She looks pretty good for a gal of 58!
On this day in 1959, Mattel's Barbie doll made its public debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York.
Standing 11 inches tall in a black and white one-piece, Barbara Millicent Roberts (“Barbie”) would go on to both inspire and incite controversy with a flip of her cascading blonde ponytail.
Created by Ruth Handler, Barbie presented a modern, 3D alternative to the traditional paper doll. Her voluptuous figure was inspired by an “adult” German doll called Lilli – however — the name “Barbie” came from Handler’s nickname for her daughter, Barbara.
In her 58 years, Barbie has lived a number of adventures – pursuing highfalutin careers in surgery, as an astronaut, a special education teacher, a paratrooper, Canadian Mountie, a SeaWorld trainer, a cat burglar, a news anchor, Paleontologist, ballerina, a rapper, and NASCAR driver, and even President of the United States.
Barbie may or may not be celebrating with longtime love Ken. After the on-and-off couple announced their divorce in 2004, rumour has it that the pair rekindled shortly afterwards, once Ken had a much-needed makeover.
