Barbie, formally known as “Barbara Millicent Roberts,” was born in 1959, which would technically make her 63 years old — except for the small fact that she was born as a 19-year-old. Yep, that's right: The first ever Barbie was officially 19 years old, which would make her age closer to 82-83 years old.
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.
The iconic doll that has inspired little girls and boys across the globe for decades has officially turned 60 years old.
The first Barbie doll hit shelves in 1959, making the iconic toy 64 years old in 2023. Barbies have offered broader representations of race, body type, and careers over the years. The "Barbie" movie, directed by Greta Gerwig, came out on July 21.
Barbie's official birthday is March 9, 1959, the day she was unveiled to the toy industry during New York Toy Fair. Barbie first appeared in her iconic black-and-white striped swimsuit. Barbie was joined by Ken in 1961. The first Barbie doll was sold for $3.00.
In March 1959, a doll named "Barbie" launched onto the American toy market, sporting a black-and-white striped bathing suit, pouty red lips and a sassy blonde ponytail. The leggy, 11-inch plastic figure—full name: Barbara Millicent Roberts—was the first mass-produced toy doll in the U.S. with adult features.
Technically, Ken has no official age (he is a doll, after all) although he was first introduced as Barbie's boyfriend on March 11, 1961, which means he has been around for 62 years. (Barbie was created in 1959, which would make her 64.)
Calculating Barbie's age from her manufacturing debut, the first Barbie doll is now over 64 years old. Considering that Barbie was created as a 19-year-old doll, she could technically be up to 83 years old. However, in the past, Mattel has reportedly said that Barbie is frozen in time at age 19.
As experts would tell you, there is no age limit for dolls. It may seem unusual in this day and age, but several 12-year-olds still play with dolls. And in a world where the internet is widespread, this may be a good thing.
Margaret Roberts is Barbie's mom.
Barbie's 60th, in fact every March 9th when Barbie turns a year older, I get calls from reporters. Since I wrote the biography of the doll's creator, Ruth Handler, who also started Mattel, I'm a 'go to' expert on Barbie's life.
March 17, 2009 Turning 50 is said to be a time when people evaluate their life and think about how differently things turned out to how they'd imagined.
"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).
Barbie's age has fluctuated; early on, Mattel described her as 19 years old, but she is often shown as an older character in adult careers. The first episode of Life in the Dreamhouse even jokes that she is over 43 years old. As of 2021, Barbie has three younger sisters: Skipper, Stacie, and Chelsea.
The Chelsea doll is Barbie's younger sister and was launched in 2011. At age seven, she's meant to be the youngest sister of the Barbie family and was designed specifically for younger children. The Chelsea doll line also includes a doll in a wheelchair.
Chelsea is Barbie's 7 year old little sister. Chelsea is a small child sized doll with blue eyes and blonde hair, like her sister Barbie. In animation, she usually has pigtails.
If a child still wants to play with toys as they move into adolescence, it is totally normal and to be celebrated! Unless a child's play is affecting or replacing real-life friendships, there is no need to worry. In fact, we need to be more concerned about older kids who don't play.
Some kids may lose interest in dolls around the age of 5 or 6, while others may continue to play with them into their pre-teen years. There really isn't a "magic age" at which all children suddenly stop playing with dolls - it varies from child to child.
The doll, called “My First Barbie,” is specifically created for kids three years old and older, said Lisa McKnight, executive vice president and global head of Barbie and dolls for Mattel. The age range for the original Barbie fashion dolls is for kids 3 and up.
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.
Kenneth Sean "Ken" Carson is a fashion doll introduced by American toy company Mattel in 1961 as the counterpart of Barbie, who was introduced two years earlier.
Since Chelsea is six, from Happy Birthday Chelsea, Stacie is ten years old. In some animated pictures of Stacie, she wears braces.
A standard Barbie doll is 11.5 inches (29 cm) tall, giving a height of 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) at 1/6 scale. Barbie's vital statistics have been estimated at 36 inches (91 cm) (chest), 18 inches (46 cm) (waist) and 33 inches (84 cm) (hips).
While some calculations used to present Barbie's proportions in life size have estimated she would reach 7' 6”, most calculations put her at around 6' tall.
They seemed made for each other (because, well, they were until 2004 when Barbie dumped Ken on Valentine's Day. The dolls got back together seven years later after reuniting on the set of Toy Story 3, and now, their love affair transcends time and space.