Published on 06:08 PM, July 30, 2023

#Perspective

7 surprising facts you probably didn’t know about Barbie

Photo: Collected

While Barbie has been a part of everyone's childhood, there are a few things that many of us probably did not know about her. With the recent release of Barbie the movie, Barbie has resurfaced in all our lives, regardless of age. Here are a few fun facts that many of us were not aware of about Barbie.

She has a full name and a birthday

Yes! Barbie is just short for her full name, Barbara Millicent Roberts. She was named after the founders' daughter Barbara. Her birthday is considered the day the doll was first launched on 9 March, 1959.  While we are always hyped up about our own birthdays, let's not forget to wish Barbara on her next one.

Barbie was the first doll to be advertised on TV

While toys being advertised on TV may be very normal for us today, back in the '50s, a TV advertisement for a doll was somewhat groundbreaking. Since the advertisements were played during children's shows, it led to children being direct target customers instead of parents.

She has siblings!

Barbie is only one of the seven Roberts children, her siblings including, Skipper, Stacie, Chelsea, Krissy, Kelly, Todd and Tutti. Todd and Tutti were actually twins and Tutti even "got lost" at a point, somewhere around 1971.

Barbie and her jobs

While her first job was a fashion model, Barbie has had over 200 jobs over the years. Her jobs included being a zoo doctor, business executive, secretary and even a McDonald's cashier. Now that sounds like a pretty interesting resume to have!

Her closet

Since her debut in 1959, it has been estimated that around one billion outfits were made for Barbie. Her closet is not just full of casual wear but also includes designer brands starting from Ralph Lauren to Versace, Burberry, Armani and even Dior. She's even had more than one billion pairs of shoes, designed just for her.

Barbie Pink

Whenever we think Barbie, we automatically think pink. From houses to cars to shoes to dresses, everything related to Barbie is almost always pink. Well, PMS 219 C is known as "Barbie Pink." Yes! She has a colour named after her.

3 dolls sold every second

Being sold in more than 150 countries worldwide, over one billion Barbies dolls have been sold since 1959. While Mattel, the parent company, won't give exact numbers, it has been estimated that 3 barbie dolls are being sold every second! Now, that's a lot of dolls.