March 9 is Barbie Day. I guess Barbie deserves her own day since she is the No. 1 doll property in the U.S. and the No. 1 worldwide property in the traditional toy industry. Billions of dolls have been sold since March 9, 1959.
Barbie Facts
Barbie was invented by Ruth Handler co-founder of Mattel to be teen-age fashion doll. The doll was introduced on March 9 at the American International Toy Fair in New York City and became an overnight success.
Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts and is from Willows, Wisconsin. In a series of novels published by Random House in the 1960’s, her parents’ names were given as George and Margaret Roberts. Her first job was that of a teenage fashion model. But over the past 55 years the doll has been made in versions connected to more than 125 different careers.
Originally, the doll came as either a brunette or blond; red hair was added in 1961. Barbie had a black friend named Christi in 1969. It was not until 1980, that the first African American Barbie and Hispanic Barbie were introduced. Over time, Barbie has represented more than 40 nationalities.
The first Barbie was sold for $3. Additional clothing costs from $1 to $5. Her clothes were based on the latest runway trends from Paris. In the first year, 300,000 Barbie dolls were sold. Currently, a mint condition 1959 Barbie doll can be sold for more than $27,000.
More than 70 fashion designers have designed clothes for Mattel, using more than 105 million yards of fabric have gone into making Barbie and friends’ fashions. Ms. Barbie likes shoes; there are more than 1,000 different shoe styles in her closet. This makes Mattel one of the largest apparel manufacturers in the world.
Collectors
As a little girl, I wasn’t attracted to Barbie. To be honest, I didn’t like her figure – that tiny waist and voluptuous bust just didn’t appeal to me. However a few years ago, I met a woman who collected Barbie dolls that were dressed in collector outfits like Scarlett O’Hara and Eliza Doolittle (My Fair Lady). It’s estimated that there more 100,000 Barbie collectors. 45% of these collectors spend more than $1,000 a year on their dolls. My friend kept her collection in a beautiful glass case and the dolls were rarely removed from their little perches. Now, I could see myself owning a couple of these character Barbie dolls because the costumes are so realistic and beautifully designed.
Change of Heart
With all these facts that I’ve learned about Barbie, I will no longer roll my eyes but instead I’ll give this little cutie a wink and a smile. After all, who am I to disagree with the more than 4 million likes on Barbie’s Facebook fan page.
Editorial Update: We strive to keep our content accurate and up-to-date. As part of our ongoing efforts, this article has been moved from Personal Musings to LIFESTYLE & MUSINGS on 09/14/2023.
