Barbie Is 50! Looks Good For Her Age!

Barbie Is 50! Looks Good For Her Age!

While this isn’t a deal or a bargain, I just thought I’d let you know that it’s Barbie’s 50th anniversary this week (March 9th)! According to a Harris/Decima poll conducted for Mattel, 69% of Canadian women surveyed said they played with a Barbie in their girlhood (Torontosun). Were you one of those girls?

OK, I was always a bit of a tomboy, preferring cops and robbers over playing with dolls. But one Christmas, I got a real, plastic, perky, pink, proper Barbie doll! I was quite excited! Owning a Barbie was like a status symbol of childhood, like owning a convertible or a yacht today! My Barbie only had one outfit, a horrendously pink evening gown. And those little pink rubber high heels of hers, I was constantly losing them. When I used to go to richer friends houses to play, they always had loads of outfits for Barbie to dress up in. And their Barbies usually had a whole range of accessories too, mansions, camper vans, yachts, and the obligatory androgynous Ken doll.

Here are a few fun details about Barbie from jsonline.

  • If Barbie were 5 feet, 6 inches tall, she would have a 39” bust, a 21” waist and 33” hips. (Sounds a bit disproportionate, don’t you think!?)
  • Barbie has had more than 1 billion pairs of shoes. (And I’ve lost all of them!)
  • Teacher Barbie was recalled in 1995 because she wasn't wearing panties. (Naughty gal!)
  • In 1997, Barbie was redesigned and given a bigger waist. (Sign of the times!)

Remember Barbie Girl by Aqua? It’s a fun song! Ken’s a bit scary though. Oh, and by the way, you cannot buy “Vehicular manslaughter Barbie” pictured above!

Thanks Diana Pinto!

Comments

Reply to
  • Moe
    I was one of those girls and in fact I still have mine packed in a box down stairs. A few at least. I always wanted the camper van. I made Barbie furniture out of my mother's discarded cigarette packages. They made excellent chairs, couches and tables when you taped them together. I had totally forgotten about that until this post. And that Barbie Girl song is totally a mindworm. I'll probably have it in my head for the next week! So thanks.
    • Anna
      Cigarette packs! No way! Who'd have thought it! Well, I never had building bricks, so I used to save empty yogurt pots and play with those :D