Hey There, Barbie Doll

With the release of The Barbie Movie last year, Barbie is hotter than ever! But she has been an icon ever since her debut in 1959.

Images via Pinterest, unless otherwise noted

Created by Ruth Handler and named after Ruth’s daughter Barbara, Barbie debuted at the American International Toy Fair in the fifties. Initially, Barbie was expected to fail, due to her adult appearance, but she was a hit and has sold over a billion dolls worldwide to date.

Even though her approval rating dipped a little bit in the mid-2000s, The Barbie Movie (2023) reignited her popularity, inspiring “#barbiecore” on social media and countless tie-ins from shoes to cosmetics. Even the film’s star, Margot Robbie wore human sized vintage Barbie reproductions on the press tour. There is a even a book featuring all her lewks!

My very first Barbie (that I can remember) was Malibu Barbie, circa 1972ish (?), eventually graduating to Superstar Barbie, Fashion Photo Barbie, Golden Dreams Barbie, Beauty Secrets Barbie, among others. 

Images via Vogue, Summer 2023

Like so many people of my generation, we still play with our Barbies, but now it’s called "collecting". Yeah, that's what it is.  I don't have a huge collection, but I do have an original 1959 Barbie, a Superstar Barbie and various other reproductions of classic 1960s Barbie Fashions. I also still have the 1979 Barbie Dream House that Santa brought to us in, well, 1979.

On Pinterest, I have a board devoted just to Barbie.  And I will confess: It's the outfits. So many of my pins are modern fashions, made for collectors, that have a vintage slant to them.

Barbie is still the most fashionable, well put-together, fashion star of them all!