For Sale: Rare Bild Lilli

So I have been researching some Ebay info for my boyfriend and in doing that research I found a website that shows the top 25 auctions on Ebay and one of the auctions I came across was for Bild Lilli doll.

For those of you who don’t know who Bild Lilli is, she’s basically the momma to Barbie.  If you will, she’s kind of like the original Barbie and original fashion doll.  She started off as a cartoon character from 1950-1964.  In 1953 she was made into a doll, and 130,000 of her was sold until Mattel bought the rights to her, which is when all production of her stopped.  She was created for the adults who enjoyed reading her comics. She was a sort of sex symbol of the time. It’s kind of interesting to think of what might have happened with Lilli if Ruth Handler hadn’t found her on her trip to Europe.  Would we all be in walking down the “Lilli” aisle at the stores now?  Makes you think.

Well this doll in particular seems to be in mint shape. She is an original large (12 inch) gal with her original very hard to find dress…the auction’s words not mine. I love her dress, it has a vintage feel to it, ok so technically it is vintage, but what I mean is a “period” feel to it.  Lilli wore outfits from the time she was created.  Here’s what her Wiki has to say about her wardrobe:

Lilli came as a dressed doll--additional fashions were not sold separately. Her fashions mirror the lifestyle of the 1950s: She had outfits for parties, the beach and tennis, as well as cotton dresses, pajamas and poplin suits. In her last years, her wardrobe consisted mainly of "Dirndl" dresses. Lilli's dresses always have patent fasteners marked "PRYM". PRYM is the leading German button manufacturer; most German dollmakers used, and still use, its products.

Lilli was basically the first fashion doll.  What interested me most about her wardrobe is in the end she wore mostly dirndls.  In my photostory comic I am going to start working on later on this year one of the characters is a service robot that basically wears a dress and apron.  I plan to have her wear dirndls as well.  If I can’t wear one at least she can. LOL!

Even though Lilli was made for an adult audience, she became popular with children.  So much so that German toy companies began to make dollhouses, furniture, etc. in Lilli’s size, which I believe was the smaller version of Lilli which was around 7 inches.  Don’t quote me on that I’m not 100% sure which size items were made for, it could have been both.

I would love to have an original Bild Lilli, but I’m not crazy about having an original Barbie.  Is that weird?  I guess because Lilli is the “original” Barbie as well as she’s from Germany which is where part of my family is from. Also I would love to have a bit of fashion doll history in my hands.  Lilli was, I believe, the first doll with a patent on it, she had three on her.  Also her mechanics is very interesting as well.  Her hair alone interests me.  Here hair was either glued or rooted into a scalp that was screwed into a hidden screw in her body. She was strung together with rubber bands inside.  My mom had old dolls from the times that were held together with rubber bands as well.  So it makes me wonder if this doll for auction had it’s elastic replaced because we all know her elastic would not have lasted this long.  If it has, it won’t be for to much longer.  I wonder if she was kept in a climate controlled place if it would have keep the rubber band pliable?  Yes, I wonder these things. Does that make me weird? Please don’t answer.

Well, as much as I’d love a Lilli of my own, I’ll have to just enjoy seeing pictures of her for now.  Her auction is already at $2,850 dollars and it still has a little over 2 days to go.  So umm yeah, so not going to have this beauty. LOL! Oh well, good luck to the lucky to-be winner.  I hope she goes to a good home where she will be cherished. 

So yeah, just had to share that find with all you lovely peeps.  Be sure to check out the auction, no I don’t know the auction host I just found it interesting and wanted to share.  Talk to you all later.  Be good until then.  Bye for now. 

Drooling over rare dolls,
Chelle