Everyone knows Barbie. She is the epitome of class, sass, fashion, and desirability. But have you ever heard of Barbara Millicent Roberts? Probably not.
Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. According to the novels published by Random House in the 1960s, her parents are George and Margaret Roberts from the town of Willows, Wisconsin. Barbie attended Willows High School and later the fictional Manhattan International High School in New York City.
Did you know that 90 percent of girls aged 3-10 own at least one Barbie doll? Barbie has represented more than 40 different nationalities and has been posed in over 110 different ways.
Barbie was the brainchild of American businesswoman Ruth Handler, who drew inspiration from a German doll named Bild Lilli. Bild Lilli served as Barbie’s predecessor. Interestingly, Barbie got her name from Ruth Handler’s daughter, Barbara. Ken, Barbie’s first boyfriend, made his debut two years after Barbie in 1961 and was named after Ruth Handler’s son.
The Bild Lilli Doll originally started as a German comic-strip character created by Reinhard Beüthien for the tabloid Bild-Zeitung. In the early 1950s, it was transformed into a fashion doll by the toy company O&M Hausser and produced from 1955 to 1964. Mattel eventually acquired the rights to the doll, leading to the cessation of German production.
Barbie made her debut in March 1959, courtesy of the American toy company Mattel, and initially came in blonde or brunette options. A staggering 300,000 Barbie dolls were sold in 1959. Just like Barbie, the Bild Lilli Doll was also manufactured by the American toy company Mattel, Inc., although it was originally created by the German toy company O&M Hausser and produced from 1955 to 1964.
A standard Barbie doll stands at 11.5 inches tall, which translates to a height of 5 feet 9 inches at 1/6 scale. Barbie’s vital statistics have been estimated at 36 inches (chest), 18 inches (waist), and 33 inches (hips). However, if Barbie were a real girl, it would be impossible to determine her exact vital statistics of 36-18-38.
Barbie with bendable legs made her first appearance in 1956, and Barbie with eyes that could open and shut was introduced in 1967. The best-selling Barbie doll is Totally Hair Barbie, which made its debut in 1992.
According to Wikipedia, Barbie has had over 40 pets, including cats, dogs, horses, a panda, a lion cub, and a zebra. She owns various vehicles, including the iconic pink Corvette. Barbie holds a pilot’s license and works as a flight attendant, and she even operates commercial airliners. Barbie’s Dream House was introduced in 1960.
Barbie was one of the first toys to be advertised on television. Mattel claims that three Barbie dolls are sold every second, with over a billion Barbie dolls sold worldwide in more than 150 countries.
The standard range of Barbie dolls and related accessories is manufactured to be approximately 1/6 scale, commonly referred to as playscale.
Barbie products encompass a wide range of dolls, along with their clothing and accessories. There are also Barbie-branded goods such as books, apparel, cosmetics, and video games. Barbie has also made appearances in films like Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3.
And here’s an interesting tidbit: Sarah Burge, a British woman known as the Human Barbie, has undergone over 100 plastic surgeries in the past 20 years to resemble Barbie. This phenomenon is often referred to as “Barbie Syndrome,” signifying the desire to emulate Barbie’s physical appearance and lifestyle.