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Barbie's real name -

Many people don't know that Barbie is actually short for Barbara Millicent Roberts. Why the middle and last name? Your guess is as good as any.

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Naughty origins - The 11-inch-tall (29 cm) plastic doll with the figure of an adult woman was actually modeled on the German Bild Lilli doll—a risqué gag gift originally marketed to men in tobacco and adult toy stores—that was based upon a comic strip character created by Reinhard Beuthien.

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The criticism isn't new - The doll's shape incited controversy even before it was released, as mothers in a 1958 Mattel-sponsored market study criticized Barbie for having “too much of a figure.”

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The result? -

Parents' criticisms pushed Mattel to advertise the doll directly to children, making Mattel the first toy company to broadcast commercials to kids. Barbie's commercials aired during Walt Disney's 'Mickey Mouse Club' program, which Mattel also sponsored.

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Pink was not her original color -

Though today Barbie Pink is specifically Pantone color PMS 219, the first doll actually wore a black and white-striped bathing suit, and she sold for US$3. In mint condition, the same one is estimated to be worth over US$27,000 today.

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Barbie's first and most famous “accessory” - In response to consumer demand in 1961, Mattel introduced Barbie's most famous “accessory”—her boyfriend, Ken. Unfortunately, the Handlers made an interesting, and potentially ill-advised, decision to name the romantically involved dolls after their children, siblings Barbara and Kenneth.

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Barbie has a sister -

While she actually had a few siblings over the years (including Tutti, Todd, Kelly, and Krissy), an early version of her sister Skipper (circa 1975) had a particularly memorable feature—if you rotated her arm around, her breast and waist grew. Who knew puberty was so easy?

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The original material girl - Since the 1970s, Barbie has been criticized for her materialism, as there was always a new car, house, or clothes to buy. Her unrealistic body proportions also fueled the criticism, with some researchers even going so far as to determine that her low body fat percentage would not allow her to menstruate.

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On the contrary - Others argued that Barbie was actually liberating girls from traditional, restrictive gender roles. Instead of taking care of baby dolls, girls were playing with a career-driven, financially self-sufficient woman.

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Barbie has an impressive CV - Her résumé includes over 150 careers, including airline pilot, astronaut, zoologist, aerobics instructor, rapper, doctor, NASCAR driver, Olympic athlete, and United States presidential candidate (never the president, however).

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Best-selling Barbie? - It wasn't any of the career-focused versions, but rather the Totally Hair Barbie, which had hair down to the ground. Over 10 million were reportedly sold in 1992.

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She once told girls not to eat - The Slumber Party Barbie of 1965 came with her very own tiny 'How to Lose Weight' book, which actually included "don't eat" as a tip! She also came with a bathroom scale that put the 5' 9" adult woman (to scale) in at 110 lbs (50 kg), which would've meant that she was severely underweight.

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Ultimate American girl? - Though Mattel would like you to think of Barbie as all-American, the doll was actually never manufactured in the US! To avoid higher labor costs, of course.

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Barbie girl in a buyer world - Today the doll has come to symbolize consumer capitalism, with key markets in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The doll is sold in over 150 countries!

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Barbie lead the charge on social advances - In 1965, four years before man landed on the moon, Astronaut Barbie wore a space suit and helmet and explored new frontiers. She was also in the operating room before women were generally accepted as doctors, and she ran for president before any woman did.

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First celebrity-inspired Barbie - British fashion model Twiggy was given the honor of being the first star to have a doll made in her semblance. The doll had Twiggy's iconic makeup, her yellow, green, and blue-striped mini dress, and boots.

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Life in plastic wasn't always in color - By 1968, Barbie had been issued “friend” dolls of color (Christie was created out of support for the Equal Rights movements), but it wasn't until 1980 when the Barbie doll was itself released in an African-American incarnation, along with a Hispanic Barbie.

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Barbie couldn't crack into Saudi Arabia - Barbie never won the approval of authorities in the Muslim world, and in 1995 Saudi Arabia stopped its sale completely because it violated the Islamic dress code. Eventually, similar dolls, some complete with hijabs, were marketed to Muslim girls by other companies.

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Then this happened - Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad had a Barbie doll made in her likeness, as part of the “Shero” roll-out, which stirred up a lot of controversy because people did not like that Barbie was "encouraging" what many see as oppressive customs.

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You will probably never be her biggest fan - Bettina Dorfmann from Germany holds the Guinness Book of World Records for having the biggest Barbie collection in the world. She has over 18,000 dolls!

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Ken and Barbie once split up - Things between Barbie and longtime boyfriend Ken fizzled in 2004, according to a news release from Mattel, causing them to split up after 43 years together. It's important to note that the split was so easy because they were never married.

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Don't worry, they got back together in 2011 - Years later, after Ken conveniently had a makeover (he had more plastic muscles), they were ready to rekindle the love.

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After Barbie had a rebound though - After her split from Ken, Barbie had a two-year fling with Blaine, an Australian surfer. We'd say she's only human, but…

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Malibu Barbie isn't from Malibu! - Though she has West Coast written all over her, the famous doll is actually from the (fictional) town of Willows, Wisconsin. She's a cheesehead!

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Someone tried to actually become Barbie - California woman Blondie Bennett spent more than US$40,000 on cosmetic procedures (breast enhancements, Botox, lip fillers, liposuction, spray tans, etc) to look like Barbie, and even went so far as to take hypnotherapy sessions to make herself "dumber." In addition to that, there's even a Barbie Clinic in Iraq!

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Some modern feats - As part of the "Inspiring Women" series and in honor of International Women's Day, Olympic boxing champion Nicola Adams became immortalized as a Barbie doll. Adams joined 14 other Barbie “Sheroes” made to champion powerful and influential women.

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Some modern misses - For the #MoreRoleModels campaign, Mattel created a Frida Kahlo Barbie. The toy company not only lacked permission for distribution from Frida Kahlo's Estate, but Mattel received widespread criticism for crafting the doll to follow beauty standards that Kahlo firmly stood against. The skin was too light, the figure too thin, the uni-brow nonexistent, and she was not wearing traditional Mexican clothing.

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They're still crazy popular - Mattel calculates that a Barbie doll is sold somewhere in the world every three seconds.

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Barbie's wardrobe demands - Because of how popular Barbie's outfit changes are, Mattel is now actually one of the biggest clothing manufacturers in the world. Barbie also has products in 45 categories, including food and fitness.

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She's PETA-friendly - In 2015, Mattel announced that they would discontinue SeaWorld Barbie because of the company's questionable practices. A spokesperson from PETA reportedly commented that Barbie has always been fur-free and has a history of being an animal rights activist, so PETA is delighted to see her “retain her animal-friendly image."

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Barbie is a social media influencer - In case you wondered what will happen when kids stop playing with dolls, Barbie has it covered. Having already done the film, website, and app thing, Barbie also runs @barbiestyle, an Instagram page that became a leading fashion influencer with over two million followers.

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She vlogs -

In addition to her more than 15 million fans on Facebook, over 330,000 followers on Twitter, and over 2 million followers on her other Instagram account (@barbie), she has a popular YouTube account where she vlogs about issues like bullying, depression, and healthy habits.

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First Barbie doll with Down syndrome -

In recent years Mattel has been trying to make its line of dolls more inclusive. In April 2023, they launched their first-ever Barbie doll with Down syndrome to widen the number of children who see themselves represented in the popular toy. They teamed up with the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) in the US and consulted with medical professionals to inform the design process and make a doll that personifies a woman with Down Syndrome. The new Barbie also wears a pink necklace with three arrows or chevrons, a symbol that represents the three 21st chromosomes that result in Down syndrome. 

See also: Simple business ideas that made millions

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