On March 9, 1959, Barbie debuted at the New York Toy Fair. The first Barbie wore a black and white striped swimsuit and her signature ponytail. Toy buyers were skeptical because Barbie was unlike the baby and toddler dolls that were popular at the time.

Recognizing a gap in the market, which only offered baby dolls for girls to imagine themselves as caregivers, Ruth invented the fashion doll category with a three-dimensional doll that girls could use to imagine their future selves.

The unique doll with silky blond hair made its debut in 1959. Barbie was created by Ruth Handler who co founded the toy company Mattel with her husband. She said she got the idea for the toy after seeing her daughter ignore her baby dolls and instead play with paper dolls of adult women.

The doll was marketed as a "Teen-age Fashion Model", with her clothes created by Mattel fashion designer Charlotte Johnson. The first Barbie dolls were manufactured in Japan, with their clothes hand-stitched by Japanese homeworkers. Around 350,000 Barbie dolls were sold during the first year of production.

Barbara Millicent Roberts Barbara Millicent "Barbie" Roberts (1959–present): A blonde-haired, blue-eyed doll who was born in the fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin. According to eponymous Random House books published in the 1960s, the character's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts.

The original India Barbie, created in 1981 for the International Collection which sold in the US and in Europe, was the standard blonde Barbie except she wore a sari. Given the strict trade laws in India, Mattel could not sell dolls in India until the late 1980s.

"Barbie Doll" is a narrative poem written by American writer, novelist, and social activist Marge Piercy. It was published in 1971, during the time of second-wave feminism. It is often noted for its message of how a patriarchal society puts expectations and pressures on women, partly through gender role stereotyping.

Barbie was named after Ruth Handler's daughter, Barbara, and Ken after her son, Kenneth. She is from (fictional) Willows, Wisconsin, where she attended high school. Barbie's official birthday is March 9, 1959, the day she was unveiled to the toy industry during New York Toy Fair.

Barbie officially debuted on March 9, 1959, at the American International Toy Fair in New York City as a creation of Mattel, Inc.'s Ruth Handler. Handler got her inspiration from the German Lilli doll in 1956, and development of the Barbie doll began soon after. Barbie was first sold in 1958.

Whilst Barbie is not based on a real person, she is named after Handler's daughter, Barbara, with the doll's full name being Barbara Millicent Roberts. The inspiration behind the doll makes a quick cameo in the Barbie movie, starring alongside Robbie in a sentimental nod to her mother's creation.

Bild Lilli Barbie's physical appearance was inspired by Bild Lilli, a German doll created in 1952, which was based on a high-end call girl named Lilli who was featured in the comic-strip Bild-Zeitung. She was sold as an adult novelty in bars and tobacco shops - definitely not as a toy for children.

Ruth discloses that Barbie was named after her daughter Barbara, emphasizing the mother-daughter dynamic permeating the plot. And she also pokes fun at her own faults, briefly quipping about her bouts with tax evasion, which ultimately led to her resignation from the company in 1974.

Barbie represents how women can do anything now. For young women, it's saying they can be anything they want to be with hard work and perseverance. The movie is a feminist masterpiece - Barbie represents female empowerment, women being fearless.

Official Description "This Collector Edition Barbie doll wears a traditional costume from far away India. Her modern, Indian sari is a rich, fuchsia color, accented with a beautiful shawl. Her accessories include delicate golden sandals, long drop earrings and a simple hand ring.