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1. The breasts of Barbie, Individuals peaks of yankee merchandising, receive their due in tonights report over the hot very little overlook -- now forty decades outdated, although you wouldnt know it -- who revolutionized international dolldom. Delving into The Secret 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 firm that she and her husband Established, and made all of them prosperous. Our partaking correspondent talks to Center- aged Gals who cherish Reminiscences in their Barbie collections and to deconstructionists of her design, noting alongside how how Mattel has performed hardball with rivals bent on imitating the inimitable. Everything started on a trip to Europe when Ms. Handler came upon a intercourse toy, generally known as Bild Lilli; Mr. Krulwich calls her a slutty doll from Germany, but Ms. Handlers vision of pulchritude for teenagers and some weighty television advertising and marketing carried the day. When getting to be the most popular and profitable toy of all time, Barbie gave two generations of lecturers one thing for getting their tooth into; tonight you'll be able to meet a girl that is discovered for a Barbie scholar. Exegetes agree that Barbie is about sex. Quickly she was joined by Ken, explained in this article as a palpable idiot While using the trace of a bump wherever his genitalia ought to be. Camille Paglia, generally very good for a quotable observation, sees Barbie as foremost the movement towards female liberation: a specialist lady with glamour. (But why does my 3-yr-outdated granddaughter, Rebecca, insist on removing her hair?) Regardless of the essential enchantment, the marketeers saved rate with style. For the duration of Camelot, Barbie experienced a Jackie Kennedy hairdo. Since the civil legal rights movement received aid, Barbie acquired her 1st black Close friend, Additional reading regretably named Coloured Francie. Inspite of this sort of signs of social consciousness, product sales dipped since the sixties turned into the 1970s, when Barbie seemed out of stage with liberation movements and Mattel obtained into lawful difficulties with The federal government. But she found favor again as a Reagan-period go-getter, the queen of conspicuous consumption, someone crowns her. Outfitted with all method of outfits, she was also The brand new Girl who can be anyone and do anything at all. With profits approaching $two billion a yr, Barbie became, in Mr. Krulwichs marginally mixed graphic, the Coca-Cola of toys. Critics like Dr. Ruth Westheimer nevertheless dont like People breasts, which, they warn, may stir ladies anxieties over their very own imperfectly proportioned bodies, but no one is picketing; 100 million Barbies are very likely to be marketed world wide this yr. The thrilling guarantee of 1998 is often a refigured Barbie: will she be fatter or flatter? A glimpse tonight reveals no extraordinary change, apart from, be certain, to pupils of her type. This system finishes that has a scene of youngsters building up tales that includes their Barbies and Kens: an admirer notes contentedly which the children are in charge of this minimal piece of worldwide commerce. Other Grownups, who are already traveling to toy stores and watching tv commercials, may perhaps come away with a unique tackle who is managing these young controllers. ABC NEWS THURSDAY NIGHT The trick Life of Barbie ABC, tonight at ten (Channel seven in New York)

2. Robert Krulwich, correspondent; Janice Tomlin, executive producer of ABC Information Thursday Evening; Rudy Bednar, senior broadcast producer; Jon Meyersohn, senior producer; Betsy West, executive-in-demand; Lisa Jackson, producer of The key Lifetime of Barbie. WITH: Mr. Krulwich, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Paula Poundstone, Camille Paglia and Ruth Handler.