Barbie facts
In 1957 Ruth conceives of a three dimensional adult-like doll. The body is based on German doll called “Bild Lilli” some people have said that this was a sex toy but I haven’t found any evidence of this.
The first issue Barbie’s debut was at the 1959 New York Toy Show and looked a little something like this
Statistics show that 2 Barbies are bought every second somewhere in the world.
The average American girl aged 3-11 will own 10.
One source says that if Barbie were human, she would stand about 5’6”, weigh nearly 120 pounds, and have the measurements 38-18-34. 38 inches for her chest - 18 inches at her waist - 34 at her hips.
It is speculated that if Barbie were human, she would be so thin that she would not be able to menstruate. This is because she would not have the body fat percentage necessary to do so.
Barbie also wouldn’t be able to walk upright with those tiny feet.
One woman, Cindy Jackson, who was so influenced by Barbie that it became her life mission to look exactly like her. Her obsession to look like Barbie started when her parents bought her first Barbie at the age of 6. And she didn’t give up until she reached her goal. She ended up spending about $55,000 and underwent 20 plastic surgery operations to reach her goal of becoming Barbie.
In 1965 Mattel came out with a “Slumber Party Barbie” that came complete with a bathroom scale permanently set at 110 pounds. The doll also came with a book entitled How to Lose Weight. And inside this book it gave the advice: “Don’t Eat”. The matching Ken doll also came with slumber party accessories, but his were milk and cookies.
Mattel received many criticisms about Barbie and the impact she has on young girls around the world. In the summer of 2000, they decided to change Barbie to a more modern look.“The new Barbie will have a more natural body shape – less busty with wider hips.” What caused Mattel to make these changes? One influence may have been a drop in sales. According to the Los Angles Business Journal, Barbie sales dropped from $2 billion to $1.5 billion in 1999.
Barbie has had more than 80 careers — everything from a rock star to a paleontologist to a presidential candidate. (ignore the previous comment about wanting a president barbie then). However, Barbie’s first career was a teenage fashion model.
The first black Barbie was designed by Kitty Perkins and released in 1980
In 1997, Share A Smile® Becky® was the first Mattel, Inc. fashion doll introduced with a wheelchair.
Barbie Goes to College was introduced in 1964.
Doll collecting is second only to stamp collecting as the most popular collecting hobby in America — Barbie is collected by women, men and children around the world.
