On March 9, 1959, Barbie debuted at the New York Toy Fair. The first Barbie wore a black and white striped swimsuit and her signature ponytail. Toy buyers were skeptical because Barbie was unlike the baby and toddler dolls that were popular at the time.
Her first outfit was a swimsuit.
Barbie's original outfit was this retro black-and-white striped swimsuit, and her first hairstyle was a perfect little ponytail.
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.
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 pony tail. 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.
The doll was said to be from Willows, Wisconsin and held a prominent career as a teenage fashion model. She could be purchased for $3, with add-ons ranging from $1–$5. Originally, the first doll was available in brunette or blonde. Not until 1961 were red-haired Barbies available on the market.
The first Barbie wore a black and white striped swimsuit and her signature ponytail. Toy buyers were skeptical because Barbie was unlike the baby and toddler dolls that were popular at the time. They doubted she would be successful, but Barbie took the world by storm.
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.
Kim Culmone, head of design, told Time magazine that in order to reflect the times, the company changed Barbie's face to have less makeup and a younger look. “I think it was important for us offer a variety of dolls to cater to different girls,” said Chidoni.
Original Barbie - The original first edition Barbie from 1959 is very rare. Money, Inc. reports that even in played-with condition, she is worth $8,000. In pristine condition, she could be worth more than $27,000.
Especially prized among collectors are the vintage Barbie doll models produced between 1959 and the late 1960s. The Barbies from this period that had red hair and bendable legs are considered to be the rare and most valuable examples.
Even though Barbie has been everything from an astronaut to a computer engineer (what a kerfuffle that turned out to be), it wasn't until 2004 that she got a belly button. And it wasn't until 2016 that Mattel announced it's introducing three new body types to its Fashionistas range of dolls.
Barbie on Instagram: “Her full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts, but you can call her #Barbie. ?”
A bright shade of pink was chosen as Barbie's signature color mostly to attract young girls to the brand. When paired with a font that looks like a child's handwriting, their logo conveys a sense of fun, whimsy, and childhood.
Through partnership with Mattel, CureSearch is honored to provide Brave Barbies to childhood cancer patients. Hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy and radiation therapy treatments. Brave Barbie helps children better understand their hair loss and provides a "friend" through treatment and beyond.
Did you know #Barbie has 3 sisters? Skipper, Stacie, and Chelsea.
Sticky Vinyl Faces
Certain types of vinyl, including the vinyl used for certain #4/5 Barbies, are susceptible to stickiness from migrating plasticizers. Also, dolls made of hard and soft plastics often cause disintegration in one another—where the materials meet sticky.
1. 1959. Barbie was first introduced to the American public at the end of the Eisenhower era. Although the blonde swimsuit Barbie has become iconic, a model was also sold with brunette hair.
Raquelle is a fair-skinned young woman with long wavy black hair and brown eyes. She is the same size and body type as Barbie, allowing her to borrow Barbie's clothes as needed.
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.
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.)
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.
And there are three main things that you can tell that she's a number one Barbie. One is she has very arched, triangular-shaped eyebrows. They're very distinctive compared to later Barbies. She also has a white iris that's very distinctive.
In 1968, Mattel created Christie. Christie had the same body as Barbie so that their clothes were interchangeable. But her face was a new design intended to highlight the facial features of a Black woman. Many consider Christie to be the first “Black Barbie.” Christie was part of a series of talking dolls.
Designed in partnership with the National Federation of the Blind, displayable packaging includes braille to create easy readability for sighted and non-sighted fans alike. Helen Keller Barbie® doll makes a great gift for Barbie® collectors and kids ages 6 years old and up.