An early collectible Barbie doll from Mattel, model Midgé 19 - Lot 378

An early collectible Barbie doll from Mattel, model Midgé 1962. Complete with her original red cotton dress outfit and wool felt Trapeze line coat, she has painted hair, two ball wigs and two pairs of plastic shoes. Engraved on one buttock Midgé 1962, Barbie 1958 by Mattel Inc. Good condition. Approx. 29 cm high. Mattel is an American toy and game company founded in 1945 by Harold Matson and Elliot Handler, hence the company name: Mat + Ell = Mattel. It was Elliot Handler's wife, Ruth Handler, who created Barbie (short for their daughter Barbara's first name) in 1959, based on the characteristics of Bild Lilli, a German doll with an adult body, blond hair and a contemporary wardrobe, the prototype of the model doll.