When our daughter was young she had a number of Barbie dolls and I’m pretty sure that all our granddaughters have Barbie dolls. I read somewhere that Barbie is the most popular fashion doll ever produced, and the most diverse fashion doll on the market. Every minute, there are more that 100 dolls sold — that means that 58 million are sold every year. Barbie is sold in 150 countries worldwide.
Barbie has had more than 200 inspirational careers — including astronaut, firefighter, entrepreneur, journalist, and pilot — just to name a few.
Barbie traveled into space in 1965 — four years before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.
In 1992, Barbie ran for president for the first time and has run in every election year since — and — in 2016 she ran with the first all-female ticket.
I guess I thought Barbie was one of those people that just had one name, like Madonna or Cher, but it turns out that Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. Barbie was “invented” by Ruth Handler in 1959 and named her invention after her real daughter, Barbara. Later on, Barbie was given a boyfriend — Ken. You may have guessed, Ken was named after Handler’s son, Kenneth.
Barbie’s official birthday is March 9, 1959 — the day she was introduced to the toy industry during the New York Toy Fair.
Barbie has fictional parents — George (an engineer) and Margaret (a housewife) and they live in a fictional town, Willows — in Wisconsin. Barbie also has three younger siblings — a sister, Skipper and twins, Tutti and Todd.
I guess since Barbie was given a full name and family, it was only proper that her boyfriend Ken should get the same treatment. Barbie met Ken in 1961 — Ken’s full name is Kenneth Carson and his parents are Dr. Carl and Edna Carson. Ken also has a younger brother — Tommy.
Barbie stands 11.5 inches tall and the first Barbie doll sold for $3.00. The first Barbie TV commercial aired during the Mickey Mouse Club in 1959.
The reason I chose to blog about Barbie today is because I read a news article that the manufacturer of Barbie dolls (Mattel) had announced a new ad reflecting an “ongoing brand evolution” to make Barbie a more positive image for young girls. Mattel executives apparently thought that in the past, Barbie was looked upon as a standard for young girls to compare themselves against. The new ad campaign includes a great message for little girls — you can be anything you want to be!
The article went on to explain that Mattel wanted to remind the world what Barbie represents. Founded by a female entrepreneur and mother in 1959, the Barbie brand has always represented the fact that women have choices. The “ongoing brand evolution” is designed to remind today’s parents that through the power of imagination, Barbie allows girls to explore their limitless potential.
That seems like an admirable goal, but apparently the company must have been doing something right over the years — Barbie is still a best selling toy…. and she doesn’t have a video screen, or require batteries.
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