Well, today Barbie turns 50! 90% of American girls between three and ten own a Barbie so sounds like she is still alive and well. Here are a few juicy "Barbie" facts according to today's London Telegraph
- More than 1 billion Barbie dolls have been sold worldwide in more than 150 countries
- Mattel claims three Barbies are sold every second
- In her 50 years on the planet, Barbie has enjoyed 108 different careers and had more than 40 pets
- Barbie is a strong single woman since she dumped Ken in 2004 after more than 40 years together!
- She has run for President three times
Today, Forbes Magazine is doing a "Barbie" feature with a collection of "Barbie Memories" by many readers. And talk about stylists....Barbie has 25 makeup artists and 21 hairdressers. Interesting that in 1959 Barbie was introduced as both a blond and a brunette. I remember my first Barbie being a redhead and my Midge as a brunette with the most perfect "flip" hairstyle. Not surprising, the brunette Barbie was not that popular and was soon relegated to a back shelf. Following Barbie's Career Path reflected the times but pushed the button enough to show girls that they could dream big. That they could follow new paths beyond motherhood and break barriers. In 1959, Barbie was a model. In 1960, she became a fashion editor. She was a flight attendant in 1961and an astronaut in 1965. She went on to be a surgeon, an Olympic gold medalist, an aerobics instructor in the 70's and 80's and in 1989 became a UNICEF Ambassador. She has been in every branch of the military. She became a celebrity chef in 2008 and today is an animal trainer at Sea World. This girl can do it all!
Of course, one of the ever present "Barbie" controversies is her odd, unnatural 39-18-33 proportion. I love the distorted human model who is given Barbie's proportions.
Well, I for one...have always loved Barbie. She and her pals gave me endless hours of fun. She inspired me to want to be a flight attendant, to dream of being behind the wheel of a fabulous sports car. She inspired me to love fashion. I never became a flight attendant but I did become other things. The fact that I have days when I change my clothes two or three times, I can only blame Barbie. How I would love to be in Sydney today gazing at the world's biggest Barbie birthday cake! Thank you Mattel, thank you Barbie and Happy 50th!
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