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1. The breasts of Barbie, Individuals peaks of yankee merchandising, receive their because of in tonights report over the pretty minimal miss -- now forty yrs old, Even though you wouldnt realize it -- who revolutionized world wide dolldom. Delving into The Secret Life 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 big toy enterprise that she and her partner Started, and made all of them rich. Our partaking correspondent talks to Center-aged Girls who cherish memories in their Barbie collections also to deconstructionists of her development, noting along the best way how Mattel has played hardball with opponents bent on imitating the inimitable. All of it started on a trip to Europe when Ms. Handler came upon a sex toy, called Bild Lilli; Mr. Krulwich calls her a slutty doll from Germany, but Ms. Handlers vision of pulchritude for kids and a few major tv promotion carried the day. While getting to be the most popular and profitable toy of all time, Barbie gave two generations of teachers some thing to receive their enamel into; tonight it is possible to meet a woman that's identified for a Barbie scholar. Exegetes agree that Barbie is about sex. Shortly she was joined by Ken, described here to be a palpable fool While using the trace of the bump wherever his genitalia must be. Camille Paglia, generally very good for just a quotable observation, sees Barbie as major the motion towards female liberation: a specialist female with glamour. (But why does my 3-year-previous granddaughter, Rebecca, insist on getting rid of her hair?) Whatever the primary charm, the marketeers retained pace with manner. In the course of Camelot, Barbie had a Jackie Kennedy hairdo. Since the civil rights movement received guidance, Barbie attained her to start with black Good friend, sadly named Coloured Francie. Despite this sort of indications of social consciousness, sales dipped as the 1960s become the seventies, when Barbie seemed away from move with liberation movements and Mattel got into legal trouble with The federal government. But she discovered favor once more as being a Reagan-period go-getter, the queen of conspicuous consumption, a person crowns her. Geared up with all manner of outfits, she was also The brand new Female who may very well be anybody and do nearly anything. With product sales approaching $2 billion a 12 months, Barbie became, in Mr. Krulwichs a little bit mixed picture, the Coca-Cola of toys. Critics like Dr. Ruth Westheimer continue to dont like People breasts, which, they warn, may possibly stir ladies anxieties more than their own individual imperfectly best sex dolls proportioned bodies, but no one is picketing; one hundred million Barbies are very likely to be bought around the globe this 12 months. The exciting assure of 1998 is really a refigured Barbie: will she be fatter or flatter? A glimpse tonight reveals no dramatic distinction, except, be confident, to students of her form. The program ends using a scene of kids building up stories that includes their Barbies and Kens: an admirer notes contentedly the children are in charge of this little piece of world commerce. Other Older people, who are already viewing toy merchants and looking at tv commercials, could come absent with a unique tackle who's controlling these youthful controllers. ABC Information THURSDAY Night time The key Lifetime of Barbie ABC, tonight at ten (Channel 7 in New York)

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