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1. The breasts of Barbie, All those peaks of yankee merchandising, obtain their owing in tonights report within the attractive tiny miss -- now 40 many years aged, Though you wouldnt know it -- who revolutionized global dolldom. Delving into The key Lifetime of Barbie, Robert Krulwich goes to Barbies creator and developer, Ruth Handler, for an account of how she beat down the resistance of prudish male executives at Mattel, the massive toy business that she and her partner founded, and created all of them rich. Our partaking correspondent talks to middle-aged Females who cherish memories of their Barbie collections also to deconstructionists of her building, noting together how how Mattel has performed hardball with competition bent on imitating the inimitable. It all started on a visit to Europe when Ms. Handler came upon a sexual intercourse toy, called Bild Lilli; Mr. Krulwich phone calls her a slutty doll from Germany, but Ms. Handlers eyesight of pulchritude for kids plus some weighty tv advertising carried the day. Though turning into the most well-liked and lucrative toy of all time, Barbie gave two generations of teachers one thing to have their teeth into; tonight you could meet a girl who's discovered as being a Barbie scholar. Exegetes concur that Barbie is about sex. Before long she was joined by Ken, described right here as being a palpable idiot Together with the trace of the bump where by his genitalia should be. Camille Paglia, generally excellent for a quotable observation, sees Barbie as primary the motion towards woman liberation: knowledgeable female with glamour. (But why does my 3-yr-previous granddaughter, Rebecca, insist on removing her hair?) Whatever the standard attraction, the marketeers retained pace with trend. For the duration of Camelot, Barbie had a Jackie Kennedy hairdo. Because the civil legal rights movement gained help, Barbie acquired her initially black friend, sadly named Coloured Francie. In spite of this sort of signs of social recognition, revenue dipped as the 1960s became the 1970s, when Barbie seemed out of phase with liberation actions and Mattel obtained into authorized difficulty with The federal government. But she observed favor all over again to be a Reagan-era go-getter, the queen of conspicuous intake, somebody crowns her. Equipped with all method of outfits, she was also The brand new Woman who may be anybody and do anything at all. With sales approaching $two billion a 12 months, Barbie turned, in Mr. Krulwichs slightly blended graphic, the Coca-Cola of toys. Critics like Dr. Ruth Westheimer however dont like Individuals breasts, which, they warn, could stir women anxieties above their own imperfectly proportioned bodies, but no one is picketing; a hundred million Barbies are likely to be offered world wide this year. The interesting promise of 1998 is really a refigured Barbie: will she be fatter or flatter? A glimpse tonight reveals no remarkable difference, apart from, be assured, to students of her type. This system ends that has a scene of kids generating up stories featuring their Barbies and Kens: an Helpful resources admirer notes contentedly which the children are accountable for this tiny piece of world commerce. Other adults, who happen to be traveling to toy merchants and watching television commercials, may appear away with a distinct tackle that's managing these youthful controllers. ABC Information THURSDAY Evening The Secret Lifetime of Barbie ABC, tonight at 10

2. (Channel seven in The big apple) Robert Krulwich, correspondent; Janice Tomlin, government producer of ABC Information Thursday Night; Rudy Bednar, senior broadcast producer; Jon Meyersohn, senior producer; Betsy West, government-in-demand; Lisa Jackson, producer of The trick Lifetime of Barbie. WITH: Mr. Krulwich, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Paula Poundstone, Camille Paglia and Ruth Handler.