For many people, the Barbie doll is something they just know about. And that makes sense – for anyone aged as old as 70, Barbie has been a thing for more or less all of your conscious life. Barbie turns 61 this year, and in that time many households have been blessed with her presence.
From entertaining young boys and girls all over the world to helping kids play with their most interesting ideas and fantasies, Barbie has been the starting point for many children allowing their imagination to go wild. But is Barbie really the most important and iconic toy figure of all-time?
Barbie, named Barbara Millicent Roberts, is from the town of Willows in Wis. With her 61st birthday coming up, we’re about to honour what is known as National Barbie Day.
The Most Expensive Barbie Doll in The World
According to the official Barbie website, she’s been running as a product since 1959 and was on sale for as little as $3 when she first appeared on the scene. However, she’s certainly varied in price since the good old days.
The highest price for a Barbie doll has been a whopping $302,500, which was paid by Stefano Canturi, a jewellery designer, back in 2010.
Apparently, the best-selling Barbie was the 1992 edition, known as “Totally Hair Barbie”. Her hair was unique in that it went all the way down to her feet – ever known anyone with hair that long?
Barbie: More than Just a Toy
Across her busy life, Barbie has been as many as 200 different career paths. From fighting fires to solving scoops as a journalist, she’s done just about everything you can think of.
She even ran for President back in 1992 – a fine example of just how busy the last 61 years have been for toys most famous name!
With over 100 people involved in the creation of any new Barbie doll, from fashion gurus to make-up staff, plenty of work goes into making everyone’s favourite toy look as good as he does. With 100 dolls sold per minute, Barbie is one of the most popular products in all of the toy industry.
Sales have been steadily growing in recent years, and in 2019 the sales reached a whopping peak of $1.2bn - the highest gross sales for over half a decade, according to the creator Mattel.
So, as you can see, Barbie has progressed from being a cool and cutesy accessory to one of the most famous and well-respected toy brands in the world. Who would have seen that coming when she debuted all those years ago?