the femme-fatale cartoon in 3D -- as a doll.

The cartoonist was Reinhard Beuthian, who was commissioned to create a cartoon for the Bild-Zeitung. First he drew a baby; it was rejected; then he drew the bombshell babe, Lilli. She appeared in the paper on June 24, 1952 and was a big hit until her run ended on Jan 5, 1961. 

One scene showed her sitting in a fortune teller's tent and asking -- "Can't you tell me the name and address of this rich and handsome man?"

To a policeman who told her that two-piece swimsuits are banned -- "Which piece do you want me to take off?"

To her boss -- "As you were angry when I was late this morning I will leave the office at five p.m. sharp!"

"If only I hadn't promised Hans                                  "Do I prefer light reading?

that I would visit him every day                                 The weight doesn't matter--I have the car outside."

during his illness--now he's faking 

his third relapse." 

"Hans always says, money doesn't make                 "I certainly didn't tell Brigitte too much about 

you happy--but he doesn't even have that!"            you--it wasn't even half of what I know about you!           

                                                                                          

      

"I don't want to be some amazing dame,                      "You were right--Broms Way is actually longer 

 it only means that I'm not allowed to do                       than I always thought."

what I think is fun."

                      

                                                                            "Lame that now, when I'm doing my spring    

"When Rolf and I are of different opinions,                     cleaning, no salesman is here to demonstrate 

I say that the smarter one should back down                    a vacuum." 

--and then I have my way right away." 

               

"No, Mr. Feidmann, that is not at all what                    "Please, Inge, quickly tell me something that I 

 I meant by 'Enjoying the outdoors.'"                              can be sad about-- Peter is coming right now                        

                                                                                        and he really knows how to comfort."

See all the original Cartoons of Lilli 

Related articles

• Lilli Becomes Barbie  part 2 (eveoutofthegarden.com)