Barbie
The Barbie doll was invented in 1959 by Ruth Handler (co-founder of Mattel), whose own daughter was called Barbara. Barbie was introduced to the world at the American Toy Fair in New York City. Barbie's job was teenage fashion doll. The Ken doll was named after Ruth's son and was introduced two years after Barbie in 1961.
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Barbie's job was that of teenage fashion model. However, the doll has been made in versions connected to over 125 different careers.
She came as either a brunette or blond, and in 1961 red hair was added. In 1980, the first African American Barbie andHispanic Barbie were introduced, however, Barbie did have a black friend named Christie who was introduced in 1969.The first Barbie was sold for $3. Additional clothing based on the latest runway trends from Paris were sold, costing from $1 to $5. In the first year (1959), 300,000 Barbie dolls were sold. Today, a mint condition "#1" (1959 Barbie doll) can fetch as much as $27,450. To date, over 70 fashion designers have made clothes for Mattel, using over 105 million yards of fabric. |