BILDLILLI, Doll, Germany, 19551964. Bukowskis


Story of the Bild Lilli doll Barbie Amino

Bild Lilli: The 'adult' doll on which Barbie was modelled Premium Bild Lilli: The 'adult' doll on which Barbie was modelled As Greta Gerwig's Barbie continues to set global box offices on fire, a look at the German doll which was its inspiration. Written by Vandana Kalra follow New Delhi | Updated: July 28, 2023 10:17 IST Follow Us


BILDLILLI, Doll, Germany, 19551964. Bukowskis

Born in 1952 in Germany, the inspiration for America's most popular doll was a sexually assertive, modern young woman named Lilli. She emerged as a comic-strip character in Bild-Zeitung, a Hamburg newspaper, c reated by the German artist Reinhard Beuthien. On June 24, 1952, Lilli's creator was ordered to make a "filler" to conceal a blank space in the newspaper.


A BildLilli doll, Germany, 19551964. Bukowskis

The inspiration for all-American Barbie is Bild-Lilli, a doll with familiar blond hair and wasp waist that first appeared in 1955. The doll was in turn inspired by a cartoon, and a chance.


BILDLILLI, doll, Germany, 19551964 and HONG KONG LILLI, made in Hong

Walking past a toy shop in Lucerne in the Swiss Alps, both Handler and her daughter were "absolutely transfixed" by the sight of a doll they saw in the window - known as Bild Lilli. "Barbara.


Original Large Bild Lilli 3 Piece Outfit 1151 1118 Prym Snaps 1950'S

The doll was Bild Lilli, based on a newspaper comic strip character originally aimed primarily at men, in German newspapers. (Europe has a long tradition of cartoons for adult audiences such as Asterix or Tintin .)


A BildLilli doll, Germany 19551964. Bukowskis

The Bild Lilli doll was a West German line of fashion doll launched by Greiner & Hausser GmbH on August 12, 1955, and produced until 1964. Its design was based on the comic-strip character Lilli, created by Reinhard Beuthien for the tabloid newspaper Bild.


BILD LILLI from GERMANY with original stand PRE BARBIE Vintage

This Bild Lilli doll was a platinum blonde, blue-eyed bombshell with large breasts. She wore red lipstick and blue eyeliner. Her feet were molded into black stilettos and she had arched eyebrows and sultry side-glancing eyes.


BILDLILLI, doll, Germany, 19551964 and HONG KONG LILLI, made in Hong

A Bild Lilli doll from 1955 — the racier ancestor of Mattel's "Barbie" doll — is shown at a 2006 convention. (Frank Hormann/AP) 5 min


A BildLilli doll, Germany, 19551964. Bukowskis

First created as a comic-strip character in the Hamburg newspaper Bild-Zeitung, the Bild Lilli doll became so popular that she was immortalized in plastic — and sold as an adult novelty,.


Bild Lilli doll with her original outfit she's 71/2 in… Flickr

Bild Lilli is the doll that Ruth Handler found while shopping in Europe in 1956 and was exactly the kind of a doll she had been thinking of producing. Mrs. Handler noticed her daughter Barbie preferred playing with her paper dolls rather than baby dolls that were prevalent at the time.


BILDLILLI, doll, Germany, 19551964. Bukowskis

Barbie's appearance was modeled after a doll named the Bild Lilli, which had been inspired by a German comic-strip character. Originally marketed as a racy gag gift that men could buy in.


A BildLilli doll, Germany, 19551964. Bukowskis

Bild-Lilli doll. Unlike the German doll, the American Barbie has slightly more wholesome features. She still had a similar, curvy build. However, the makeup was lessened and helped the dolls to appear a bit more kid-friendly. The feet of the American Barbies are also quite different from the feet of the Bild Lilli dolls.


A BildLilli doll, Germany, 19551964. Bukowskis

Bild Lilli doll was a German fashion doll launched on August 12, 1955 and produced until 1964. Its design was based on the comic-strip character Lilli, created by Reinhard Beuthien for the German tabloid newspaper Bild. The doll was made of palystyrene, came in two sizes, and had an available wardrobe of 1950s fashion..


BILDLILLI, Doll, Germany, 19551964. Bukowskis

To make things more complicated for Bild Lilli fans, the Marx Toy Company of Hong-Kong licensed the doll design and created their own line of Bild Lilli 'clones' between the 1950s and 1960s.


Bild Lilli Vintage Barbie Dolls, Mattel Barbie, Barbie And Ken, Lilly

The original Lilli dolls were made of plastic with jointed arms and legs. The value of a Bild Lilli Doll depends on several factors such as its condition, whether it is complete with all accessories, and whether it has been professionally restored. Generally speaking, a mint condition Bild Lilli Doll can fetch anywhere from $500 to $5,000 at.


BILDLILLI, Doll, Germany, 19551964. Bukowskis

Bild Lilli was as innovative of a doll as she was scandalous. Lilli wasn't only the world's first mass-marketed plastic fashion doll; she was also the first to come in different sizes. While the 12-inch dolls are the more famous, there were also 7-inch dolls sold at slightly lower prices but made just as well.