Icon Analysis

           Examples of three contemporary icons are the following:  Mickey Mouse, Babe Ruth and Barbie. I chose these three contemporary icons because they are all known icons that everyone is familiar with.  They are not trends that will end, but icons that will be alive forever.   These icons will be enjoyed by generation after generation.

 Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character that was created by Walt Disney in 1928, and is the world’s most recognized character.  Walt was the voice, attitude and personality of Mickey Mouse.  What started out as a character strip as evolved into theme parks, a cruise line, a television channel and a huge merchandising industry that markets clothes, toys, games, music, movies, etc.   (A History of Mickey Mouse, 2009). 

"I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse." —Walt Disney

George Herman “Babe” Ruth was born February 6, 1895 and was known as “Bambino, The Sultan of Swat and the Home Run King”.  He was one of the greatest major league baseball players to live.  In 1918, he pitched the 29^th scoreless inning in the World Series and this record was not beat for 43 years.  In 1927, he had 60 home runs in one season and this record was held for 34 years.  With 22 baseball seasons under his belt, Babe hit 714 home runs.  Babe was known for his career with the New York Yankees.  The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated named him the Greastest Baseball Player of all time.  He was known for saving baseball from the Black Sox scandal and by giving hope during the great depression.  (Babe Ruth, 2011).

“The only real game, I think, in the world is baseball.”—Babe Ruth

Ruth Handler, whom became the cofounder of Mattel with her husband in 1945, created the eleven-inch doll known as Barbie.  Barbie was first displayed at the American Toy Fair in New York in 1959.  The doll was created with the thought that little girls enjoyed playing with women dolls that could act out their future.  Mattel was the first toy company to broadcast commercials to children and these commercials aired on the Mickey Mouse Club, and this is how they promoted Barbie. The extreme demand for the doll led to the production in 1961 of Barbie’s boyfriend Ken, in 1963 her best friend Midge and in 1964 her little sister Skipper.  By 1993 Barbie sales topped over 1 billion dollars, and since 1959 more than 800 million dolls have been sold around the world.  (History, 2013).

“I thought the Barbie doll would always be successful.  I did not think this doll could ever be this huge.”—Ruth Handler

These three icons mean a lot to me.  Mickey Mouse is a great memory and representation from my childhood; as a child I loved Mickey Mouse and enjoyed collecting stuffed animals of him and watching his cartoons.  I adored the Disney Channel and all the different shows it aired, and I continue enjoying this channel today with my family.  As an adult, Mickey Mouse reminds me, of one of my favorite memories, of visiting my brother in California and going to Disney Land with our families.  Therefore, today when I think of Mickey Mouse I automatically remember the great vacation I spent with my brother. When you think of baseball, it is almost impossible not to think of Babe Ruth.   Therefore, for me Babe Ruth is baseball.  I grew up hearing stories about Babe Ruth and how it was the greatest baseball player ever, and how the Yankee Stadium was the “house he built”.  One of my favorite stories about Babe Ruth is when there was a boy in the hospital (unknown at the time if he would live or not), Babe promised the boy a home run but during the game he actually made 3 home runs.  This in turn made the boy get better and Babe went and visited him in the hospital. Barbie truly represents a big part of my life, as she was my favorite toy to play with when I was growing up and she holds a special place in my heart.  I enjoyed playing with Barbies because it allowed me to create story lines, like a soap opera to act out.  My collection started out small but grew into a huge collection of dolls, clothes, cars, horses, houses and accessories, which also included my mom’s Barbie collection when she was a child, and I still have both collections today. 

References

A History of Mickey Mouse. (2009, December 22). Retrieved April 9, 2013 from http://www.bighistory.net/a-history-of-mickey-mouse/.

Babe Ruth. (2011). Retrieved April 9, 2013 from http://www.baberuth.com/.

Bald Punks Paranormal NYC (2013). Retrieved April 8, 2013 from http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=babe+ruth&qs=ds&form=QBIR#view=detail&id=DCE2C56C9245C144C9DD6E36A6ED764FE1669D95&selectedIndex=44.

Barbies Collectors. (2011). Retrieved April 8, 2013 from http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=collectors+barbie&qs=n&form=QBIR&pq=collectors+barbie&sc=0-0&sp=-1&sk=#view=detail&id=6506C00CFCD5FFC5454836FF16A853B6D0E7FE80&selectedIndex=745.

El Asesinato de Mickey Mouse. (2011, November 2). Retrieved April 8, 2013 from http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=mickey+mouse&qpvt=mickey+mouse&FORM=IGRE#view=detail&id=C45BBD126C746582C7DE93B2337367EE4E3DC552&selectedIndex=41.

History. (2013, March 9). Barbie makes her debut. Retrieved April 9, 2013 from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/barbie-makes-her-debut.