The Barbie Story

The history of the world’s most famous doll dates back to 1959, when it was invented by Ruth Handler, and named after her daughter Barbara. Handler had observed her daughter playing with two dimensional paper dolls that looked like adults. Handler knew that no dolls were available in stores at that time, which depicted the mature female body. This motivated Handler to invent a teenage fashion doll that resembled a fully grown female, which very soon became the most famous toy of American history.

Ruth Handler undoubtedly created an American icon that not only functions as a fashion doll for young girls but is also a reflection of the ever changing American society. This can be seen in the types of clothes that she wears and the different editions of the doll that have been introduced over the years. Ruth and her husband were already running a company by the name of Mattel, which sold doll house furniture. It was from this company’s platform that Ruth launched her first Barbie doll at the American Toy Fair in New York City in 1959. The doll was an instant hit among young girls, and Mattel was soon swamped with orders that outnumbered the supply.

Over the years the Barbie doll has been introduced in many different colors and tackled a variety of professions. She was introduced as a brunette or blond initially and in 1961 a red haired version of the doll was introduced. The first African American Barbie and Hispanic Barbie dolls were introduced in 1980 and a black friend of Barbie named Christie was introduced in 1969. Barbie gained a friend, the Ken doll in 1961, named after the Handler’s son. More recently, Barbie was joined by a little sister Kelly in 1995 and a disabled friend on a wheelchair, Share a Smile Becky in 1997. She has aspired young girls by taking on many professional roles like dentist, doctor, firefighter, astronaut and even presidential candidate.

Today Barbie is more than just a doll and accessories. She has become a means to help enhance girls’ self image and confidence and also helps them experiment by personalizing their Barbie as they want. Using the Barbie software, girls can program and customize their Barbie as they wish. Additionally the Barbie line has expanded to include books, clothing, food and home furnishings.

The Barbie doll is a classic example of an idea turning into a multimillion dollar enterprise and ruling the toy world ever since. The initial concerns of parents have been met by portraying it as an aspirational figure for young girls and one that is friendly across different races and colors.