Top Toys - Great Gifts - Barbie | Barbie Marketers - Jill Barad | Evil-Lyn | Roger Sweet

Top toys include Barbie and the Masters of the Universe figures and of course the much love tinker toys. Barbie was invented by Ruth Handler in 1959. Barbie dolls and tinker toys are sold in over 150 countries around the world. Mattel, the manufacturer of Barbie has sold literally billions of dolls. Mattel estimates that three Barbies are sold every second! Masters of the Universe has sold 55 million figures, equating to over $2 billion worth of product. Mattel sold $1.2 billion world-wide, and over $800 million of that was in the U.S. Two top toys and two top creative geniuses - one specializing in marketing (Jill Barad) and one specializing in design (Roger Sweet).

They say that imitation is the very best form of flattery. One of the comments made which has to be addressed is the resemblance of the beauty and strength of Jill Barad and the creation of Evil-Lyn in the Masters of the Universe. Roger Sweet is the designer / chief creator of He-Man and MOTU and Evil-Lyn. Although Sweet is not officially acknowledged by Mattel as the designer, his reputation of innovative design is a testament to his creativity. The earliest He-Man storybooks were written by Donald F. Glut.

Evil-Lyn's father was supposedly a sorcerer and she had a tragic childhood and a tragic marriage. Sadly this story line mimics way too many lives.

Jill Barad took Barbie and re-marketed her. It was under Ms. Barad's guidance that the Holiday Barbie was created which spurred an entire product line including the annual favorite of the Barbie ornaments for the Christmas tree.

The fact remains that Jill Barad is both strong and beautiful - two very positive traits.

The Evil-Lyn character is strong and beautiful and evil. To showcase Jill Barad as evil or as bad is a disservice to female managers.

If the Evil-Lyn character was mimicked after Jill, the irony is no one won except the corporate giants of Mattel and Filmation. In an interview, Roger Sweet saw the irony in Mattel paying Filmation royalties for the Master of Universe figures.

As for Evil-Lyn, Jill Barad received no financial remuneration for this so called inspiration and interestingly neither did the designer Roger Sweet. He-Man and Masters was an internally generated concept and the sole creative property of Mattel and Filmation.

Masters of Creativity - Jill Barad and Roger Sweet

What is fascinating is the fact that both Roger Sweet and Jill Barad are masters of creativity. Ruth Handler was the inventor and marketer of the Barbie doll. She literally took her invention directly to the children of America for approval after being told no by all the major toy distributors and retailers.

Roger Sweet has created great action figures (note, not dolls or toys - these figures bring to life cartoon characters developed by Filmation). Jill Barad created a new product line of Barbie dolls - in fact, several new product lines of Barbie. Jill made Barbie collectible not just to children but to adults.

Roger Sweet is an exceptionally talented designer who worked at Mattel and while he may not be directly credited with Evil-Lyn, Fortune Magazine did credit him with the innovative design of the legendary Scope bottle.

Roger Sweet studied at the Institute of Design Chicago, Illinois.

He also designed the first liquid detergent bottle with a handle that flowed with the design of the bottle - see the Downy bottle to the right.

Fortune stated the Scope bottle was one of the 50 best designs of the twentieth century!

Roger Sweet is also the author of the book Mastering the Universe: He-Man and the rise and Fall of a Billion-Dollar Idea

"A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning. "

Brad Henry

"If in my youth I had realized that the sustaining splendor of beauty of with which I was in love would one day flood back into my heart, there to ignite a flame that would torture me without end, how gladly would I have put out the light in my eyes. "

Michelangelo"

Great Designs Need Great Marketing

Ruth Handler was not just a great inventor, she was also a great marketer. She created the brand of Barbie. She opened the eyes of imagination for girls around the world to be all that they can be. Jill Barad likewise knew the adult market would not just accept but embrace the Holiday Barbie line of products. And Roger Sweet, as great of a designer he may be, he too, realizes, the design is not the end-all, it is simply the beginning of the marketing process. Roger Sweet has designed a great action figure which sadly may never be release, unless there is "a strong entertainment property behind it."

Million Dollar Marketing

Great toys, great action figures all demand great marketing. Connecting our internal desires to our wallet is a difficult task. Both Jill Barad and Roger Sweet are wise managers who fully understand the marketplace.

Top Toys Beyond Great Design

Top toys are beyond just great designs, they have a history and a life to them - a true brand image and complete marketing plan. They ignite imagination. They create or allow you to create your dreams. Barbie's figure of 36" 18" etc... and Evil-Lyn's great beauty and strength and tinker toys are all top toys that elevate ourselves to great things, greater ideas. The Top Toys of the world go beyond great design, they ignite our imagination. Jill Barad and Roger Sweet are master creators of igniting the spark that is within all of us.

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