Plastic Facts About Barbie
"My whole philosophy of Barbie was that, through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices." –Ruth Handler
“I’m a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world / Life in plastic, it’s fantastic!” –Aqua
Whether you love her or you hate her, you have got to admit that Barbie is an extremely important part of our culture.
When Ruth Handler invented her way back in 1959, I don’t think there is any way she could have predicted the phenomenon the doll is now.
Barbie has been playing alongside children for nearly 60 years now and is probably one of the biggest celebrities I can think of. There are Barbie movies, Barbie books, Barbie knock-offs, and the list goes on.
It is probably safe to say that Barbie is a girl’s best friend.
For better or for worse, Barbie has taught young people many lessons. She has taught young girls that they can be anything—a doctor, an astronaut, a presidential candidate.
She has taught kids how to make-believe, to play dress-up, and to perform more practical tasks like picking up dog poop or curling hair.
Unfortunately, she has also taught some less desirable lessons, like that of societal beauty standards or how to live a materialistic lifestyle.
There is a lot to be learned about Barbie, though, before making a judgement about her effect on today’s youth.
This list has collected 42 playful facts about the celebrity doll that has shaped young girls’ childhoods, because whether you love her, you hate her, or you’re just plain intrigued by her, Barbie is a force to be reckoned with.
Barbie Facts
42. Like Daughter Like Mother
The Barbie and Ken we all know and love are a couple, but that’s not how it all started. The real-life Barbara and Kenneth are the names of Barbie’s creator’s children.
Young Barbara was playing with paper dolls when her mom Ruth Handler got the idea for the Barbie doll.
Dolls at the time tended to appear as children, even though Barbara liked putting them into adult situations, so Ruth thought there might be a market for an adult-build doll.
41. No Take-backs
Once the idea for this adult-looking doll was planted in Handler’s head, she found inspiration elsewhere on a trip to Germany. She bought three versions of the “Bild Lilli” doll—one for her daughter and two to bring back to Mattel.
Even though Handler redesigned the German adult toy before sending Barbie to the market, Mattel was later sued for infringing the patent for Bild Lilli’s hip joint and for claiming Barbie had an “original” design.
40. But Blondes Have More Fun
Barbie wasn’t always a blonde. The first ever Barbie doll came in either a blonde or a brunette high ponytail. She also featured a stripey black and white one-piece, strapless bathing suit.
