The Fascinating History Of Barbie Dolls

Barbie dolls have become a tradition. Being a tradition turns you into a collector’s item. The specialty dolls are highly sought after and can become very valuable as the years pass. For example, the Holiday Barbie is normally hard to come by each year. A person has to make sure that they are in front of the line whenever the doll is put on the shelf; if not, they will not get one as they usually sell out.

The Barbie doll was released at a toy show on March 9, 1959. This has become her birthday. She has since been nicknamed Barbie. The wife of one of the co-founders of the Mattel toy company thought of the idea. She then named the doll after her daughter Barbara. It was because of Barbara that Ruth got the idea. She watched her daughter play many times with her paper dolls that assumed the rolls of adults. During that time, dolls that were produced was only manufactured as infants.

Random House published a biography of Barbie. The biography reveals many things about the Barbie doll. Her real name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. She was born on March 9, 1959 to George and Margaret Roberts. They all live in a fictional town known as Willows. The biography continues on to include Barbie’s boyfriend, high school, etc. By the way, her boyfriend is Ken Carson. Over the years, there has been many companions produced for Barbie and they include: friends, family, siblings, etc.

Barbie has experienced many careers over the decades. The careers that she participates in usually reflect current times. For example, in 2010 expect to see an Astronaut Barbie and a Registered Nurse Barbie.

Barbie dolls have caused many controversies over the decades. It has been criticized many times. It has been said that the Barbie doll represents unrealistic ideas for a woman’s body.

Many little girls have idled Barbie; however, it is said that she causes poor self image because the girls cannot live up to the perfection that Barbie portrays. Mattel answered back by increasing the waist size of Barbie. More recently, the release of the “Totally Tattoos” Barbie caused controversy because of the “tramp stamp” tattoo.

Barbie dolls have been in production for decades, and they will continue to be produced. We are now seeing the tradition pass into the third and fourth generations with great-grandma, grandma, mom, and child playing with the dolls. Mattel has seen the value and still produces collector dolls that can be found at their Barbie collectibles website.