Barbie turns 50

[Carey Beth Elder]

Mattel celebrates Barbie’s 50th anniversary today. Barbie is an iconic image of an American doll and woman for that matter. Mattel has sold more than 1 billion Barbie dolls worldwide. The Barbie brand ranges from not only dolls but clothes, shoes, houses, horses, movies and much more.

Barbie has been the image of a powerful woman since she was created. She has been dressed as everything from a scuba diver, a pop star, a chef to the president. Girls all over the world have opened their imaginations for 50 years and dreamed of what Barbie can do.

Everyone is honoring the legendary doll this year, in Australia a giant Barbie replica cake was displayed in Sydney at their botanical gardens. Other festivities to celebrate Barbie’s birthday included a fashion show in New York during fashion week. Fifty designers teamed up with Mattel to create Barbie inspired outfits for a Barbie worthy fashions show in February.

The fashion show at Mercedes Benz fashion week, showed how Barbie has changed her style as the times have changed. Barbie has always been fashionable, and for many girls, Barbie was their first glimpse at fashion and clothes obsessions. Models dressed as Barbie for the runway show seemed appropriate since Barbie is a style icon for many.

Barbie has also become a collector item as well as just a toy. There are Web sites devoted to Barbie collectors and sellers. These collectors have created their own terminology and joined Barbie fan sites. On EBay there are Barbie dolls selling for as high as $14,000 but many original Barbie’s are selling for around $1,000.

Jessica Wilson, a Clothes Rack employee, is a big fan of Barbie. She says, "I grew up playing with Barbie, it was the only doll I really liked." Wilson says she always loved dressing up her Barbie dolls and agrees that Barbie wouldn’t be the same without her fashion. "I think Barbie is a great toy for kids still," says Wilson. She says that when she was 7 years old she never thought about body image and feels most children today are the same. Wilson says that she thinks it was great Barbie had a runway show this year and it is a great way to celebrate the icon.

As with anything, there is a group of people who have hated Barbie for years. Anti-Barbie.com is a group site which bashes Barbie, other people post YouTube videos about how they hate the doll and Mattel. Other groups bash Mattel for giving her the perfect body and sending out the wrong message to girls.

Regardless of what the anti-Barbie groups say, Barbie has empowered women for years, giving girls something to believe in when they’re young which has carried through as they get older. Mom’s bought their daughters Barbie in 1959, and the tradition remains today. Even with her changes, Barbie remains a timeless icon and toy for girls around the world.