She took the world by storm, surprising skeptical toy critics at New York's Toy Fair in 1959.
With her good looks
Soon, little girls across America, and later, the world, were singing her praises.
In the coming years, both adults and children would collect her in record numbers.
Today she remains one of the hottest selling toys in the world.
Her name is Barbie. This is her story.

She began like any other great invention does - as an idea in a visionary's head.
Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel Toys,
was watching her daughter Barbara play with paper dolls and imagine them
in grown-up roles when the idea hit her - why not make a teenage doll that
little girls could play and dream about the future with?
Ruth recognized the value of helping children realize their dreams and goals through play.
After researching the current doll market, Ruth confirmed that while
there were plenty of baby dolls available, there were no three-dimensional teenage dolls.
She then resolved to create such a doll through her own company,
which she co-founded with her husband Elliott Handler. Ruth and Elliott unveiled BarbieR doll, the teenage fashion model,
at New York's annual Toy Fair in 1959. Initially, toy buyers were skeptical.
Never before had anyone seen a doll so small, yet so sophisticated.
As a teenager, Barbie was completely unlike any of the baby or toddler dolls popular at the time.
Critics posed the question - Would anyone buy her?

Undaunted by skepticism,
Mattel stood firmly behind the first Barbie doll, launching an innovative television ad campaign.
Barbie quickly caught the attention of little girls
across the country. She soon became a worldwide sensation, and remains as popular as ever today.

In 1977, Barbie again underwent a major face sculpting
change with the introduction of Superstar BarbieR. This doll featured
a wide open-mouthed smile along with bright painted eyes,
and looked much friendlier that any of the previous dolls.
Barbie wore fashions that mirrored the funky trends found on dance floors across the country,
as well as chic designer looks that came in vogue in the late 1970s. As always, Barbie had her finger on the pulse of Americana.

In the 1980s, Barbie collecting became more than a childhood pastime.
With Barbie doll's original fans now in their twenties and thirties,
Barbie collecting began attracting adult women as well as little girls. For many of these women,
Barbie symbolized the innocence of their youth;
she was a part of them that was timeless, ageless -
and they wanted to reconnect with their favorite fashion doll!
To meet the needs of these sophisticated adult collectors,
Mattel issued Blue RhapsodyR BarbieR in 1986.
This doll was Mattel's first porcelain doll, and marks the beginning of the collector line.
Then in 1988 came Happy HolidaysR BarbieR doll.
Although she was not specifically targeted to the collector market,
Barbie fans loved her and she sold out almost instantly
at retail
(only 300,000 were made). This event ignited the adult collecting boom and marked a turning point in Barbie doll history.

back