Barbie is the most famous doll in the whole planet.
Who doesn’t know her??
Her real name is Barbara Millicent Roberts, and her first introduction to the public took
place on March 9th 1959, at the Toy Fair in New York.
She was created by Ruth Handler, co-founder of the toy company Mattél, along with her
husband Elliot Handler.
In the 50s, Ruth realized her daughter would rather play with dolls that looked like adults,
more than with childish ones.
Her kid would spend hours dressing and undressing cut-out dolls.
At that time, the vast majority of dolls out in the market had the physical appearance
of children.
When she realized about the idea of business she had in mind, she though it would be a
good idea to create a doll that looked young.
However, this idea didnt convince her business partner and husband.
During a trip aroud Europe, they discovered a popular dutch doll called Lilli.
It was a doll inspired by cartoons for adults.
Mattel bought the rights for Lilli, they stopped its production and they started making Ruth’s
doll.
They wanted to offer girls a different doll, adapting to the social changes that women
were starting to experiment, and with which young girls could feel identified.
The name they chose was Barbie, in honor to Barbara, the Handler’s daughter.
After her first appearance at the Toy Fair, the market’s response was amazing.
Even the company had some initial problems to be able to provide all the dolls they were
asked for!
The first Barbie ever had a blonde hair do, very fashionable, with a zebra printed swimsuit.
Barbie was not alone in the universe for long.
Throughout the years, some more characters have been added to her life.
Apart from plenty of friends, she also has some younger sisters.
The most famous ones are Kelly, Chelsea and Stacy, all between 10 and 13 years old, along
with the 16-year-old Skipper.
Also, since 1961, Ken is right next to her, her eternal boyfriend.
The masculine version of Barbie was named after Kenneth, the Handler’s son.
And even though Barbie and Ken officially broke up on Febreruary 14th 2004, they remained
good friends and, seven years later, on February 14th 2011, they got back together.
Since her first stage as a teenager model, Barbie has had plenty of different jobs.
She’s been a dentist, a gymnast, a teacher, a dancer, a photographer, a vet, a doctor,
a singer, an astronaut, a flight attendant, a president, a pilot…
Yes, she has a pilot license, and she can fly commercial aircraft.
She loves animals and she’s had more than 40 pets: dogs, horses, ponies, cats, parrots...
Behind every Barbie, there is a group of five hundred specialists that work at the Mattel
research and development center, in Los Angeles.
Technology and design are vital for its manufacturing process, where they combine the most up-to-date
techniques with traditional methods.
The manufacturing process of a Barbie is not easy.
The body is shaped by the plastic injection system, while her face is hand-painted and
her hair is set with a sewing machine.
Una vez unida la cabeza al cuerpo, se procede al corte de pelo y al peinado.
Sus vestidos también son cosidos manualmente.
Los diseñadores de Mattel visitan las pasarelas más importantes del mundo para conocer de
cerca las colecciones de cada temporada.
Once the head is fixed to the body, it’s time for the hair cut and hair do.
Her dresses are also sewed by hand.
The Mattel designers visit the most important catwalks of the world to keep up with every
season’s collections.
Even though Barbie’s color is pink, Pantone 219C, to be more precise, propriety (propraieti)
of the company with the exploitation rights, she has dressed clothes of every kind and
color, always high fashion.
Some of the most important designers in the world, such as Christian Dior, Chanel, Versace,
Carolina Herrera or Giorgio Armani, have designed for Barbie.
In 2009 she celebrated her 50th anniversary in style, with a fashion show during the New
York fashion week.
Just as society, Barbie’s image has been evolving throughout the years.
Back in the beginning, she had unreal measurements and her face was serious and sophisticated.
She’s been gaining mobility and changes in her body to adapt to the new times.
Her waist is wider now, her breast is smaller, and she’s been adopting a more natural and
relaxed aspect.
With the idea of having more little girls feeling identified with the doll, during 2016,
Mattel introduced a new collection that stirred half world up.
With more realistic measurements and sizes, Fashionista Barbies appeared, including different
body types, skin colors, eye colors and hair does.
Barbie is the most sold doll in history and Mattel is placed among the 20 more valued
brands in the world, being the first one inside the world of toys.
It’s commercialized in more than 140 countries and the estimation is that two Barbies are
sold every minute.
Collecting toys is a very popular hobby, and collecting Barbies in particular is one of
the most common ones.
Every year, more than 100 different models of Barbie are created, including her family
and friends.
There are also a lot of special editions with exorbitant prices.
The china versions of the first Barbies, the ones dressed by famous designers and the ones
representing different countries and eras are the most sought after.
With more than 50 years of history, Barbie has achieved goals almost imposible to believe
for a doll.
She travelled in a time capsule.
She has a portrait by Andy Warhol, she’s been the ambassador of several NGOs and she
has even travelled to space.
She is a total celebrity, she’s had her own tv program, she is the protagonist of
several cartoon series, video games and movies.
She has also appeared as special guest in movies such as Toy Story 2 and 3, along with
Ken.
She has her own profile in social networks and, in the last years, she’s become a youtuber,
with her own channel where she uploads videoblogs and tutorials.
Barbie is not only a doll, she is a fashion AND social icon.
Her popularity has never stopped growing and it seems like the Barbieobsession has NO END!