Nicola Owen

Barbie dolls

"Barbie was first introduced at the American International Toy Fair in New York in February 1959. She was created by Elliot Handler, the founder of Mattel, Inc., and his wife, Ruth. The doll was named after the Handlers' daughter, Barbie. Ken is the name of the couple's son. The doll's womanly figure and painted face got mixed reviews—few would have guessed that more than thirty-five years later Barbie would still be one of the most successful and enduring toys on the market.

Over half a billion Barbies—over one billion if sales of her sidekick dolls (like Ken and Skipper) are included--have been sold in more than one hundred and forty countries. Each week, Mattel sells over 1.5 million dolls—that's two dolls per second. Ninety percent of all American girls in the last forty years have owned at least one Barbie. If every Barbie doll ever manufactured were laid end to end, they would circle the earth three-and-one-half times.

Over the years, Barbie's voluptuous figure has sparked controversy. If she were human, her measurements would translate into a thirty-nine inch chest, twenty-one inch waist, and thirty-three inch hips.

Mattel's in-house designers provide the ever-fashionable doll with about a hundred new outfits each year. Clothing has also been created for Barbie by world-famous designers Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Valentino, Perry Ellis, Oscar de la Renta, and Bob Mackie. Since 1959, over 105 million yards of fabric have been used to create Barbie's clothes, making Mattel a huge consumer of cloth, as well as America's fourth largest maker of women's clothes.

Mattel has given Barbie many different careers during her run as one of the world's most popular toys. She has been a teacher, astronaut, veterinarian, soldier, singer, flight attendant, and model. Barbie also keeps up with the latest technology—she got her first computer in 1985 "

Quote from: http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/toys/barbie.html

posted by monkeynic @ 4:30 pm