The Scotto Grotto (org)

Up and have Newtie and myself holed up in the bedroom while the maintenance man replaces the front door. It didn’t really need replacing, but the new owner wants them all to match. I got my quiz wrong the other day… Dan was offered the chance to have a bit of cadaver bone added, or to have the bone taken from himself. no mention of plastic was made.

Those that easily find themselves speculating on Barbie’s more sluttish activities have some historical precedence.

The inspiration for Barbie’s shape was a German cartoon character called “Lilli.”

http://www.fizzicals.com/webproject.htm has some examples of “Lilli” cartoons. (not safe for work, nips)

“Reinhard Beuthien, 1911- 1970 a cartoonist, was the creator of the popular “Lilli” cartoon character for the German daily newspaper “Bild-Zeitung” which published his work 2484 times between 1952 and 1959.
“For those times “Lilli” was quite risqué . She was sexy, adventurous and never short of boyfriends, or so it seemed. A girl “on the make” and she
made no bones about it.
“She was sugar-daddy bait with legs to die for , an eternal mistress!
Certainly many thought so and “Lilli’s” popularity rose to the point where a “Lilli” Doll was created, This early merchandizing was meant as a cheeky Adult gift and could be found on an executives desk as a plaything or behind the bar at the local “Bierkeller.” Looking for trade we have no doubt.”

http://members.tripod.com/ltanis/bild_lilli.htm has a bit more history with
pictures.

It also has a charming factoid:

“The Shinto religion has a belief that all things possess a spirit, including dolls, so they are made with “side-glancing” eyes, so they can’t look you in the eye and have a ceremony to destroy unwanted dolls so the spirit cannot come back to do vengeance on the former doll owner. Even today they have a “Thanksgiving Ceremony” to destroy unwanted dolls at the Meiji Shrine in Harajuku, Japan that takes place the Sunday closest to October 15th that is held annually.”

So, Lilli had a sideways glance, but so did the original Barbie. But now, she looks right at you so she can EAT YOUR SOUL!

Salon has an entertaining article at http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/1997/11/26harlot.html

“her transformation from adult hussy to quasi-virtuous teenager was a painstaking miracle of art and science. Jack Ryan, a Mattel designer with a Yale engineering degree, worked on making the doll look less like a “German streetwalker” by changing the shape of her lips and redoing her face, says Lord. When the ex-hooker’s body was recast, her incorrigible nipples were rubbed off with a fine Swiss file.”