Selling a doll, a dream, an inspiration

MANILA, Philippines - The pink girl turns golden.

The world’s most famous doll — Barbie — celebrates her 50 years of fashion, fun, and dreams with a pink-tastic birthday bash here and abroad.

In the US, Barbie painted Bryant Park in New York City pink as 50 American designers — from Vera Wang to Diane Von Furstenberg to Michael Kors — created fab ensembles (featured in this year’s New York Fashion Week) that defined who Barbie is to them.

She may be petite at just 11 1/2 inches tall, but her wardrobe is anything but tiny. Barbie’s unparalleled sense of style has served as an inspiration for leading fashion, beauty and design houses. She’s the favorite muse of topnotch designers Alexander McQueen, Gianfranco Ferre, Anna Sui, and John Galliano, among countless others.

Here in the Philippines, Richwell Trading Corp., the exclusive distributor of Mattel products, has lined up various activities to mark the birth of the breakthrough toy that inspired young girls to dream, discover, and explore a world of possibilities without leaving their playrooms.

Well, if it weren’t for this enterprising lady, fashion-savvy Pinays wouldn’t have the chance to play with Barbie.

In 1980, Myrna Tang-Yao was looking for a business that had something to do with children.

“I wanted to put up my own toy business because I was deprived of toys when I was a child,” shares Yao, chief operating officer of Richwell Trading Corp., the leading distributor of branded children’s products in the Philippines. “I have six siblings and my parents, who were copra traders, worked doubly hard so they could send all of us to school. Toys were considered luxury products then. The hardships we experienced fueled my desire to succeed in life.”

The company was first established as the distributor of Goodyear tires in the country in 1979.

“We couldn’t import toys at that time because the tax was so high and toy importation was banned,” Yao relates.

Mattel, the maker of the iconic Barbie doll, was the only company here in the Philippines that manufactured toys for export. Sadly, they weren’t licensed to sell the toys locally.

“So we had to write a letter to the mother company expressing our desire to distribute the toys here in the Philippines,” recalls Yao.

Yao began her journey of bringing happiness to Filipino children when Richwell Trading Corp. finally got the distribution rights for Barbie in 1982. However, Richwell couldn’t carry other Mattel products — Hot Wheels, Matchbox and the UNO games — because Barbie dolls were the only ones being produced here.

“When we launched Barbie that same year, we encountered so many problems,” Yao says. “Most department stores kept the dolls in their warehouse thinking that toys would sell only during the holidays.”

Barbie dolls didn’t appeal that much to young girls when they first hit Philippine shores. Never before had they seen a doll so completely unlike the baby and toddler dolls popular at that time.

“Nobody wanted to buy it. We had to be aggressive in terms of promotion so we decided to place advertisements on TV and it worked,” Yao enthuses.

Yao was relentless in her pursuit of expanding the business and soon enough, Barbie dolls and little girls became inseparable.

Experimenting with the future through pretend play is an important part of growing up. Imagining roles such as doctor, nurse, engineer, or even fashion model not only cultivates a child’s imagination but also inspires kids to reach for their dreams.

“With Barbie dolls, young girls can be who they want to be,” enthuses Yao.

In 1984, Richwell Trading Corp. launched the search for the oldest Barbie doll. A 28-year-old mom traded her 1959 Original Teenage Fashion Model Barbie in exchange for P20,000.

“The doll was actually a gift from her dad, who was a member of the US Navy,” Yao adds.

The doll turned out to be the very first Barbie doll, which made a splash at the New York Toy Fair in 1959. Sporting her famous ponytail, eye-popping black-and-white bathing suit, stylish open-toed shoes, cool shades and golden hoop earrings, Barbie oozed grace and confidence. 

The doll is now part of Yao’s impressive Barbie collection, which is currently on display at the Richwell office in Quezon City.

Another of the interesting items on display is the Fashion Queen Barbie with sculptured hair. The doll comes with three high-fashion wigs that allow girls to change her hair color and style to go with different ensembles.

Well, who would have thought that the girl who had nothing but her imagination to play with would become the envy of avid Barbie collectors?

Barbie Through The Decades

From the moment Barbie Millicent Roberts (yes, that’s actually Barbie’s full name), hit store shelves in 1959 a fashion star was born.

“Barbie is a reflection of the times and is always culturally relevant,” notes Yao.

In 1962, Mattel launched the Brunette Bubble Cut Barbie inspired by the decade’s most famous trendsetter, US First Lady Jackie Kennedy. Clad in a red swimsuit with matching pillbox-style hat, Barbie echoes the sophistication of Jackie O.

The Malibu Barbie, which debuted in 1971, showed Barbie with a tan and long blonde hair. The doll made everyone “wish they all could be California girls.”

Barbie gave Madonna a run for her money as she rocked the ’80s scene with big hair, big shoulder pads and all the other fashion faux pas we’d like to forget from that decade.

Shoulder pads were still big in the ’90s but hair was even bigger with teased bangs and perms. The Totally Hair Barbie celebrated the “big hair” craze and loud fashions.

“This doll features the first and longest locks for Barbie doll at 10 1/2 inches from the top of her head to her toes. With over 10 million dolls sold worldwide, Totally Hair Barbie holds the record for the best-selling Barbie ever,” enthuses Yao.

In the year 2000, Barbie had a millennial makeover. The Jewel Girl Barbie featured a new, more athletic physique and a bendable, flexible waist. This party girl is garbed in hipster slim pants, crop top, and fresh-colored pastel jacket that could go from day to night in a flash.

In celebration of Barbie’s pink-tastic 50th birthday, Richwell Trading Corp. is offering limited-edition reproduction dolls from the different fabulous decades in Barbie’s life.

The My Favorite Barbie Doll Series consists of the Teenage Fashion Model (1959), the Brunette Bubble Cut Barbie (1962), Twist ’N’ Turn Barbie (1967), Malibu Barbie (1971), Superstar Barbie (1977), and Barbie and The Rockers (1986).

“We are also launching the Barbie Fashion Artist and the Pink Celebration Barbie specially for Barbie’s 50th anniversary,” notes Yao.

Regardless of when you first fell in love with Barbie, there’s surely a doll that’s near your heart.

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Barbie is available at leading toy stores and department stores nationwide.