Invention of The Barbie

Barbie is a fashion doll that is manufactured by the company Mattel Inc. They were first produced in March 1959. But who invented Barbie? This post will answer that question and then look at some facts about Barbie.

Who Invented Barbie

Barbie was created by an American businesswoman, Ruth Handler. She was inspired to create Barbie after noticing her daughter preferred adult-figured dolls. Most dolls made at that time were baby dolls. During a trip to Germany in 1956, Handler came across Bild Lilli, a German adult-figured doll. She modified the doll and the first Barbie was exhibited on 9 March, 1959. So now you know who invented Barbie. Now, let’s look at some facts about Barbie.

Facts About Barbie

• Handler named the doll Barbie after her daughter Barbara.
• Three Barbie dolls are sold every second!
• The first Barbie dolls were made in Japan.
• In 1997, Aqua released a song called Barbie Girl. Mattel tried to sue them for breach of trademark and copyright, but it was ruled to be protected as a parody under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
• There are over 100,000 collectors of Barbie dolls. 45,000 of these spend more than $1,000 a year on Barbie dolls!
• An original, boxed Barbie doll sold on eBay for $3552.50 in 2004.
• Malibu Stacy dolls (in the television show The Simpsons) are a parody of Barbie dolls.
• Barbie makes a ‘guest appearance’ in Toy Story 2.
• Over 1 billion Barbie dolls have been sold worldwide.