Forty-nine and still fine

Today I'm celebrating Barbie's birthday


It's been told that the first Barbie was sold on this date in 1959. It's hard to believe that Barbie's celebrating her 49th birthday. The inventor of the Barbie doll is Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel. She named the doll after her daughter, Barbara. The first Barbie doll sold for $3. An original 1959 doll in mint condition has sold for up to $10,000. During its first year, over 350,000 were sold. Over a billion have been sold since then. It's currently a $1.5 billion dollar-per-year industry. Close to one billion dollars in fashions have been produced for Barbie and her friends. The Barbie product line is the most successful in the history of the toy industry. However, Barbie has recently met a little competition as described on the ABC News Nightline report on Bratz vs. Barbie. You can watch the first Barbie commercial here:

As posted on Youtube by BarbieCollectors

In her 1994 autobiography, Dream Doll: The Ruth Handler Story, Mrs. Handler wrote: ''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.'' Barbie's been busy over the last 49 years too. She's made a lot of choices, beginning with over 80 careers. Although only introduced in 1959, she first went to college in 1964 (an early achiever). Her first career was a teenage fashion model. She ran for president in 1992 and again in 2000. Perhaps she has some helpful advice for Hillary.


I like most young girls had a Barbie doll. My Mom and Aunt Pat created an amazing wardrobe for my Barbie doll. Each evening gown had a matching coat and gloves. Plus, several hats were made for the evening attire. I'm still amazed at the detail of those beautiful dresses and accessories. My younger sister had a Barbie doll too. My Mom kept our Barbie dolls and thought that my niece would love to have our dolls and wardrobes. She did not think that I'd want mine -- since I do not have a daughter to give my doll. So, she gave my Barbie to my sister for her daughter. I was crushed when I heard! Her daughter wasn't particularly interested in our dolls and I talked my sister into returning my doll. However, instead she gave me her doll, the one with the broken leg. Yes, all my dolls were in mint condition, looking as they originally did from their boxes. She, on the other hand, would wash her dolls' hair and they looked like the rough life they had with her. Everyone knows that my doll was in perfect condition! As you can tell, I'm still upset about losing my Barbie doll. Knowing them, she was probably sold in a garage sale years ago or tossed out during one of their many moves.


Today, I'll try to get over my loss of Barbie and celebrate anyway! I can at least celebrate another one fine example of a successful woman that still is competitive in today's market as well.


Image credit: Marketing weblog