Admit it, you were one of those girls who put Barbie in some compromising positions when you were younger. It turns out that's just part of the doll's history: A new book says that the man who helped design Barbie was "a 'full-blown '70s-style swinger" with "a manic need for sexual gratification'" (as the New York Post so delicately puts it).In the soon-to-be-released book "Toy Monster: The Big, Bad World of Mattel," author Jerry Oppenheimer spills secrets about the sex life of toy designer Jack Ryan (no, not the Tom Clancy protagonist portrayed by Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Alec Baldwin onscreen).
Wild Life
According to one of Oppenheimer's sources, designer Ryan (left) would talk about creating his masterpiece in creepy detail: "It was like listening to somebody talk about a sexual episode, almost like listening to a sexual pervert."
The book alleges that Ryan patronized prostitutes, threw orgies and sought out women who looked like Barbie.
Not the First ClaimRyan's strange psychodynamics with the doll will be no surprise to those who know their toy history. Ryan always seemed to want Barbie to walk the line between sexy and skanky, and when the prototypes of the doll came back from Japan, he filed off the nipples because, according to The Telegraph, "the Japanese had not understood the subtleties of western sexual iconography."
He also was so enamored with Barbie's pull-string talk boxes that he had some fitted into the stone lions at his Bel Air mansion.
The eponymous Ken doll isn't scandal-free, either. The toy was named after the son of a Mattel founder. According to Oppenheimer, the real-life Ken grew up "humiliated" by the link, and became a closeted gay man who died of complications relating to AIDS.
Click here to read about the surprising, sex-tinged inspiration for Barbie.
Trouble in Toyland
Bratz Although the low-rise jeans-wearing dolls are meant for girls between the ages of 7 to 12-years-old, preschool girls have been toting these luscious-lipped curvaceous toys, causing an outrage among parents and toy watchdog groups. In 2006, a Harvard group, in collaboration with Dads and Daughters, pressured Hasbro to stop production on a Bratz line based on the super-sexy girl group Pussycat Dolls in 2006.
Getty Images
Barbie In 1989, the Barbie Liberation Organization took Mattel to task for their Teen-Talk Barbie, which intoned the infamous words, "Math is hard." To teach Mattel a lesson, they switched dozens of Teen-Talk Barbie voice boxes with those from Talking Duke G.I. Joe dolls.
Getty Images
Easy-Bake Oven A popular toy since the '50s, you'd think that Hasbro would've gotten he kinks out of the play oven by now. In July 2007 the toy company recalled the new version of the oven after more than 200 kids got their fingers stuck in the oven's door and 77 kids reported being burned from the device.
AP
Aqua Dots It's never a good idea to eat your toys, especially if they're Aqua Dots. In 2007, there were several cases of kids vomiting or falling into a coma after ingesting the beads. And, scientists found that the toy's coating contained a chemical that turns into the "date rape" drug Rohypnol after digestion. The arts and crafts beads were pulled off U.S. shelves immediately after the discovery.
AP
Scrabulous When RJ Softwares developed Scrabulous for the ultra-popular Facebook it attracted a half-million players daily, prompting Scrabble maker Hasbro to step in and slap the India-based company with a fat lawsuit. Hasbro claims that RJ Softwares stole "intelligent software" including the game's trademark name.
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Super Columbine Massacre RPG When tragedy hits, it's usually a good idea to downplay it and let wounds heal--not create a video game about the disaster. Despite the negative reaction by the survivors and victims' families, the game is still available online.
AP
Tickle Me Elmo In 2006, love fo Tickle Me Elmo turned ugly at a Target in Tampa, Fla., when a man threatened another customer with his life. The guy told the shopper he had a gun and wasn't afraid to use it if he didn't get the Elmo doll. And it looks like Elmo isn't that innocent after all: That same year, some copies of the "Potty Time with Elmo" interactive book contained a button that said," Who wants to die?"
AP
Grand Theft Auto The game's in-your-face violence and sex has been highly scrutinized by parent groups. And controversy sparked when 2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas game contained sexually explicit mini-games that could be unlocked with a code. Versions of the game have already been banned in Thailand and Australia.
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The SockObama In June 2008, the blogosphere fumed about a sock monkey doll made to look like Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama. Although the doll may have been described as "firm but huggable," the doll's production was stopped after a couple of weeks after critics said the doll had racist undertones.
nymag.com
Furby No one's too sure exactly what a Furby is. However, in early 1999, The National Security Agency put employees under "Furby Alert" and requiring that employees keep their Furbies at home. It turns out the furry toy contains a computer chip that can potentially record classified information.
AP
More Dark Secrets
The book alleges that Ryan was so obsessed with the dolls, he paid for his multiple wives and innumerable girlfriends (with whom he supposedly enjoyed cocaine and orgies in a "black fox fur"-lined dungeon) to have cosmetic surgery in order to more closely resemble them.
But even Zsa Zsa Gabor, whom he purportedly married due to her remarkably Barbie-like appearance, told Oppenheimer that she knew she'd made a mistake in marrying him when he tried to bribe a tour guide to fulfill his husbandly duties on their honeymoon. Ultimately, Ryan succumbed to the depression that had plagued him his entire life, and fatally shot himself in 1991.
Barbie's Many Looks
Barbie's come a long way from her tarted-up roots (she was allegedly based on a German sex doll popular in the 1950s). One of the latest Barbie collectibles coming out this month is the "Carol Burnett Show" Went With The Wind Doll. Yes, it's a Barbie. Of Carol Burnett.
Just browsing the Barbie Loves Pop Culture and Celebrity Doll galleries shows you that this girl is willing to be anything, and people are willing to buy whatever she's selling. The Lounge Kitties collection, however, looks like something Jack Ryan might have really liked.
Tell us: Did you give all your Barbies radical haircuts? What's the weirdest thing you dressed her in?
The Weirdest Hello Kitty Products
Hello Kitty Pet Costume Cute? Creepy? So torn.
Gizmodo.com
Hello Kitty Maxi Pads This product, along with the fourth horseman, portend the coming apocalypse.
KittyHell.com
Hello Kitty Lawnmower Any woman who purchases this has only herself to blame when she gets stuck mowing the lawn.
Hello-Kitty-co.uk
Hello Kitty Robot Maid Put this one in the "Who could have possibly wanted a Hello Kitty version of this product?" file.
Sanrio.com
Hello Kitty Tarot Cards Kitty predicts a future in which your friends are scared off by your creepy Hello Kitty collection.
Aeclectic.com
Hello Kitty Sausage Is there anything more adorable than ground-up pig intestines?
Aeclectic.com
Hello Kitty Microscope Scientists are currently working on a cure for Hello Kitty mania.
KittyHell.com
Hello Kitty Power Sander For building your Hello Kitty toolshed, natch.
KittyHell.com
Hello Kitty Marriage Certificate Luckily, Keroppi performs divorces.
KittyHell.com
Hello Kitty Diet Pills You'll be extra kawaii when you've got the shakes from this off-brand kitty speed.
KittyHell.com
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Friday 09 January
By Jim
I've also heard that, in the 1960's, Barbie closely resembled slain actress Sharon Tate's all- American, girl-next-door looks. On certain dolls of that era, the resemblence is eerily similar, especially on "Malibu Barbie".
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Friday 09 January
By elizabeth
malibu barbie was based on a sharon tate movie. wiki it.
Wednesday 14 January
By palmbeacher
you guys are the reason I read this shit...WHO CARES..I think its great this icon of "american girls?was formulated by a guy with ahealthy libido. Hell , if I had his money I would have made satan blush.get with the program,sex sells and so does the perfect body.ther is a reason mommy doesnt give young jenny a disgusting fat blob of a girl to play with. you people all need knocked off your perch. go get laid and vist where the beautiful are...then come talk to me.good for this guy!!oh, loved the article!
Friday 09 January
By Liz
Heather - is that really your name or a pseudonym? The doll was based on a cartoon which was risque in Germany. Dolls were manufactured and are referred to as Bild Lilli's. They were not manufactured by Mattel. The design for Barbie was thought up by Ruth Handler who saw her daughter playing with adult paperdolls rather than the baby dolls which were prevalent in the 1950's. She came out as a fashion icon. If people used her for sexual perversion then that it seems to me would be their problem, not the manufacturers. Before you write an article, perhaps you should research or it. Or better yet, Heather or Bambi or whatever the heck your true identity is - go find something else to pick on beside an inanimate piece of vinyl. All that college education gone to waste.
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Wednesday 14 January
By vince b
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler (1916-2002) is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration.
Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for nearly fifty years, and has been the subject of numerous controversies and lawsuits, often involving parody of the doll and her lifestyle. In recent years, Barbie has faced increasing competition from the Bratz range of dolls.
Wednesday 14 January
By Diane
Liz is 100% Correct...GLAD you wrote what you did!
Wednesday 14 January
By Jeana
Liz is SO right!
People will believe ANYTHING, especially uninformed idiots who have believed all the crazy talk about Barbie being so BAD for young girls and yadda, yadda, yadda........
Do your research. Look up Ruth Handler and how she found the Bild Lilli doll in Europe and didn't REPRODUCE her (she WAS quite tarty looking), but she was INSPIRED by the doll to make a fashion doll for young girls in the US.
Not only did I play with Barbie and friends as a child, but as an adult I have been a collector, (of mainly the vintage dolls from the years of my childhood, which are NOT cheap!) and yes my daughter got Barbies and NO she isn't permanently damaged with bad self image because of it! Geesh!
I have even gone on our local tv news show once to defend the dolls because of silly people coming up with this crazy talk.Funny thing was, all the phone calls into the show agreed with me once they learned the true story behind the doll. I was so happy when they called me to represent the Barbie collector and the host was fascinated by the things I told her and we talked about it way after we were finished doing the show.
Oh and I almost DIED when I read who this was about. I had never HEARD of the man, and just because he was an executive with Mattel does that mean he had total artistic and creative control over all Mattel products? I highly doubt it. It is almost too funny to even think about and if I was Mattel, a company who frankly is known for loving to sue people, I would sue the author of that book and anyone who had anything to do with it for misrepresentation of an icon of toy history.
All in all, this had to be the most ridiculous story I have ever seen written, when will people learn to get their facts straight before they go spewing at the mouth like they are experts on everything? Sigh......probably never.
Thursday 15 January
By Blackwolf
I agree with Liz, not all of the facts were checked and not enough research was done before this article was written. It seems more like the work of an angry feminist looking to blame something they disapprove of on men. I like to think of myself as a feminist, but I don't go around putting blaming everything on men (as many times women can be just as guilty) or trying to find something wrong in every tiny thing like a toy -_-;; .
Thursday 15 January
By binz
Liz,
While I think you may have a valid point in telling a reporter to do their research, I think you may have misplaced your anger at this article. Seems to me that Heather did her research very well. She reported on a soon to be released book about one of Barbie's "co-creators." She was not researching the "facts" on Barbie, but reporting on someone else's research. If you feel that strongly about it, contact the author of the book, not the reporter who's summarizing it.
Monday 19 January
By Jennifer
Thank you for someone knowing the true history of Barbie and why she was created. I am so tired of people turning Barbie into something that she was never meant to be. Whoever wrote this article needs to research the facts rather than report such lies and smut! Ruth Handler created Barbie in hopes that young girls could live out their dreams through their dolls. Which is why she created different careers for Barbie. She wanted young girls to relate to the doll and know that when they grow up, they to could achieve their goals and ambitions.
BTW getting a male doll named after you does not turn you gay, nor does it give you AIDS.
Friday 09 January
By sordaplay
This was a mean-spirited article with no content or purpose. Why is AOL using articles like this anyway. So the guy was rich and used a German sex doll as an inspiration for Barbie? So what. How about an article describing how big business is getting a bailout provided by the tax payers of this country and congress is allowing it. Go into detail and expose the malarkey going on in Washington instead of this worthless article.
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Friday 09 January
By judy
Why do people come into this asrea and then whine about an article .? If you want to raead about bail outs and all that crap go to that section and read and weep. Why come into entertainment and start your whining??
Friday 09 January
By frank
Everything cant be about the bailout. Not everything........
Saturday 10 January
By Tim
You make a very good point., however, this is AOL. you know Time/ Warner and all,main stream media and all that.Which makes them a part of the dumbing down of America.The other thing is, if you feel that strongly about the use of this space for this kind of story,why did you read it?It did say Barbie in the headline and I don't think that is left wing code for wealth redistribution or anything,at least not yet anyway.
Wednesday 14 January
By chuck
You're right. This story is a NON-story. Big deal. If I had the millions he had, I would probably throw huge parties at my mansion also, just like any normal male lots of hot babes at his side. I don't see AOL complaining about Hugh Hefners lifestyle?
Wednesday 14 January
By Snamfu
oh come on, do you think that any of us want to be reminded about the economy every time we turn around? we have enough of all that crap as it is. sometimes you need to let go and LAUGH as hard as you can for no reason at all, and a pointless article is the place to start.
Wednesday 14 January
By WB
After all the nay-nay negative comments, I don't know but, has anyone given a slight thought of it maybe, perhaps, hmmm... being accurate? We're so prompt to say no to things we DO NOT want to be true, or ARE NOT prepare to believe that is true, that we don't even want to consider that there is also a second possibility: It MAY be true.
I don't know if it is or not, but one thing I'm NOT going to do: Consider it a "lousy article" without at least consider the evidences. Of course, most of those who don't have daughters, or don't care about what they do as long as they are having fun don't bother.
Just knowing that this 'Ryan' guy was so insane and pervert + shot himself afterwards already gives me enough creeps to rethink about all that. Prefer to trade my kids' Barbies for something else that won't influence my home spiritually! If it's really for real, which I'm going to search on, I AM OUT!!!!!
Thursday 15 January
By Dorina
I agree wholeheartedly.
And, I'd like to add, this is a mean spirited, sensational article. Bad reporting. When will this sensational crap end? We want a better, brighter future and can't get there with all this drama.
Besides, Barbie is a classic. One of the few dolls I liked as a kid. I still have mine! And enjoy watching my friend's daughter play with her.
Friday 09 January
By Irratated
Someone needs to edit some of these comments. I'm generally against such a thing but the use of the 'F' word for shock value on a public Blog is totally unacceptable. (such as the post by michael)
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Saturday 10 January
By Jimmy
" Someone needs to edit some of these comments. I'm generally against such a thing but the use of the 'F' word for shock value on a public Blog is totally unacceptable. (such as the post by michael)"
Which "F" word?
There are hundreds in the English dictionary.
Foul,Front,Fame,Flow,Fetch,Feild etc.
Why would you let a word bother you?
Ohhh I get it you're 1 of those moral policemen who believe freedom of speech is fine as long as you can controll what is being said right?
AS for the story,
who gives a flying fig