The doll's original design was based on a German doll named Lilli, which was originally marketed as a raunchy gag gift for adult men. Mattel bought the rights to Lilli, and Handler renamed it "Barbie" after her daughter, Barbara.
Barbie was founded in 1959 by Ruth Handler (above, left), a mother and visionary entrepreneur, whose inspiration for Barbie came from watching her daughter project her dreams and aspirations onto paper dolls.
The Lilli doll was copied, and altered to some degree, for Mattel upon the direction of that company's co-founder, Ruth Handler. Mattel acquired the rights to Bild Lilli in 1964, and production of the German doll ceased, in favor of Mattel's new vinyl doll, which they called Barbie.
Barbie on Instagram: “Her full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts, but you can call her #Barbie. ?”
"Barbie Girl" is a song by Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group Aqua. It was released in April 1997 as the third single from the group's debut studio album, Aquarium (1997). The song was written by Søren Rasted, Claus Norreen, René Dif, and Lene Nystrøm, and was produced by Johnny Jam, Delgado, Rasted, and Norreen.
Kenneth Sean Carson is a fashion doll and fictional character invented by Elliot Handler and introduced by American toy company Mattel in 1961 as the counterpart of Barbie, who was introduced two years earlier.
Barbie had a sister—Bild-Lilli, a buxom, flirtatious and racy doll marketed to men. And though the risqué 1955 doll has largely been overshadowed by the success of the American toy, she plays a part in the origin story of an American icon.
Kenneth "Ken" Carson is the official boyfriend of Barbie and is the deuteragonist of Barbie Life in The Dreamhouse. He loves Barbie with a passion and will do anything to make her happy. He helps Barbie in her time of needs and crises.
Barbie and Ken are one of pop culture's most famous couples. But the plastic dolls were named after real people, and they weren't a couple – they were siblings.
1961-present: Ken Carson was introduced on March 11, 1961. He was named after Kenneth, the son of Barbie creator Ruth Handler. Ken's backstory is that, like Barbie, he is from Willows, Wisconsin.
First introduced in 1959, the Barbie doll is officially 64 years old. If Barbie doesn't exactly look like a baby boomer, it might be because when Barbie was released she was meant to be 19 and plastic dolls aren't usually subject to the aging process.
This dollhouse wasn't the typical pink, plastic dream house made by Mattel, but a more traditional looking house that was "Barbie-sized." Among the rooms was a nursery for a Barbie baby, which posed a problem: Barbie is technically not married and, technically, she can never have a baby.
Barbie has been the woman who can do anything and everything yet in all that time, Barbie has never become a mom. There are a few possible reasons for that but the likeliest one is that Mattel has simply never really envisioned Barbie in a mom role.
Mattel claimed the song violated the Barbie trademark and turned Barbie into a sex object, referring to her as a "Blonde Bimbo." They alleged the song had violated their copyrights and trademarks of Barbie, and that its lyrics had tarnished the reputation of their trademark and impinged on their marketing plan.
“Barbie and Ken were married at Faraway Castle, in Plasticity,” Béatrice told me. “The bride bought her dress from The Fairy Godmother shop and her shoes from the Cinderella Store. The groom wore a suit from The Prince Charming Emporium.
February 14, 2004: Barbie and Ken officially broke up.
The newspaper assigned the split to Ken's failure to commit and Barbie's excitement to commit, wearing multiple wedding gowns. This was also a year that Barbie ran for president, so she was quite busy.
Skipper. Skipper is Barbie's first sister who debuted in 1964. She was Barbie's little sister back then and was 10 years old when she was first introduced. Nowadays, she comes as a teenage girl doll with dark brown hair, sometimes brunette, and pink/purple highlights.
Kelly Roberts is the younger sister of Barbie, Skipper and Stacie and the older sister of Krissy. Kelly was introduced in 1995 and retired in 2010.
Ken met Barbie in 1961 on the set of their first television commercial together. The couple fell in love and started dating. Barbie broke up with Ken on Valentine's Day in 2004.
And Ken will not be outdone. However, what appears to be a flawless relationship will turn out to be more than just roses: On February 13, 2004, after 43 years of engagement, Barbie and Ken decided to separate.
Soon thereafter, Toy Fair 2004 introduced another male doll in to Barbie's Cali Girl beach-themed line of toys. This was Blaine, a boogie boarding Australian native, who is now dating Barbie.
One of her siblings eventually went missing.
Tutti and Todd are twins—or they were, until Tutti mysteriously disappeared in 1971.
As of 2021, Barbie has three younger sisters: Skipper, Stacie, and Chelsea.
Skipper Madison Roberts was the original little sister of Barbie, and has been quite popular over the years.