Barbie facts
Barbie's real name is Barbie Millicent Roberts. She's from Willows, Wis., and attended Willows High School. Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel, brought her vision of a three-dimensional doll to life with the introduction of Barbie in 1959. Barbie has four sisters: Skipper (1964), Stacie (1992), Kelly (1995) and Krissy (1995). Barbie's first pet was a horse named Dancer. The first Barbie doll sold for $3 in 1959. Barbie's signature color is Barbie pink (PMS 219). Barbie's first boyfriend, Ken, debuted two years after Barbie in 1961. Ken was named after the son of Mattel founders Ruth and Elliot Handler. Ken and Barbie broke up on Valentine's Day in 2004 after being together more than 43 years; they are still friends, but we hear he wants her back. Barbie has never been married, although she likes to model wedding gowns for her designer friends. The best-selling Barbie doll ever was 1992 Totally Hair Barbie; she had hair from the top of her head to her toes. Barbie has been outfitted by more than 70 famous couturiers. Barbie has had 108 careers, including professional ballerina, NASCAR driver and medical doctor. Source: Mattel Inc. Barbie by the numbers
1 billion fashions produced for Barbie and friends 74.5 million Google results using the search term "Barbie" 18 million registered worldwide users on BarbieGirls.com 300,000 Barbie dolls sold in 1959; Mattel estimates the selling price of the original Barbie in mint condition at $27,450 1,000 YouTube Channels dedicated to Barbie 300 Facebook pages in Barbie's likeness 97 percent of U.S. girls ages 3-10 own at least one Barbie doll
What a doll!
Barbie turns 50, and she's still ageless and likely to be around for years Today is Barbie Millicent Roberts' 50th birthday, but everyone knows her as Barbie, the fashionable, flawless and fabulous plastic doll from Mattel. First introduced at the New York Toy Fair on March 9, 1959, in her now famous black-and-white-striped swimsuit, Barbie has inspired three generations of fans to dream, discover and explore a world without limits. Her "resume" includes stints as an astronaut in 1963; an Olympic gold medalist in the '70s; a soldier, UNICEF ambassador and rock band leader in the '80s; and a presidential candidate in the '90s. Over the years, Barbie's life and appearance was modeled after Jackie Kennedy, Grace Kelly, Madonna, supermodels, even vice-presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro. She drove a pink Corvette and lived in a Malibu dream house. Life hasn't always been a bowl of cherries for Barbie, however. She's battled starvation rumors, horrendous haircuts, questionable outfits and more relationship drama with boyfriend Ken than Britney and Justin. In fact, she split with Ken on Valentine's Day, 2004. She's also endured her share of plastic surgery over the years, as she struggled to maintain her youthful appearance and morph with body trends and fashion changes. "Did I play with Barbies? Absolutely!" says Carolyn Krieger-Cohen, a West Bloomfield Township public relations consultant. "My daughters, Alanna, 17, and Alissa, 15, also played endlessly with them. For them, it was a bonding time together. I still have all their Barbies in Ziploc bags in the basement. I just gave my nieces, who are 4 and 3, their first Barbie dolls for Hanukkah." What is it about Barbie that has kept three generations of fans (and counting) enthralled?
"Barbie changed the way young girls thought about dolls, and the way we look at women," says Michael Bernacchi, professor of marketing at the University of Detroit-Mercy. "Barbie was never a 9-to-5 secretary tied to a typewriter. She was an astronaut, a rock star, an executive. She inspired girls and still does." Celebrations have been ongoing, including such Pink Carpet events as the firstever Barbie Runway Show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York on Feb. 14. Fifty world-renowned fashion designers, including Detroit native Tracy Reese, Tory Burch and Diane von Furstenberg, came together for the event, which showcased real-size, Barbie-inspired looks at the Tent at Bryant Park. Happy, chic, interior designer/TV celebrity/decor blogger Jonathan Adler is also decking out a 3,500-square-foot Malibu, Calif., mansion with Barbie-inspired furniture and accessories, including a chandelier made of Barbie hair, a sunburst mirror made from 65 Barbie dolls, a huge pink closet filled with thousands of Barbie designer shoes and the original Andy Warhol portrait of Barbie, owned by Mattel. The fantasy-like house will play host to several events, first kicked off with an outrageously pink Barbie birthday bash designed by event-planner-to-the-stars Colin Cowie. Adler is also introducing on Sept. 9 a home/lifestyle product line for Barbie. It will include lacquer furniture and pink pillows, of course. "Barbie is just an amazing American pop icon, on some level a little provocative, but always optimistic, upbeat and positive," says Adler by phone from California, "and in these scary economic times, she's also an escape -- a worry-free Barbie doesn't deal with the mundane realities of life." Chicago-based interior designer Michelle Williams is on the Barbie bandwagon, too. The sought-after decorator offers tips on how to create a real-life Barbie dream house incorporating hip products from Target ($119 zebra rug), West Elm ($299 Parsons desk), IKEA ($24.99 pendant lamp) and Z Gallerie ($79 limitededition Barbie print).
Williams feels Barbie has kept up with the times and reflects a modern woman's lifestyle. "Barbie is a multi-tasking woman (who) needs to use the most of her space," she says. "Adding a dose of Barbie-inspired home decor will give you that kid-at-heart feeling and a great way to celebrate your feminine, girly side." Clearly, she makes us feel good, but what does the future hold for Barbie? "She's still the queen of the doll market, although the Bratz dolls have taken the marketplace by storm," says Bernacchi. "But if Mattel continues to keep Barbie contemporary, fresh and affordable, if they continue to reinvent her and keep her in America's eye with an online presence, she has a very bright and promising future. Hey, the Chicago Cubs sell Barbie Cubbies uniforms at their games. Barbie is quite simply the gold standard."