Johnson-who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 by President Barack Obama-was a physicist, space scientist and mathematician at NASA’s Langley Center. Kahlo was not only an inspiring and beloved painter, she was an activist who continues to influence women’s movements today. Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and the first person ever to fly solo from Hawaii to the U.S. In 2018, Mattel released a new “Inspiring Women” collection that features three ground-breaking, history-making women- Amelia Earhart, Frida Kahlo and Katherine Johnson. Mattel bought the rights to Lilli, and Handler created her own version. Originally marketed as a racy gag gift that men could buy in tobacco shops, the Lilli doll later became extremely popular with children. Barbie’s appearance was modeled after a doll named the Bild Lilli, which had been inspired by a German comic-strip character. Inspired by watching their daughter play with make-believe paper dolls of adult women, Handler realized there was an unfilled niche in the market for a toy that allowed little girls to imagine the future. She would go on to become one of the most iconic playthings in history.īarbie was the brainchild of Ruth Handler, co-founder (with her husband Elliot) of the toy company Mattel, Inc. The leggy, 11-inch plastic figure-full name: Barbara Millicent Roberts-was the first mass-produced toy doll in the U.S. In March 1959, a doll named 'Barbie' launched onto the American toy market, sporting a black-and-white striped bathing suit, pouty red lips and a sassy blonde pony tail.

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