History:
Barbie was first introduced at the American International Toy Fair in New York in February 1959. She was created by Elliot Handler, the founder of Mattel, Inc., and his wife, Ruth. After noticing her own daughter's interest in paper dolls of adult women, Ruth Handler came up with the idea for an adult doll, which she named after that daughter, Barbara. The doll's womanly figure and painted face got mixed reviews at first few would have guessed that more than 35 years later Barbie would still be one of the most successful and enduring toys on the market. 

Barbie's appearance was modeled on a German doll, Lilli, who was herself based on a popular comic book character and originally marketed as a racy gag gift to adult men in tobacco shops. After Mattel began advertising their new toy on television, Barbie's sales skyrocketed, prompting the Handlers to add a boyfriend, Ken (named after their son) in 1961; a best friend, Midge, in 1963, and a little sister, Skipper, in 1964. A flood of Barbie-related merchandise followed, including a car and a Dream House. 

Over the years, Barbie's voluptuous figure has sparked controversy. If she were human, her measurements would translate into a 36-inch chest, 18-inch waist, and 33-inch hips.

Because of this, she has been accused of instilling an unrealistic body image in young girls. On the positive side, many women saw Barbie as providing an alternative to traditional 1950s gender roles. She has had a series of different jobs, from teacher, astronaut, and veterinarian to soldier, singer, flight attendant, and model. She has even been an Olympic gold medalist and U.S. presidential candidate! Barbie also keeps up with the latest technology she got her first computer in 1985. 

 To keep up with Barbie's ever-glamorous image, Mattel's in-house designers provide the doll with about a hundred new outfits each year. Clothing has also been created for Barbie by world-famous designers Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Valentino, Perry Ellis, Oscar de la Renta, and Bob Mackie. Since 1959, over 105 million yards of fabric have been used to create Barbie's clothes, making Mattel a huge consumer of cloth, as well as America's fourth-largest maker of women's clothes. 

Love her or hate her, Barbie is a bona-fide global icon--one that has helped make Mattel into America's top-selling toy company. More than half a billion Barbies--or more than one billion if sales of sidekick dolls like Ken and Skipper are included--have been sold in more than 140 countries. Each week, Mattel sells more than 1.5 million dolls, or two dolls per second. Ninety percent of all American girls in the last 40 years have owned at least one Barbie, and if every Barbie doll ever manufactured were laid end to end, they would circle the earth three-and-a-half times.

 In 2007, with sales of Barbie flagging slightly, partly due to stiff competition from the more provocative Bratz dolls, Mattel launched its newest Barbie-related venture, a free Web site called BarbieGirls.com. The Web site allows kids to create their own virtual Barbie characters, design rooms for them, and shop for clothes in a cyber-mall. Billed as a safe place for children to interact online, BarbieGirls.com is one of many recent attempts by toymakers to appeal to kids who are growing out of toys more quickly and turning to other play options, such as iPods or online chatting.

Barbie Fun Facts:

Barbie doll has kept up with the times and trends since her debut in 1959. In matters from career, to family and friends, to fashion, she is right there changing along with girls and the world. Some fun facts to boost your Barbie I.Q. . . (found on news page)

1. Barbie® doll has had more than 80 careers -- everything from a rock star to a paleontologist to a presidential candidate.

2. Barbie® doll's first career was a teenage fashion model.

3. Barbie® Goes to College was introduced in 1964.

4. Army Barbie® , introduced in 1992, represented a medic Sergeant enlisted in Desert Storm. 

5. The first Olympic athlete Barbie® was introduced in 1975; she is competing again as an Olympic swimmer in 2000. 

6. Summit Barbie®dolls were introduced in the 1980s to commemorate the end of the cold war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

7. Barbie® doll represented a candidate for President in 1992 and is running again in 2000 with a platform of opportunities for girls, educational excellence and animal rights.

8. The military series of Barbie® dolls, Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps went through approvals by the Pentagon to ensure the most realistic costumes.

9. Barbie® doll represented an astronaut in 1965, 1986 and 1994.

10.In 1997, Share A Smile® Becky® was the first Mattel, Inc. fashion doll introduced with a wheelchair.

11.The Barbie™ Sport collection, including a clothing line and sport-related dolls, was introduced by Mattel in 1998 to allow girls to play out their athletic aspirations every day. 

It's a global village these days . . . 

12.BarbieÒdoll was introduced in Europe in 1961.

13.Italian was the first nationality Barbie® doll represented in the Dolls of the World® Collection.

14.Quinceanera Teresa® doll was released in Mexico in 1994 to celebrate Girls Day.

15.The Barbie® doll is currently marketed in more than 150 nations around the world.

16.Placed head to toe, Barbie® dolls and family members sold since 1959 would circle the earth more than seven times.

17.Every second, two Barbie® dolls are sold somewhere in the world.

18.One of the latest nationality Barbie® doll is Spanish Barbie, released in 2000 wearing an ensemble inspired by the "traje de luces" (suit of lights) worn by toreadors.

19.BarbieÒdoll has represented 45 different nationalities.

20.The first black and Hispanic BarbieÒ dolls were introduced in 1980.

21.Freundshcafts (Friendship) Barbie® was introduced in 1990 to commemorate the tearing down of the Berlin Wall.

Life of the party . . . 

22.Barbie® doll has had over 43 pets including 21 dogs, 12 horses, 3 ponies, 6 cats, a parrot, a chimpanzee, a panda, a lion cub, a giraffe and a zebra. 

23.The best selling Barbie® doll ever was Totally Hair BarbieÒ, with hair from the top of her head to her toes.

24.The full name of Barbie®doll is "Barbie Millicent Roberts." She is from Willows, Wisconsin and went to Willows High School.

25.Barbie® doll has five sisters, Skipper®, introduced in 1964, Tutti, a twin introduced in 1966, Stacie® in 1992, Kelly® in 1995 and Krissy™ in 1999.

26.Barbie® doll's boyfriend, Ken® doll made his debut two years after Barbie, in 1961.

27.Ken® doll was named after the son of Mattel founders Ruth and Elliot Handler.

28.The first celebrity to join the Barbie® doll family was fashion model Twiggy in 1967 and the M. C. Hammer doll, complete with a cassette of his songs, was added in 1991.

29.Barbie® doll's first pet was a horse named Dancer.

30.Barbie® doll's best friend, MidgeÒwas introduced in 1963 and then again in 1988 as California Midge®.

31.Consumers can now use their computers and the Internet to customize their friend of the Barbie® doll through My Design™, launched in 1998.

32.1999 was the first year that a family member of the Barbie® doll was introduced into the line as a large-scale doll, Cuddly Soft™ Kelly®.

33.Doll collecting is second only to stamp collecting as the most popular collecting hobby in America -- BarbieÒdoll is collected by women, men and children around the world.

34.The BarbieÒPolaroid I-zone is an instant camera that allows girls to create postage-size sticky pictures of all their fun activities.

Fashion police sign off -- Barbie® doll's record is sparkling 

35.Close to 1 billion fashions have been produced since 1959 for BarbieÒand her friends.

36.More than 105 million yards of fabric have gone into making BarbieÒdoll and her friends' fashions, making Mattel one the largest apparel manufacturers in the world.

37.Barbie®  doll has had more than a billion pair of shoes and over one hundred new additions to her wardrobe annually. 

38.Barbie® doll's signature color is Barbie pink. 

39.The "Barbie® Fashion Designer® " CD ROM was the best-selling software title of the 1996 holiday season.

40.Barbie® doll's collection of couture includes designs by Givenchy, Versace, Dolce & Gabana, Vera Wang and Gucci.

41.The Barbie® clothing line for real girls includes knit tops, bootleg pants, backpacks, sleepwear and accessories.

A dazzling debut . . . 

42.Barbie® doll was introduced in 1959 and first appeared in the now-famous black and white striped swimsuit and signature ponytail.

43.The inventor of the BarbieÒdoll is Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel. She named the doll after her daughter, Barbara.

44.The first Barbie®  doll sold for $3.00.

45.During the first year of her introduction in 1959, 351,000 BarbieÒdolls were sold.

46.An original 1959 Barbie®  doll in mint condition has sold for up to $10,000.

Right here, right now. . . 

47.Barbie® doll is currently a $1.5 billion dollar-per-year industry.

48.In 2000, Barbie®  doll has a belly button for the first time.

49.In 1999, Barbie®  doll walked by herself for the first time and in 2000, she inline skates by herself.

50.Barbie® doll celebrated 40 years as the world's most popular fashion doll in 1999.

51.Barbie® CD ROMs have been the best selling children's software titles in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999.

52.The latest Barbie® Software for Girls® is the Barbie® Magic Genie Bottle and CD-ROM that lets girls interact with a 3-D adventure game.

53.Barbie® entered the world of electronics in 1999 with the e-Secret™.

BARBIE® and associated trademarks are owned by Mattel, Inc.