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Barbie has kept up with the times and trends since her debut in 1959. In matters from career, to family and friends, to fashion, she is right there changing along with girls and the world. Here are some fun facts about Barbie...Barbie has had more than 80 careers -- everything from a rock star to a paleontologist to a presidential candidate.Barbie doll’s first career however was a teenage fashion model.
Barbie Goes to College was introduced in 1964.
Army Barbie, introduced in 1992, represented a medic Sergeant enlisted in Desert Storm.
The first Olympic athlete Barbie was introduced in 1975; she competed again as an Olympic swimmer in 2000.
Summit Barbie dolls were introduced in the 1980s to commemorate the end of the cold war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
Barbie represented a candidate for President in 1992 and ran again in 2000 with a platform of opportunities for girls, educational excellence and animal rights.
The military series of Barbie dolls, Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps went through approvals by the Pentagon to ensure the most realistic costumes.
Barbie represented an astronaut in 1965, 1986 and 1994.
In 1997, Share A Smile Becky was the first Mattel, Inc. fashion doll introduced with a wheelchair.
arbie doll was introduced in Europe in 1961.
Italian was the first nationality Barbie doll represented in the Dolls of the World Collection.
Quinceanera Teresa doll was released in Mexico in 1994 to celebrate Girls Day.
The Barbie doll is currently marketed in more than 150 nations around the world.
Placed head to toe, Barbie dolls and family members sold since 1959 would circle the earth more than seven times.
Every second, three Barbie dolls are sold somewhere in the world.
One of the latest nationality Barbie dolls from the Doll’s of The World Collection is Princess of the Incas Barbie, released in 2001 wearing an ensemble inspired by the Inca tribe and is authentic in every detail right down to her headdress.
Barbie has represented 45 different nationalities.
Barbie has had over 43 pets including 21 dogs, 14 horses, 3 ponies, 6 cats, a parrot, a chimpanzee, a panda, a lion cub, a giraffe and a zebra.
The best selling Barbie doll ever was Totally Hair Barbie, with hair from the top of her head to her toes.
The full name of Barbie is “Barbie Millicent Roberts.” She is from Willows, Wisconsin and went to Willows High School.
Barbie has five sisters, Skipper, introduced in 1964, Tutti, a twin introduced in 1966, Stacie in 1992, Kelly in 1995 and Krissy in 1999.
Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken made his debut two years after Barbie in 1961 and in 2001 marks his 40th anniversary.
Ken was named after the son of Mattel founders Ruth and Elliot Handler.
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The first celebrity to join the Barbie doll family was fashion model Twiggy in 1967 and the M. C. Hammer doll, complete with a cassette of his songs, was added in 1991.Doll collecting is second only to stamp collecting as the most popular collecting hobby in America -- Barbie is collected by women, men and children around the world.
Over 1 billion fashions have been produced since 1959 for Barbie and her friends.
More than 105 million yards of fabric have gone into making Barbie doll and her friends’ fashions, making Mattel one the largest apparel manufacturers in the world.
Barbie doll has had more than a billion pair of shoes and over one hundred new additions to her wardrobe annually.
Barbie doll’s collection of couture includes designs by Givenchy, Versace, Dolce & Gabana, Vera Wang and Gucci.
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 $3.00.
During the first year of her introduction in 1959, 351,000 Barbie® dolls were sold.
An original 1959 Barbie® doll in mint condition has sold for up to $10,000.
Barbie® doll is currently a $2.5 billion dollar-per-year industry including licensed products under Barbie Consumer Products.
In 2001, Barbie® doll stared in her first movie, Barbie in the Nutcracker; in 2002 she will return in Barbie as Rapunzel.
