Barbie is the figurehead of a
brand of Mattel dolls and accessories, including other family members and collectible dolls. Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for fifty years, and has been the subject of numerous controversies and
lawsuits, often involving
parody of the doll and her lifestyle.
Mattel acquired the rights to the
Bild Lilli doll in 1964 and production of Lilli was stopped. The first Barbie doll wore a black and white zebra striped swimsuit and signature topknot
ponytail, and was available as either a
blonde or
brunette. The doll was marketed as a "Teen-age Fashion Model," with her clothes created by Mattel fashion designer Charlotte Johnson. The first Barbie dolls were manufactured in
Japan, with their clothes hand-stitched by Japanese
homeworkers. Around 350,000 Barbie dolls were sold during the first year of production.
Ruth Handler believed that it was important for Barbie to have an adult appearance, and early
market research showed that some parents were unhappy about the doll's chest, which had distinct breasts. Barbie's appearance has been changed many times, most notably in 1971 when the doll's eyes were adjusted to look forwards rather than having the demure sideways glance of the original model.
Barbie was one of the first toys to have a marketing strategy based extensively on television
advertising, which has been copied widely by other toys. It is estimated that over a billion Barbie dolls have been sold worldwide in over 150 countries, with Mattel claiming that three Barbie dolls are sold every second.
The standard range of Barbie dolls and related accessories are manufactured to approximately
1/6th scale, which is also known as
playscale. Barbie products include not only the range of dolls with their clothes and accessories, but also a large range of Barbie branded goods such as books, apparel, cosmetics and
video games. Barbie has appeared in a
series of animated films and is a supporting character in
Toy Story 2 and
Toy Story 3
Fictional biography
Barbie's full name is Barbra Millicent Roberts. In a series of novels published by
Random House in the 1960s, her parents' names are given as George and Margaret Roberts from the fictional town of Willows,
Wisconsin. In the Random House novels, Barbie attended Willows High School, while in the
Generation Girl books published by
Golden Books in 1999 she attended the fictional Manhattan International High School in
New York City (based on the real-life
Stuyvesant High School).
She has an on-off romantic relationship with her boyfriend
Ken (
Ken Carson), who first appeared in 1961. A
news release from Mattel in February 2004 announced that Barbie and Ken had decided to split up, but in February 2006 they were hoping to rekindle their relationship after Ken had a makeover.
Barbie has had over 40
pets including
cats and
dogs,
horses, a
panda, a
lion cub, and a
zebra. She has owned a wide range of vehicles, including pink
Corvette convertibles, trailers and
jeeps. She also holds a
pilot's license, and operates commercial airliners in addition to serving as a
flight attendant.
Barbie's careers are designed to show that women can take on a variety of roles in life, and the doll has been sold with a wide range of titles including
Miss Astronaut Barbie (1965),
Doctor Barbie (1988) and
Nascar Barbie (1998).
Mattel has created a range of companions for Barbie, including
Hispanic Teresa,
Midge,
African American Christie and Steven (Christie's boyfriend). Barbie's siblings and cousins were also created including
Skipper,
Todd (Stacie's twin brother),
Stacie (Todd's twin sister),
Kelly,
Krissy, and
Francie. Barbie was friendly with
Blaine, an
Australian surfer, during her split with Ken in 2004
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