Something to celebrate
While Ruth Handler’s son had toys that let him imagine himself as a firefighter or astronaut, her daughter’s choices were limited to a mom or a caregiver.
Handler decided to fix that by designing a doll that let her daughter see she, too, could be anything.
On March 9, 1959, Barbara Millicent Roberts (better known as Barbie) went on display at the American Toy Fair in New York City. The occasion is marked this Wednesday, National Barbie Day.
In her 1994 autobiography, Handler wrote: “My whole philosophy of Barbie was that through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices.”
That first doll, which sold for $3, wore a black-and-white striped bathing suit and stood 11 inches tall.
Over the years, iterations of the doll saw Barbie in a number of professions from teacher to veterinarian, and paratrooper to robotics engineer.
But everything wasn’t always roses for the doll.
Teen Talk Barbie, released in 1992, took some heat for telling young girls “Math class is tough.” Educators objected to the phrase, and it wasn’t included in future versions of the doll.
And Barbie’s figure came under fire for creating unrealistic beauty standards.
In response to that criticism, the brand introduced three new body types (curvy, petite and tall) in 2016, landing the doll on the cover of “Time.”
Despite challenges, Barbie continues to persevere.
In 2020, Mattel, the company behind Barbie, said that 58 million dolls are sold yearly (about 100 dolls every minute) in 150 countries around the world.
March 4: Marching Music Day, National Day of Unplugging, National Employee Appreciation Day
March 5: National Absinthe Day, National Cheese Doodle Day, Reel Film Day
March 6: National Oreo Cookie Day, National Frozen Food Day, National White Chocolate Cheesecake Day
March 7: National Cereal Day, Plant Power Day, National Be Heard Day
March 8: International Women’s Day, National Organize Your Home Office Day, Unique Names Day
March 9: National Get Over It Day, National False Teeth Day, National Barbie Day
March 10: World Kidney Day, National Pack Your Lunch Day, National Landline Telephone Day