Barbie Dolls

Barbie (full name Barbara Millicent Roberts) is a doll manufactured by the toy company Mattel and was launched on March 9, 1959, at the American International Toy Fair in New York. The original Barbie was derived from a German doll named Bild Lilli (who was developed from a German cartoon), for which Mattel bought the rights and patents in 1964. Her creator, Ruth Handler, is the cofounder of Mattel and named the doll after her daughter. Handler's son, Ken, was to provide the name for Barbie's perennial boyfriend, who was launched in 1961. The first Barbie doll sold for around $3.00, and since her inception, the blonde glamour girl has held a number of careers—including astronaut (1965), doctor (1988), presidential candidate (1992, 2000, 2004, and ...