Barbie was modeled on a German cartoon character, an ambitious hooker named Lilli

The original Barbie, based on a German doll named Lilli, was sold as a collector’s item for adults only. When Mattel purchased patent rights to Lilli, the company instructed its designer to make her look less like a “German street walker.”

http://www.salon.com/life/feature/1997/11/26facts.html

http://www.salon.com/life/feature/1997/11/26harlot.html

from here:

Mattel finally learns how to “chill”