Barbie turns 58 today! She is probably the best looking 58 year old I know and also the most loved. Today was also the day she was unveiled to the toy industry during New York Toy Fair in 1959. Her debut was in the now-famous black-and-white striped swimsuit and polished off with her signature ponytail – a hair style representative of the times.
A few interesting facts about Barbie that you may not have known
- The first Barbie doll was sold for $3.00
- Barbie® doll’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. She is from (fictional) Willows in Wisconsin where she attended High School.
- Barbie® doll’s first pet was a horse named Dancer
- The best-selling Barbie® doll ever was 1992 Totally Hair™ doll, with hair from the top of her head to her toes.
- In 2016, the best-selling doll in the Barbie® Fashionista line was a brunette Latina with a “curvy,” build and brown eyes. The Fashionistas® line was expanded in 2016 to include three new body types – tall, curvy and petite – and a variety of skin tones, hair styles and outfits.
- Barbie® has a powerful social media presence with over 13,8 million fans on Facebook, 262,000 followers on Twitter and over 900,000 followers on Instagram (@Barbie).
- @BarbieStyle launched in 2014 and quickly reached 1.7 million followers – it is one of the fastest growing fashion Instagram channels to date.
- In 2015, Barbie® launched her first video blog (vlog) on YouTube.
- To date, Barbie® has starred in more than 30 DVDs taking on roles from a super hero to rockstar.
- The Barbie® brand spot “Imagine the Possibilities” was selected as one of the most iconic ads of 2015, based on this year’s YouTube Ads Leaderboard.
- The #DadswhoplayBarbie campaign video which is currently running until end March 2017 has had over 1,68 million views on YouTube to date.
- Barbie® doll has had 180+ inspirational careers. Every year since 2011, Barbie® doll has introduced a career that has been under represented by women – some of those careers include computer engineer, architect, entrepreneur and film director.
- Barbie® first broke through the plastic ceiling as a business executive in 1985.
- Barbie® travelled into space in 1965, four years before man walked on the moon.
- Although she has never won an election, Barbie® has run for president 6 times since 1992.
- It takes a professional staff of top fashion designers, makeup artists and the most elite couturiers – more than 100 people in all – to create a Barbie® doll and her fashions.
- Barbie® has been a muse to many artists over the past 5+ decades – including Andy Warhol and Peter Ma.
- Fifty of the world’s top designers created couture looks for the first-ever Barbie® runway show in celebration of Barbie® doll’s 50th birthday.
- Barbie® is the most popular fashion doll ever produced, and the brand continues to dominate sales in the fashion doll segment with gross sales in 2014 of $1.01 billion worldwide.
- Since 2011, the brand has consistently produced worldwide annual gross sales in excess of $1 billion.
- Barbie® is the No.1 doll property in the US.
- Today, a mint condition “#1” (1959 Barbie doll) can fetch as much as $27,450 at auction, as was the case with an extremely rare #1 blonde doll in a May 2006 auction held by Sandi’s Doll Attic.
- The most expensive Barbie®, however, was designed in partnership with Australian jewellery designer Stefano Canturi to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The doll sold for $302,500 at auction in 2010.
- The Barbie® collecting craze really took off in the 1990s, thanks to the advent of eBay and the introduction of designer Barbie® dolls, including the Bob Mackie Gold Barbie®, which featur
ed 5,000 hand-sewn golden sequin accents.
To celebrate this iconic dolls birthday I have a stunning hamper to giveaway to the value of R1529.
The hamper includes
Barbie Spaghetti Doll and Playset R599.99
Young chefs can explore restaurant ownership and culinary careers with Barbie doll while cooking up a spaghetti and meatball dinner using pasta and meatball dough! Two dough colors are included along with an easy-to-use tool that creates pasta noodles with a simple push of the lever. Insert your selected dough into the pasta maker, then push the lever down to move the dough through the opening. Cook up the pasta noodles in the pot on the stove in the kitchen with brick-detailed background stovetop, oven, counter and cabinet. Then twist the noodles into a bowl and roll meatballs to top off the spaghetti dish!
Barbie Play Set R449.99
Barbie doll comes with lots of glam outfits and accessories to create different outfits with ease. A simple change means Barbie is ready for a busy day in town or a night of dancing at night.
Barbie Career Doll Firefighter R249.99
Dream big with Barbie® career dolls! 
Barbie® doll can take on any goal. Explore all of the Barbie® career dolls because with Barbie®, you can be anything.
Barbie Princess Doll R229.99
This princes
s doll is inspired by her fairytale rainbow kingdom. Fun touches include details like rainbow beads on the rainbow her bodice and rainbow stripes on her skirt. She also comes with a cute pair of shoes and a removable matching tiara for her long locks to complete the look. Collect all of the Barbie fairytale dolls for endless storytelling possibilities!
To enter tell me how old you were when you got your first Barbie. If you never had a Barbie, just leave a comment wishing Barbie a happy birthday!
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96 Responses
Never had a barbie…:-(, just had lil mini dolls, but my eyes used to alight with amazement when I used to see the displays at the stores…Looking at those funky Barbie dolls, left magical and left mesmerised..Happy Happy Birthday Barbie, you rocked then and still do..:-)
I never had a Barbie, my single mom could not afford it but I understood and promised myself that if I ever had a little girl I would buy but as a single parent I haven’t been able to but she has a Barbie and Ken hand me down
I never had a Barbie doll. But my daughter who is obsessed with Barbie got her first one when she was 2. She turns 6 next week.
I was about 3…and I still have my original Barbie, Ken & Skipper 🙂
Happy Birthday Barbie, still wishing you were mines
Happy birthday Barbie ♥ I remember playing with my first Barbie for hours on end….up until I was 13 years old!
I don’t remember how old I was…But I remember my 6th birthday where my mom made a “Barbie cake” for me. The doll in the middle with her cake gown around her. For that birthday, PnP had a special on Barbies and I received 6 from friends and family. What a lucky little girl I was!
I was 6 years old. My daughter will really love this prize.
I was 12 years old when I first received my Barbie. I made clothes for her and even knitted a small jersey.
My one and only barbie, I received when I was 7, wow brings back beautiful and fun memories thinking about her. She was my best friend, she helped me get through a lot at that time. Awesome watching my daughter play with her barbie and yes sometimes my inner child takes over and then im on floor playing with her.❤❤❤❤❤
I was 6 when I got my first Barbie. Happy birthday Barbie.
Hi, I was about 6 or 7 loved my Barbie. Happy birthday Barbie thank you for the all the special childhood memories
I had an older sister so always got her hand-me-downs 🙁
Wow must admit can’t remember. Since I can remember I have always had a Barbie.
Got my first Barbie at the age of 5…it was the first Barbie that had hair to her feet….loooooved her!! My daughter will love it so much, cannot wait to start the Barbie phase with her… Happy Happy Barbie, Thanks for all the great childhood memories!
I got my 1st Barbie for my 5th birthday, Happy birthday Barbie my daughter and i are huge fans
I had my first Barbie at 6. My parents bought it for me because I stopped biting my nails. It was a Glitter Barbie whose costume changed colour in the water, I was completely obsessed 😉
Hi there, I must have been about five when I got t first one, and my little girl still plays with it today xxx
I was 5 when I got my first Barbie, and I remember being absolutely obsessed with all of her shoes. Absolutely incredible to think back. Happy birthday Barbie, thanks for making every little girl’s childhood incredible. X
I was 6 years old when I got my 1ste Barbie
I think I was about 3 or 4. My mom made me little outfits from all her sewing magazines back then. They were homemade but my Barbie was rockin the times lol. I played with my Barbie for many many years , long after it was traditional to give them up. They were my friends, they had awesome careers, were movie stars, moms, great girls.
Happy birthday Barbie!!! Never had one….
I think I was about 5/6 when I got mine & I remember it was that butterfly Barbie that had butterflies all over her dress & she had a rose wand that you waved over the butterflies so that their wings flapped. I wish I had held onto her! Such special memories playing with her (& all her friends)
Never had a Barbie doll 🙁
Happy birthday Barbie … here’s to growing older with grace
I was three or four. I got a Barbie and Ken, both of which I still own. I think they were Tropical Barbie and Ken. I’m now overwhelmed by the need to go look it up…
I think I was 5 or 6, i adored Barbie! My mom used to sew us outfits for them, and even fancy evening gowns and tracksuits!! Great memories… My 5 year old niece would love these
I was around seven when I got my first.
Ah loved Barbie, was probably around 3 years old when I had my first Barbie
Happy Birthday Barbie. Yes, I never had one, but I was very envious of my friends that did, although I always told my parents I preferred the cheaper dolls I had. But my daughter is obsessed with Barbie.
Happy birthday Barbie.. You weren’t around when I was a kid (yip.. im giving away my age) but I have a granddaughter who would absolutely love you to bits. She is 6 years old and a total Barbie fan.
I think I must have been about 5… I loved my barbies although they weren’t always the coolest ones out. My daughter bought her first ones with her pocket money at a second hand store.
I don’t remember how old I was when I got my first one, but I have a few distinct Barbie memories.
1. I remember finding my 8th birthday present from my grandparents in a cupboard in their house a few days before my birthday: finally, a Ken doll!
2. I remember my sister & I each had a Barbie & the Rockers Barbie back in the late 80s, early 90s: http://www.thebarbiecollection.com/my-favorite-barbie-doll-series-1/barbie-rockers-doll-n4979
I don’t remember how old I was. I think I was in nursery school.
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Oh My Word!!! Can I please be a kid again???? I was Barbie obsessed growing up.. with two older sisters, I started loving Barbie’s very early on.. My mom said I was about three when I got my first one so that would be 1982! I had Barbie bedding, clothes, shoes…Id sing the Barbie song all the time.. and drive my dad up the wall! my mother even had to make me ball gowns for my dolls! My daughter is following in my footsteps. I kept a lot of my Barbie furniture and dolls and she is having a ball falling in love with Barbie like I did. she would adore this! My daughter Sophie-Lynn is 5 and loves Barbie too
I was 40 … Yip forty when I got my first and only barbie. It was a loaner so technically it wasn’t mine 😉 but I threw myself a princess party at the preschool where I taught. Happy birthday barbie!!!
I think I was about 7 when I got my first Barbie. I only had one friend that I enjoyed playing Barbies with. 🙂 Would love to win this for my little girl!
I was 6 when I got barbie and her horse
Honestly I don’t remember, just that it gave my sister and I hours and hours of great play time and happy memories. I would just love to win this prize! Xx
was about 7 or 8! Happy times
Happy birthday Barbie
When I was around 8 years old
Happy birthday Barbie
I remember my first Barbie like it was yesterday!!! It was gymnastics Barbie anf she could vend and twist and I thought she was the coolest thing, I was 6. Now Zoe loves barbies and she is only 4!! She would love this hamper
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I have been dreaming Barbie, talking Barbie, having Barbie party scenes in my mind since Barbie’s birthday 🙂 Because girls deserve just so much more – I think Barbie can celebrate her birthday the whole month. So let the celebration continue – HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN BARBIE – may you be with us for many more years and be in the dreams of many more girls! I know my daughter would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have a Barbie, nevermind imagining an entire hamper xxx Every for 20 minutes before bed it is mommy and daughter “Barbie” playtime in our house 🙂
Happy Birthday Barbara Millicent “Barbie” Roberts 🙂