A birthday celebration isn’t complete without a rendition of “Happy Birthday to You,” and Sunday’s Barbie event at the Greene County Historical Museum was no exception.
The Historical Society hosted two events March 9, the 55th anniversary of the introduction of the Barbie doll: a Barbie Birthday Bash for younger folks, and Carla Offenburger’s presentation “Barbie: A Timeless Treasure.” Front and center for the program was a highly collectible 1959 Barbie doll owned by Barbie collectors Carl and Lynn Monico of Omaha. The Monicos had heard of the presentation and took a Sunday afternoon drive to Jefferson to join the fun. It was that Barbie to which the 60 or so persons in attendance sang “Happy Birthday to You.”
Barbies from 1959 are rare, Offenburger explained, because in the early 1960s Mattel “upgraded” Barbie and allowed folks to “trade-up” for a newer model. The “old” Barbies were discarded, so 55-year-old Barbie dolls are hard to find.
Offenburger talked about her feminist ambivalence about Barbie and research she had done for a short class she taught, “Barbie: Toy or Temptress?” at Buena Vista University in 2004. She confessed she does not and never has owned a Barbie doll. “I’m intrigued with her, but I have no enchanting childhood memories of her….I am fond of Barbie. That’s resulted from spending a lot of time with her and studying her as a cultural icon,” Offenburger said. “I’m a feminist, and really I started out not liking Barbie. When I don’t like something, I figure I better study up on it, and I better know what my opinion is, and why my opinion is that way. What I found was that she’s darned sweet.”
She told how the Mattel toy company was formed by Harold “Matt” Matson and Elliot Handler. It was Elliot’s wife Ruth Handler who suggested creating an adult fashion doll for girls. She is credited with “inventing” Barbie, named for their daughter Barbara. Barbie’s boyfriend Ken, who was introduced a few years later, is named after the Handlers’ son Ken.
Offenburger talked about marketing, saying Handler was “nearly ruthless and shameless in developing and marketing what Barbie was and could be. She was insistent that Barbie would never marry and never be a mom. This allowed Barbie to be about anything else,” Offenburger said. “When Barbie is in the hands of young girls, she becomes whatever the girl wants her to be. It doesn’t matter if Barbie is dressed like a presidential candidate. If the young girl needs a dragon slayer, Barbie’s it.” Barbie has been sold dressed for 150 different careers, Offenburger added.
Barbie is part of the culture and is in the news often. Offenburger pointed out that at the same time controversy arose about Barbie being the topic of Girl Scout merit badges she was featured as a centerfold of the 2014 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
Virtually all of those in attendance Sunday had Barbie memories, and some brought their Barbie dolls with them. Questions and answers, sharing time and refreshments followed Offenburger’s presentation.
A younger crowd at the Barbie Birthday Bash shared many fun activities including a scavenger hunt, which sent them and their adult companions searching every exhibit at the museum for various Barbies. Eighth graders Haley Hall, Gwen Black, Regan Lamoureux and Charlie Gunn assisted.
The next program at the Historical Museum is slated for Sunday, April 6, at 2:30 pm. Speaker/actor Tom Milligan will present “Grant Wood: Prairie Rebel.” Funding is provided by Humanities Iowa.
