Barbie- Every girls dream doll
Whenever you ask your daughter about the gift she would like to have on her birthday, her quick answer will be the most beautiful doll of the world - Barbie. Barbie doesn't need any introduction. It is a one word definition of play world. She is beautiful just take a look at her, perfect hair, face and body!
So lets talk about Barbie. Barbie originally was a real person. Her name was Barbara (Barbie) Handler and her mother and father were Ruth and Elliot. In the mid 1950's, while visiting Switzerland, Ruth Handler purchased a German Lilli doll. Lilli was a shapely, pretty fashion doll first made in 1955. She was available in 11" or 7" in heights. Her hair was long and pulled back into a ponytail. There was a large wardrobe available for this doll. Lilli is the doll that would inspire Ruth Handler to design the Barbie doll, who would have thought!
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It was in 1958 that the patent for Barbie was obtained and no one could have predicyed that this would be a fashion doll unlike any of her time. She would be long limbed, shapely and beautiful, all of this and only 11" tall. Mattel finally agreed to back her efforts and Barbie debuted at the American Toy Fair in New York City in 1959 and received a cool reception from the toy buyers. Girls went wild over her and set a new sales record for Mattel the very first year at 351,000 sold at $3.00 each. Since then the Barbie Doll's popularity has rarely wavered and the rest is history.
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Interesting facts:
- Barbie doll has had more than 80 careers.
- Barbie Goes to College was introduced in 1964.
- The first Olympic athlete Barbie was introduced in 1975; she is competing again as an Olympic swimmer in 2000.
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Barbie doll represented a candidate for President in 1992 and is running again in 2000 with a platform of opportunities for girls, educational excellence and animal rights.
- Italian was the first nationality Barbie doll represented in the Dolls of the World Collection.
- Barbie doll has represented 45 different nationalities.
- Barbie doll has had over 43 pets including 21 dogs, 12 horses, 3 ponies, 6 cats, a parrot, a chimpanzee, a panda, a lion cub, a giraffe and a zebra. What a girl!
- Barbie doll's boyfriend, Ken doll made his debut two years after Barbie, in 1961.
- Barbie doll's best friend, Midge was introduced in 1963 and then again in 1988 as California Midge.
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- More than 105 million yards of fabric have gone into making Barbie doll and her friends fashions, making Mattel one the largest apparel manufacturers in the world.
- Barbie doll is currently a $1.5 billion dollar-per-year industry.
- Barbie celebrated 40 years as the world's most popular fashion doll in 1999.
Family of Barbie: It's not only Barbie alone, she has a big family. Let's check that:
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Then there are all her friends and they include:CHRISTIE, STACEY, PJ, JAMIE, STEFFI, KELLEY, CARA, DANA, DEE DEE, TERESA, DEVON, KAYLA, NIKKI and JAZZIE just to name a few!
Barbie has undergone a lot of changes over the years and has managed to keep up with current trends in hairstyles, makeup and clothing. Not to mention the accessories, for example the motorbike, the bicycle, the house, the bed, the surfboard, l mean the list is endless. She is a reflection of the history of fashion since her introduction to the toy market. I have children of my own now, but l still have my babies that l played with when l was young!
| Guess what, Barbie has also her own make-up range! Barbie Loves MAC is the first ever colour collaboration between MAC and Mattel, with the most fashionable doll in the world inspiring MAC's limited edition spring colour collection. Take a look at the great colour they offer, if you use it would you look like Barbie? |  |
(Sources: billbam.com, dolls4play.com, collectdolls.about.com)
