HISTORY
See Also
Does my child's doll have lice too?Recycle your Barbies, Matchbox cars and more by mailing old toys to MattelMattel set to unveil newest line of diverse Barbie dolls - ABC ColumbiaFrequently Asked Questions- Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts.
- Barbie was named after Ruth Handler’s daughter, Barbara, and Ken after her son, Kenneth.
- She is from (fictional) Willows, Wisconsin, where she attended high school.
- 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.
- The first Barbie commercial aired during theMickeyMouse Clubin 1959.
- Barbie doll’s signature color is Barbie Pink (PMS 219).
- Barbie stands 11.5 inches tall.
- The best-selling Barbie doll ever was 1992 Totally Hair™ Barbie, which featured floor-length hair.
CAREERS
- Barbie has had over 250 inspirational careers including astronaut, pilot, firefighter, journalist, and entrepreneur to name a few.
- Barbie traveled into space in 1965, four years before man walked on the moon.
- In 1992, Barbie ran for president for the first time and has run in nearly every election year since. In 2016, she ran with the first all-female ticket.
- In 1973, Barbie saved lives as a surgeon, at a time when very few women were in the operating room.
- In 1985, she took to the boardroom as “Day to Night” CEO Barbie, just as women began to break the glass ceiling.
- To encourage more girls to explore the STEM field, Barbie has been a computer engineer, video game developer, Mars explorer, and robotics engineer.
ICON
- It takes a professional staff of top fashion designers, makeup artists, and the most elite couturiers–more than 100 people in all–to create a Barbie doll and her fashions.
- Barbie has been a muse to many artists over the past six decades, including Andy Warhol and Peter Max.
- Twiggy was the first celebrity to have a doll in her likeness.
- Oscar de la Renta was the first designer collaboration in 1985.
- The#1 honor from the Barbie brand is to be immortalized in doll form. The brand has honored role models from ages 6 to 99.
- In 1997, the hit song, “Barbie Girl,” by Aqua topped the charts.
- In 2014, Jeremy Scott’s Moschino show was inspired by Barbie, complete with her dream wardrobe.
- Barbie has fans of all ages. The National Barbie Doll Collectors Convention has been driven by doll clubs across the country for over 25 years.
POWER
- Barbie is the most popular fashion doll ever produced and the No. 1 fashion doll property
- A Barbie Dreamhouse is sold every two minutes and was first introduced in 1962.
- Barbie is the most diverse fashion doll on the market.
- More than 100 dolls are sold every minute
- Barbie is sold in 150 countries worldwide.
- Barbie has products in over 50 categories, including food, fitness, and clothing.
- The Barbie brand has over 99% brand awareness globally.
- The Barbie YouTube channel has over twenty million global subscribers and 23 billion minutes of content watched, making Barbie the #1 girls’ brand on YouTube.
- Barbie Apps average more than 7 million monthly active users.
- Barbie has a powerful social media presence with over 19 millions followers across platforms. Barbie is the #1 toy brand is social conversation.
CONTENT
- @barbiestyle launched in 2014 and quickly reached over 2 million followers – it is one of the fastest growing fashion Instagram channels to date.
- Barbie has released over 30 entertainment titles.
- More than 151 million minutes of content has been watched on the Barbie YouTube channel.
- In 2015, Barbie launched her first video blog (vlog) on YouTube which propelled the channel to the #1 doll brand on YouTube.
- There are over 18 billion minutes of Barbie user-generated content created each year.
The Barbie Movie, Mattel’s first major theatrical release, became theglobal cultural phenomenon of 2023. The movie was a showcase for the cultural relevance of our IP, our ability to attract and collaborate with top creative talent, and our demand creation capabilities at a global scale.
Not only did The Barbie Movie capture the hearts of audiences worldwide but shattered multiple box office records while surpassing $1.44 Billion at the global box office and seeing Greta Gerwig make history as the first woman to reach this milestone as a solo director.
In 2023, Barbie The Album hit 3 billion streams and received 12 Grammy nominations
