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On her family trip to Europe, Businesswoman Ruth Handler passed by a German novelty doll called Bild Lilli. She liked her style and her grown up look and decided to create a doll for her daughter to play with to imagine her life past motherhood. -
Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie, decided that her Barbie doll deserved a partner. So, she created and released Ken, named after her son, in 1961. -
Miss Astronaut Barbie was released to celebrate exploring new places and to encourage young girls to “reach for the stars”. -
To show support the Civil Rights Movement, Mattel released Christie. She was the first African-American doll created and released in Mattel’s Barbie collection. -
This brand new Living Barbie was created with bendable ankles, knees, elbows, and waist. -
The infamous Malibu Barbie is released along with the first ever camper. -
Although Mattel released the Christie doll in 1969, the Barbie collection had no doll named Barbie that was released. Christie was simply introduced as Barbie’s friend. -
CEO Barbie broke the glass ceiling. She was able to work the boardroom on her own in her pink suit while still being able to have a girls night out on the town. -
These commercials featured a theme song, to really encourage young girls to work hard to achieve their goals (and help sales) -
When Mattel released their “Happy Holidays” Barbie, she became an instant success. So, Mattel followed the next year with another Holiday Barbie, and now, Holiday Barbies are a tradition. -
Barbie runs for President! In her debut, Barbie was in an American themed dress to wear to the inaugural ball and a red suit for her duties at the Oval Office. Helping inspire young girls they can even be President. -
In the New York Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Barbie held her first fashion show to celebrate her 50th anniversary. -
With social media taking a huge rise, Mattel created their very own Barbie account and celebrated pop culture moments as if they were Barbie herself. -
To shine light on women that help break the glass wall and expand opportunities for young girls everywhere, Mattel created one-of-a-kind Barbies to help inspire these young girls even more. Creating dolls for Emmy Rossum, Eva Chen, and Sydney Keiser. -
In 2016, Mattel released three new Barbie body types including petite, curvy, and tall. Trying to reflect women that are seen today