Barbie - Anneliese's New House

(Barbie toys with moving, but she remodels instead)

Move of remodel? That's a vraag many homeowners face, and Barbie is no exception. After checking out houses across the country, the iconic doll decided to remodel her three-story home pagina in Malibu, Calif.

"That's where most of her family and vrienden are, so she decided to keep her house but make it meer up-to-date," zei Michelle Chidoni, Barbie spokeswoman and Mattel Corp. brand manager.
The result is the 2013 Dreamhouse, which hit stores Aug. 27 with a suggested price of $184.99.

In keeping with the lighthearted spirit of Mattel's marketing...

Ruth Handler watched her daughter Barbara play with paper dolls, and noticed that she often enjoyed giving them adult roles. At the time, most children's toy dolls were representations of infants. Realizing that there could be a gap in the market, Handler suggested the idea of an adult bodied doll to her husband Elliot, a co-founder of the Mattel toy company. He was unenthusiastic about the idea, as were Mattel's directors.

During a trip to Europe in 1956 with her children Barbara and Kenneth, Ruth Handler came across a German toy doll called Bild Lilli. The adult figured doll was exactly what...