Barbie Fast Facts

HISTORY

• Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts.
• Barbie was named after Ruth Handler’s daughter, Barbara, and Ken after her son, Kenneth.
• She is from (fictional) Willows, Wisconsin, where she attended high school.
• Barbie’s official birthday is March 9, 1959, the day she was unveiled to the toy industry during New York Toy Fair.
• Barbie first appeared in her iconic black-and-white striped swimsuit.
• Barbie was joined by Ken in 1961.
• The first Barbie doll was sold for $3.00.
• The first Barbie commercial aired during the Mickey Mouse Club in 1959.
• Barbie doll’s signature colour is Barbie Pink (PMS 219).
• Barbie stands 11.5 inches tall.
• The best-selling Barbie doll ever was 1992 Totally Hair™ Barbie, which featured floor-length hair.

CAREERS

• Barbie has had over 200 inspirational careers including astronaut, pilot, firefighter, journalist, and entrepreneur to name a few.
• Barbie travelled into space in 1965, four years before man walked on the moon.
• In 1992, Barbie ran for president for the first time and has run in every election year since. In 2016, she ran with the first all-female ticket.
• 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.
• To encourage more girls to explore the STEM field, Barbie has been a computer engineer, video game developer, Mars explorer, and robotics engineer.

ICON

• It takes a professional staff of top fashion designers, makeup artists, and the most elite couturiers–more than 100 people in all–to create a Barbie doll and her fashions.
• Barbie has been a muse to many artists over the past six decades, including Andy Warhol and Peter Max.
• Twiggy was the first celebrity to have a doll in her likeness.
• Oscar de la Renta was the first designer collaboration in 1985.
• The #1 honour from the Barbie brand is to be immortalized in plastic. The brand has honoured role models from ages 6 to 99.
• In 1997, the hit song, “Barbie Girl,” by Aqua topped the charts.
• In 2014, Jeremy Scott’s Moschino show was inspired by Barbie, complete with her dream wardrobe.
• Barbie has fans of all ages. The National Barbie Doll Collectors Convention has been driven by doll clubs across the country for over 25 years.

POWER

• Barbie is the most popular fashion doll ever produced and the No. 1 fashion doll property in the U.S.
• A Barbie Dreamhouse is sold every two minutes and was first introduced in 1962.
• Barbie is the most diverse fashion doll on the market.
• More than 100 dolls are sold every minute, with a total of 58 million sold annually.
• Barbie is sold in 150 countries worldwide.
• Barbie has products in 45 categories, including food, fitness, and clothing.
• The Barbie brand has over 99% brand awareness globally.
• The Barbie YouTube channel has over five million subscribers, making Barbie the #1 girls’ brand on YouTube.
• Barbie has a powerful social media presence with over 14 million fans on Facebook, 267,000 followers on Twitter, and 1.2 million followers on Instagram (@barbie).