Barbie or Barbara Millicent Roberts, an 11 in (29 cm) tall plastic doll in the shape of an adult woman, was introduced by Mattel Inc., a toy company in Southern California on March 9, 1959.Barbara Millicent Roberts was developed by an engineer named Jack Ryan, who was employed at the Pentagon company. Mattel hired Jack Ryan because of his impeccable knowledge of materials.His designs are the reason behind the convenient Barbie knee joints and waist that could be twisted. The credit for the original concept goes to Ruth Handler, who co-founded Mattel. Ruth is known for creating the doll in the ’40s in the US. Bild Lilli, a German doll, was the inspiration behind the iconic doll.Barbie wasn’t always the same and had different jobs, as well as different outfits. She could be a teen model, singer, scuba diver, Nascar driver, astronaut, UNICEF brand ambassador, paleontologist, surgeon, police officer, Miss America, gold medal gymnast, actress, tennis pro, executive, aerobics instructor, and reporter.Barbie and Ken, her boyfriend, are known as the two most popular dolls in the world. This teen model doll changed the toy business in wealthy communities around the world by becoming a vehicle for selling related products such as accessories, clothing, and Barbie friends.Writing for the ‘Journal of Popular Culture’ in 1977, Don Richard Cox noted that Barbie had a major impact on social values, conveyed the characteristics of female independence, and through her many accessories, shared an idealized high-class lifestyle with wealthy friends.History And Origin Of Barbie DollOne day Ruth Handler noticed her daughter Barbara playing with dolls made of paper. Ruth observed that her daughter often liked to give the dolls the role of adults such as cheerleaders, students, and career-oriented women.Ruth Handler saw her daughter Barbara spend hours playing with paper dolls and thought the girls should play with something more concrete and realistic.At that time, the market was filled with toys that depicted infants. Realizing that there could be a void in the market, Handler pitched the idea for an adult doll to her husband, Elliot, the co-founder of Mattel Toys. Ruth Handler’s idea did not interest him or the directors of Mattel.In 1956, Ruth Handler traveled to Europe with her children, daughter Barbara and son Kenneth. During a trip to Germany, Ruth Handler came across a doll called Bild Lilli, a German doll created in 1952.Lilli was a doll that children liked to dress up in outfits that were sold separately.Handler took some of the dolls back to the United States, then redesigned Lilli into ‘Barbie’, named after her daughter Barbara.Barbie clothes were hand-sewn by Japanese homeworkers.A new doll named ‘Barbie Millicent Roberts’ debuted on March 9, 1959, at the American International Toy Fair in New York City.Barbara attended the ceremony to immortalize Barbie’s hands and footprints on Hollywood Boulevard in 2002.Mattel used television commercials effectively to promote the first original Barbie.In the television commercials, she was shown as a teenage model who was seen changing into different outfits.Mattel was an early pioneer of using television advertising to sell toys, and their advertising of Barbie was also an instance of presenting their product as a personality.Her parents’ names, George and Margaret Roberts, were included in the series but were never presented as dolls.The sale of dolls began to decline from 2014 to 2016. Mattel sold $1.35 billion in Barbie dolls and accessories in 2020, representing the company’s best sales growth in two decades which is greater than the brand’s sales of $950 million in 2017.Types Of Barbie Dolls Available In The MarketTo date, there are many different dolls with different hair, eye, and skin colors, not to mention different occupations, available at toy stores.Barbie doll was touted as a teenage fashion model, with approximately 350,000 dolls sold in the first year itself.Barbie Pink, the signature color, is a Pantone color PMS 219 C (there is even a special Barbie with a dress made from Pantone swatches).The standard set of Barbie brand and related accessories is manufactured at approximately 1/6 scale, also known as a playscale.In 1959, the first Barbie sold had a black and white striped one-piece swimsuit. Her hair was either blonde or brunette and her eyes only looked in one direction.Barbie’s eyes were modified to stare straight instead of sideways in 1971 when Mattel redesigned them.The original Barbie had lips that were pursed, giving her a solemn appearance. Malibu Barbie was the first Barbie to have teeth according to Mattel. Against her tanned skin, her sparkling whites glistened wonderfully!Barbie’s ultimate accessory, her boyfriend, Ken, came into the picture in 1961.Kenneth, the Handlers’ son, inspired Ken’s name. A brother and sister inspired Barbie and Ken, one of the most popular fictional couples in the world.The first Ken doll came with a towel, red swimming trunks, and a pair of sandals.The following year’s model was slightly more modest, with Ken’s 1962 version wearing a red and white striped shirt, although he still wore it open.Barbie’s best friend Midge and her sister Skipper were launched in 1963 and 1964, respectively. She has a total of seven siblings. She has cousins named Francie and Jazzie. Her twins Tutti and Todd were introduced around 1965-1971.Kelly doll was sold in the market from 1994 until 2010. In 2011, Chelsea was debuted as Kelly’s replacement.Barbie had 21 dogs, 14 horses, six cats, three ponies, a parrot, a panda, a monkey, a giraffe, and a zebra among her possessions. The cute name given to Barbie’s pet is taffy.She has a British cousin, Francie Fairchild, which was sold from 1966 till 1977. In 2011, Francie was re-introduced.By 1968, Barbie had a friend with dark skin, following the Equal Rights Movement. However, there wasn’t a black Barbie sold until 1980, when Christie was released and available to buy.The company, in 1997 introduced Share a Smile Becky, the very first wheelchair-equipped fashion doll.Astronaut Barbie made her debut in 1965 (four years before the moon landing) and returned in 1986 and 1994.Mattel has also released a Presidential Barbie doll on the day of the election.In 1997, Aqua’s hit song ‘Barbie Girl’ topped the charts.Barbie and Ken split in 2004 and got back together on Valentine’s Day 2011 and have been together ever since. She told her Facebook fans that ‘her heart only beats for Ken.‘After breaking up with Ken, she had a new male companion doll named Blaine Gordon. The new and improved Ken is finally back in the picture.In 2015, Barbie finally wore flats, comfortable shoes without her signature sky-high heels.Why is the Barbie doll so famous?Barbie doll represents the world girls see around them. Known as the best-selling Barbie doll, it can evolve and grow with the times, while staying true to its spirit.Barbie dolls have been around for 60 years. She delighted not only girls but even boys who liked her.A key factor in this is that the Barbie toy has never been allowed to grow old or stale. Look at Barbie now and compare her to Barbie who started coming off the production line in 1959.The teenage fashion model looks the same in many ways, but there are subtle differences that keep her up to date.In the ’80s, Barbie not only conquered fashion (bright eyeshadow, aerobics leotards, floor-length hair) but also conquered the world, gaining ambition and trying many different professions and roles.Barbie has got the Midwestern charm after all she was ‘born’ in the fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin.Even though Willows isn’t a real place, Wisconsin proudly claims her as a native daughter. The Wisconsin Historical Museum even has an early version of the doll.In 1992, the best-selling doll, Totally Hair Doll was introduced. This proves that America has always been obsessed with hair styling.Dior and Yves Saint Laurent are among the well-known designers who have outfitted Barbie. During New York Fashion Week in 2009, her fashion style was the focus of a runway show held to commemorate her 50th birthday.The very first real celebrity to own a Barbie was Twiggy. She wore go-go boots, signature spider lashes, and her mod mini-skirt.Various other celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor, Gigi Hadid, Nicki Minaj, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, and J.K Rowling have also had their own Barbie dolls with their classic and beautiful looks.There are a whopping 39 Barbie movies including ‘Barbie as Rapunzel’ (2002), ‘Barbie & Her Sisters in a Pony Tale’ (2013), and ‘Barbie: Princess Adventure’ (2020).Forbes estimates that Barbie’s dream home would be worth about $16 million if it were real. The three-story house has seven rooms, an elevator, a garage, and a swimming pool.In partnership with Australian jewelry designer Stefano Canturi, the most expensive doll ever sold was for $302,500 in 2010 to provide a donation for Cancer Research.As of 2015, Bettina Dorfmann owns over 18,000 Barbies worth an estimated $300,000, earning her the Guinness World Records title for the world’s largest collection.In the mid-’80s Andy Warhol created a painting of a Barbie doll and eventually sold it at the Christie’s Auction in London for $1.1 million.The YouTube channel of the doll has over five million subscribers, making her the most popular girls’ brand on the platform.The doll’s Instagram account has over 2 million followers. She also has a Twitter following of 296,800 people and a Facebook fan base of 13 million people.Barbie Doll ControversiesThe Barbie doll’s appearance has stirred debate since its debut. Let’s take a look at some of the controversies around this fan-favorite doll.Before the doll’s introduction in 1958, parents protested against Barbie for having an inappropriate figure size.In 2003, controversy arose around Midge when a toy company released a pregnant version of the doll that featured a magnetic baby that could be removed from her womb.Mattel Inc., the first toy company, sponsored Walt Disney’s ‘Mickey Mouse Club’ television program which was the initial commercial-run children’s show.In 1965, Barbie went to a slumber party with her book, ‘How to Lose Weight’, which included advice such as ‘don’t eat.‘In the ’70s, Ryan and Mattel had a rocky relationship when Handler and Ryan began fighting over the doll’s artwork. In the ’80s, the designer sued the firm for royalties and settled in court with the firm.In 2015, the doll violated the privacy of both children and parents, when Mattel’s technology partner ToyTalk could record and store the voice of the person speaking to the doll.Others were afraid that hackers may somehow enter the owner’s home and listen to their private conversations using a WiFi connection.Following the publication of the documentary Blackfish in 2015, there was a growing protest against aquatic theme parks’ handling of orca whales. As a result, Mattel declared that SeaWorld Barbie would be phased out.There have been a lot of controversies surrounding the different types of Barbie dolls like the Oreo Fun Barbie in 1997, Midge in 2003, Growing Up Skipper in 1975, Share A Smile Becky in 1997, and many more created a lot of controversies. However, we can safely say that Barbie was and still is a massive hit amongst the young children who love to buy them from toy stores.
Barbie or Barbara Millicent Roberts, an 11 in (29 cm) tall plastic doll in the shape of an adult woman, was introduced by Mattel Inc., a toy company in Southern California on March 9, 1959.
