Barbie is
the world's most popular doll. "She" debuted at the
American Toy Fair in
New York City in 1959. The 11 and 1/2-inch-tall
Aryan looking
plastic doll came with a ponytail and a black-and-white striped swimsuit. It was an instant hit and in its first year 351,000 dolls were sold at $3 each.
The well-endowed doll would be freakish in real life -- her original figure would be about
39-18-33 (according to a
CNN.com story) if she were human.
The original
blue-eyed, blond fashion model has morphed over the decades into a variety of ethnic looks and has had many careers, from astronaut to veterinarian.
"My whole philosophy of Barbie was that through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be,"
Ruth Handler (Barbie´s creator) wrote in a 1994 autobiography. "Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices."
Barbie went on to make a fortune for Mattel which sold an expanding number of outfits and accessories for the doll, as well as her boyfriend
Ken (named for Handler's son); her little sister,
Skipper, and friends
Midge and
Christie. More than
1 billion have been sold in 150 countries.