Let's Celebrate National Barbie Day!

On March 9th, 1959, the Barbie doll made her debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York City. And the rest is history, or more accurately stated, HERstory.

In 1956, Ruth and Elliot Handler took their two teenage children, Barbara and Ken, on a trip to Europe, and during the trip, they saw a doll that looked like an adult woman. This doll was different from the baby dolls that most little girls played with back in America. And after seeing her young daughter ignore her baby dolls to play make-believe with paper dolls of adult women, Handler realized there was an important market niche for a toy that allowed little girls to imagine the future.

Ruth was inspired, and three years later, Mattel's version of the adult doll, which she named after her daughter, debuted and became a big success. The Barbie doll also had a wardrobe of outfits that could be purchased separately. In 1960, the Handlers took their company, Mattel, public, and Barbie quickly became an icon, with a wardrobe and career options that mirrored women's changing goals. In Barbie's first full year of production, there were 300,000 dolls sold.

Ruth Handler said in a 1977 interview with The New York Times, "Every little girl needed a doll through which to project herself into her dream of her future. If she was going to do role-playing of what she would be like when she was 16 or 17, it was a little stupid to play with a doll that had a flat chest. So I gave the doll beautiful breasts. And Barbie kept pace with the times. During Camelot, she sported a Jacqueline Kennedy hairdo. During the 1970's, her career choices and outfits began to change to include a doctor, astronaut, and veterinarian, among others. My whole philosophy of Barbie was that through the doll, a girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices."

Barbie has become one of the world's most popular dolls and owes its success to adapting to the ever-changing markets of various cultures and countries by launching Barbie dolls of shapes, colors, and sizes, and customization to the inhabitants of certain regions. Because Barbie has often been criticized for representing an unattainable beauty ideal for girls and women, the doll has evolved both in style and shape over the years. The Barbie brand also honors pioneering women from throughout history.

Here are some interesting facts about Barbie. Her full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts, and she is from a fictional town in Wisconsin. March 9th is celebrated each year as National Barbie Day, because that was the day she was introduced at the American Toy Fair in New York City in 1959. Barbie recognizes careers in which women are traditionally under-represented to show girls that they can be anything and to encourage discovery and exploration through play, and since her inception, she has had over 250 different careers.

According to Mattel, "Barbie traveled into space in 1965, four years before man walked on the moon. 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. In 1992, Barbie ran for president for the first time. In 2016, she ran with the first all-female ticket. To encourage more girls to explore the STEM field, Barbie has been a computer engineer, video game developer, Mars explorer, and robotics engineer. In 2016, to better reflect the world girls see today, Barbie introduced three new body types: curvy, petite, and tall. The launch of the new body types landed Barbie on the cover of Time magazine. And in 2018, Barbie shined a light on empowering role models from the past and present to inspire more girls. The campaign honored extraordinary women from around the world and launched on International Women's Day featuring Frida Kahlo, Katherine Johnson, and Amelia Earhart."

SHARE THIS: Barbie's career line reinforces the brand's purpose to inspire the limitless potential in every girl. ~Mattel #DebbieLaskeysBlog #NationalBarbieDay

Barbie is sold in 150 countries worldwide, and more than 100 Barbie dolls are sold every minute. A Barbie Dreamhouse is sold every two minutes and was first introduced in 1962. Barbie has products in over 50 categories, including food, fitness, and clothing; and the Barbie brand enjoys over 99 percent brand awareness globally.

I recall that my Barbie-related dolls from my youth included a Barbie, Ken, and sister Skipper. Barbie's collection included her Dream House, camper, and airplane. So, in my make-believe world, she was a successful career woman with a fancy home, a fan of camping or a park ranger who lived in a large camper, and an airline pilot.

According to Mattel, "Barbie recognizes all female role models. The Inspiring Women Series pays tribute to the incredible heroines of their time; courageous women who took risks, changed rules, and paved the way for generations of girls to dream bigger than ever before."

Much gratitude and happy birthday to Barbie from me and the millions of other Barbie fans around the world!

Image Credit: Mattel.