Barbie’s 50th Anniversary

Presented by:Leah BungoMatt Smith

Melissa Fredette

For the Record•Barbie has never been married (She just likes to model wedding gowns for her designer friends)

•Barbie and Ken are currently “friends” (but we hear he wants her back).  

•Barbie has never been pregnant (that was her best friend Midge)

•Barbie’s “real” measurements are 5 inches (bust), 3¼ inches (waist), 5 3/16 inches (hips).  Her weight is 7.25 ounces

•There is no Caribou Barbie doll, but there have been four “Barbie for President” dolls.  Barbie has been a presidential candidate four times as an Independent (She is non-partisan.)

•Barbie is a noun, not an adjective.  Many people have adopted the Barbie moniker, but make no mistake, there is only ONE Barbie.

•Because she’s plastic, she technically has had plastic surgery on her face and body.

•Barbie once said, “Math class is hard!” but has since amended her stance to, “Math is hard, but not impossible!”  Obviously, or else Barbie wouldn’t have excelled in her science and math classes to later become a surgeon, dentist, baby doctor, zoologist and many other scientific professions.

Barbie Careers•100+ careers.  •“For girls, play is a vital part of growing up and role play leads to real play. Barbie leads by example, inspiring girls to live out their dreams and encouraging them to aspire to be anything.  Way more than just a fashionista, Barbie encourages girls to imagine themselves in and “try on” different careers and personalities.”

Barbie Through History

1959• Barbie Millicent

Roberts™ from Willows, Wisconsin was introduced to a skeptical toy industry at the New York Toy Fair.  A gallon of gas was 25 cents, the average annual wage was $5,000 and the #1 Ponytail Barbie sold for $3.  In the first year, 300,000 Barbie dolls were sold. 

1960s• The first female

astronaut, surfaced in 1963 and Barbie soon followed, celebrating the excitement of the space program while showing girls that any career is within reach. Four years later in 1969, the first American man landed on the moon.     As the Beatles led the “British Invasion,” Twist N Turn™ Barbie (shown here) could twist at the waist for dancing fun and her British cousin Stacey™ joined the following year and even “spoke” with a delightful British accent.

Barbie Through History

1970s

• 1971:  Shortly after Woodstock, Barbie dons "Flower Power" bell-bottoms and the Barbie® Country Camper™ travels to the great outdoors as “the youth” become more inspired by nature. 

1980s• 1981:  MTV debuts

and forever changes the music industry.  Barbie has her own band– Barbie and the Rockers™ and she rocks the ‘80s scene with big hair, big shoulder pads and all the other fashion faux pas we’d like to forget from the decade.

1989:  Barbie joined the Army, a year before the Gulf War begins. 

Barbie Through History

1992:  Inspired by Geraldine Ferraro’s historic Vice Presidential selection, Barbie ran for the Oval Office for the first time.

2007:  Building on the popularity of the iPod® Shuffle, Barbie introduced a completely new doll-shaped MP3 player with removable, snap-on fashions and the ability to link girls into barbiegirls.com, the first-ever virtual world designed just for girls.   2008:  Two years after “An Inconvenient Truth” hit movie theaters, Barbie introduced a collection of eco-friendly accessories for girls.

1990s

2000s

2009 Barbie• From Fashion Week to Facebook

to a fun-in-the-sun-tastic party at her Malibu Dream House, Barbie celebrates her anniversary yearlong, bringing in Hollywood’s and fashion’s hottest to the festivities.

• Fresh from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Barbie once again tops the best-dressed list, kicking off yet another fabulous decade of style.  Wearing the season’s hottest looks and carrying all the “in” accessories, 50 never looked so good.

Barbie Collection

Barbie Fashion Show

• Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week– Kenneth Cole– Juicy Couture– Bob Mackie

• Barbie Malibu house celebration in March

• New Doll Launch

Sources

• International Herald Tribune

• Barbie• New York Fashion Wee

k• Mercedes-Benz Fashio

n Week