In 1953, the newspaper decided to market a Lilli doll and contacted Max Weissbrodt of the toy company O&M Hausser in Neustadt bei Coburg.
The doll was made of plastic and had molded eyelashes, pale skin, and a painted face with side glancing eyes, high narrow eyebrows, and red lips.
Each Lilli doll carried a miniature copy of Bild and was sold in a clear plastic tube, with the doll's feet fitted into the base of a stand labelled "Bild-Lilli" that formed the bottom of the tube; the packaging was designed by E. Martha Maar, the mother-in-law of the Hausser company owner.
[3] As this price suggests, the dolls were marketed to adults, mainly men, as a joke or gag gift at tobacconists, kiosks, and newsagents that normally sold flowers, chocolates, and other small giftware.
[6] Her fashions, mostly also designed by Maar,[4] mirror the lifestyle of the 1950s: She had outfits for parties, the beach, and tennis, as well as cotton dresses, pajamas, and poplin suits.
[citation needed] Several toy companies (mainly in Hong Kong) produced dolls resembling Bild Lilli, some from purchased original molds.
[1] In Spain, Muñecas FEJ (Guillen y Vicedo) copied the molds and made a very similar doll, but with darker skin, white earrings, and articulated waist.
[1][2][3][7][8][9] The first Barbie doll was made of vinyl instead of hard plastic, had rooted hair with curly bangs rather than a wig-cap, and included separate shoes and earrings which were not molded on as Lilli's were.