Barbie Doll. Did You Know that...?

Did You Know That 3 Barbie dolls are sold every second ? 

Did You Know That Barbie was never made in USA? The very first doll was made in Japan,later the manufacturing switched to China and Indonesia.

Did You Know That Barbie is sold in over 150 countries?

 

How did it all started?

Ruth Handler an American Businesswoman came up with the idea for a teenage doll when she saw her daughter Barbara playing with a paper doll and imagining it as a grown-up.

While dolls sold in the market were mostly children look-a-like,Ruth realized that it was her chance to fill the gap in the market. 

R.Handler shared her idea with her husband the co-founder of Mattel company,but he didn’t think it was such a great opportunity.

Ruth gave up and it was a lucky occasion which allowed Barbie to be born.

While traveling in Europe,Ruth spotted a doll in one of the German shops – what a luck it was exactly as she has visualized Barbie should had looked.

She brought 3 dolls back to USA and after redesigning them the Barbie doll was launched into a long and successful journey.

First Barbie doll sold for $3 and looked like this:

Launched in 1959 at the New York Toy Fair, 350,000 of the dolls were sold in the first year of production.

BARBIE'S WORLD

Full name is Barbie Millicent Roberts. 

She has had over 40 pets including 21 dogs, 14 horses, 6 cats, parrot, chimpanzee, panda, lion cub, giraffe and a zebra. 

Barbie has had more than 80 careers - everything from a rock star to a paleontologist to a presidential candidate.

Influence of Barbie 

  

In September 2003 the Middle Eastern country of Saudi Arabia outlawed the sale of Barbie dolls, saying that she did not conform to the ideals of Islam.

 

The Committee stated "Jewish Barbie dolls, with their revealing clothes and shameful postures, accessories and tools are a symbol of decadence to the perverted West. Let us beware of her dangers and be careful." 

Though there are different alternatives of Barbie doll in the Middle East which look more appealing to islamic countries.

Mattel  estimates that there are well over 100,000 avid Barbie collectors.

90% are women, at an average age of 40, purchasing more than twenty Barbie dolls each year.

 A Barbie doll set a world record at auction of £9,000 sterling (US $17,000) at Christie's in London. 

The doll was a Barbie in Midnight Red from 1965 and was part of a private collection. 

Did You Know That placed head to toe, Barbie Dolls and family members sold since 1959 would circle the earth more than 7 times?

Did You Know That more than 105 million yards of fabric have gone into making Barbie Doll and her friends' fashions, making Mattel one the largest apparel manufacturers in the world?

Did You Know That in 2000, Barbie Doll has a belly button for the first time?

Wise Lizard

Sources: wikipedia,Christie's,about.com,barbie.com.