Huge Lot Barbie Horse + Cash Register + LeapFrog LeapPad2 + 8 Dolls Swim As Is

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Seller: ca-raymond ✉️ (161) 100%, Location: Toronto, Ontario, CA, Ships to: WORLDWIDE, Item: 235495620564 Huge Lot Barbie Horse + Cash Register + LeapFrog LeapPad2 + 8 Dolls Swim As Is.

Huge Barbie Lot! Large Barbie Horse, Barbie Cash Register with UPS scanner, Barbie Leapfrog LeapPad2 tablet, plus 8 dolls including swimsuit dolls, some African-American dolls. Thanks. 

Please see photos for detailed condition. My items are priced with a low opening bid so I can sell more items, build my store and gain positive feedback. So, I am dependent on your happiness for my success :) 

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I am Canadian, born and bred, operating from a Canadian address, shipping mostly with UPS to avoid delays with Canada Post and USPS, not someone using this as a front for an Asian operation and sending you items from China that arrive a couple of months afterwards all beat up, smeared with virus after cruising through the world, or coated with harsh chemicals fresh from a Chinese factory, even if they claim they are sending it to you from Canada. I've had 12 positive feedbacks for items I sold in the last 6 months and 24 this year. Not to mention the sales I made from people that didn't bother leaving feedback. See my feedback here: https://www.ebay.ca/fdbk/feedback_profile/ca-raymond and please see my other items. 

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~CA-Raymond

Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy company Mattel and launched in 1959. The toy is the figurehead of the Barbie brand that includes a range of fashion dolls and accessories. Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for over six decades. Mattel has sold over a billion Barbie dolls, making it the company's largest and most profitable line.[1] The brand has expanded into a multimedia franchise since the late 1980s, including video games, computer-animated films, and a live-action film.

Barbie and her male counterpart, Ken, have been described as the two most popular dolls in the world.[2] Since its launch, Barbie has transformed the toy business in affluent communities globally by becoming a vehicle for the sale of related merchandise (accessories, clothes, friends and relatives of Barbie, etc.). Writing for Journal of Popular Culture in 1977, Don Richard Cox noted that Barbie has a significant impact on social values by conveying characteristics of female independence, and with her multitude of accessories, an idealized upscale lifestyle that can be shared with affluent friends.[3]

Sales of Barbie dolls declined sharply from 2014 to 2016.[1] In 2020, Mattel sold $1.35 billion worth of Barbie dolls and accessories, and this was their best sales growth in two decades. This is an increase from the $950 million the brand sold during 2017.[4] According to MarketWatch, the release of the 2023 film Barbie is expected to create "significant growth" for the brand until at least 2030.[5] As well as reinvigorated sales, the release of the film has triggered a fashion trend known as "Barbiecore".[6]

Ruth Handler watched her daughter Barbara play with paper dolls, and noticed that she often enjoyed giving them adult roles. At the time, most children's toy dolls were representations of infants. Realizing that there could be a gap in the market, Handler suggested the idea of an adult-bodied doll to her husband Elliot, a co-founder of the Mattel toy company. He was unenthusiastic about the idea, as were Mattel's directors.[7]

German doll Bild Lilli on which Barbie was modeled

During a trip to Europe in 1956 with her children Barbara and Kenneth, Ruth Handler came across a German toy doll called Bild Lilli.[8][9] The adult-figured doll was exactly what Handler had in mind, so she purchased three of them. She gave one to her daughter and took the others back to Mattel. The Lilli doll was based on a popular character appearing in a satirical comic strip drawn by Reinhard Beuthin for the newspaper Bild.[10] The Lilli doll was first sold in Germany in 1955, and although it was initially sold to adults, it became popular with children who enjoyed dressing her up in outfits that were available separately.[10][11]

The first Barbie doll was introduced in both blonde and brunette on March 9, 1959.

Upon her return to the United States, Handler redesigned the doll (with help from local inventor-designer Jack Ryan) and the doll was given a new name, Barbie, after Handler's daughter Barbara. The doll made its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York City on March 9, 1959.[12] This date is also used as Barbie's official birthday.

The first Barbie doll wore a black-and-white zebra striped swimsuit and signature topknot ponytail, and was available as either a blonde or brunette. The doll was marketed as a "Teen-age Fashion Model", with her clothes created by Mattel fashion designer Charlotte Johnson. The first Barbie dolls were manufactured in Japan, with their clothes hand-stitched by Japanese homeworkers. Around 350,000 Barbie dolls were sold during the first year of production.[13]

Louis Marx and Company sued Mattel in March 1961. After licensing Lilli, they claimed that Mattel had "infringed on Greiner & Hausser's patent for Bild-Lilli's hip joint", and also claimed that Barbie was "a direct take-off and copy" of Bild-Lilli. The company additionally claimed that Mattel "falsely and misleadingly represented itself as having originated the design". Mattel counter-claimed and the case was settled out of court in 1963. In 1964, Mattel bought Greiner & Hausser's copyright and patent rights for the Bild-Lilli doll for $21,600.[14][15]

Clothing designer Charlotte Johnson with a 1965 doll

Ruth Handler believed that it was important for Barbie to have an adult appearance, and early market research showed that some parents were unhappy about the doll's chest, which had distinct breasts. Barbie's appearance has been changed many times, most notably in 1971 when the doll's eyes were adjusted to look forwards rather than having the demure sideways glance of the original model. This would be the last adjustment Ruth would make to her own creation as, three years later, she and her husband Elliot were removed from their posts at Mattel after an investigation found them guilty of issuing false and misleading financial reports.[16]

Barbie was one of the first toys to have a marketing strategy based extensively on television advertising, which has been copied widely by other toys. In 2006, it was estimated that over a billion Barbie dolls had been sold worldwide in over 150 countries, with Mattel claiming that three Barbie dolls are sold every second.[17]

The standard range of Barbie dolls and related accessories are manufactured to approximately 1/6 scale, which is also known as playscale.[18] The standard dolls are approximately 11+1⁄2 inches (29 cm) tall.

Appearances in media

Further information: Barbie (media franchise), List of Barbie animated films, List of Barbie video games, and Barbie (film)

Margot Robbie at the 2023 Barbie premiere in Sydney, Australia

Since the mid-to-late 1980s, Barbie-branded products included not only the range of dolls with their clothes and accessories, but also a large range of branded goods such as books, apparel, cosmetics, video games and audiovisual content. Barbie is well known for her appearance as a virtual actress in a series of computer-animated feature films starting with Barbie in the Nutcracker in 2001,[19] which were distributed on home video formats and broadcast on Nickelodeon in the United States (and globally) until 2017.[20] Since 2017, they have been revamped as streaming television films, branded as animated "specials" and released through streaming services, primarily on Netflix.[21][22][23]

As at the release of the film Barbie in the Pink Shoes on February 26, 2013, the film series have sold over 110 million units globally.[24] Before the films, the brand had two television specials released in 1987 in response to the rise of digital media at that time; Barbie and the Rockers: Out of This World and its sequel. Since 2012, she has appeared in several television and web series; including Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse, Barbie: Dreamtopia, Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures and Barbie: It Takes Two and as a supporting character in Pixar's Toy Story films and the My Scene media franchise.[21] In 2015, Barbie began appearing as a vlogger on YouTube called Barbie Vlogger where she talks about her fictional life, fashion, friends and family, and even charged topics such as mental health and racism.[25][26][27] She is portrayed by Australian actress Margot Robbie in a live-action film adaptation[28] released on 21 July 2023 by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States.[29]

Fictional biography

See also: List of Barbie's friends and family

Barbie

First appearance March 9, 1959; 64 years ago

Created by Ruth Handler

In-universe information

Full name Barbara Millicent Roberts

Nickname Barbie

Occupation See: Barbie's careers

Family See: List of Barbie's friends and family

Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. In a series of novels published by Random House in the 1960s, her parents' names are given as George and Margaret Roberts from the fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin.[30][31] In the Random House novels, Barbie attended Willows High School; while in the Generation Girl books, published by Golden Books in 1999, she attended the fictional Manhattan International High School in New York City (based on the real-life Stuyvesant High School).[32]

She has an on-off romantic relationship with her then-boyfriend Ken (full name "Kenneth Sean Carson"), who first appeared in 1961. A news release from Mattel in February 2004 announced that Barbie and Ken had decided to split up,[33] but in February 2006, they were hoping to rekindle their relationship after Ken had a makeover.[34] In 2011, Mattel launched a campaign for Ken to win Barbie's affections back.[35] The pair officially reunited in Valentine's Day 2011.[36] At the release of Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures in 2018, the pair are seen as just friends or next-door neighbors.

Mattel has created a range of companions and relatives for Barbie. She has three younger sisters: Skipper, Stacie, and Chelsea (named Kelly until 2011).[37] Her sisters have co-starred in many entries of the Barbie film series, starting with Barbie & Her Sisters in A Pony Tale from 2013. 'Retired' members of Barbie's family included Todd (twin brother to Stacie), Krissy (a baby sister), and Francie (cousin). Barbie's friends include Hispanic Teresa, Midge, African American Christie, and Steven (Christie's boyfriend). Barbie was also friendly with Blaine, an Australian surfer, during her split with Ken in 2004.[38]

Barbie has had over 40 pets including cats and dogs, horses, a panda, a lion cub, and a zebra. She has owned a wide range of vehicles, including pink Beetle and Corvette convertibles, trailers, and Jeeps. She also holds a pilot's license, and operates commercial airliners in addition to serving as a flight attendant. Barbie's careers are designed to show that women can take on a variety of roles in life, and the doll has been sold with a wide range of titles including Miss Astronaut Barbie (1965), Doctor Barbie (1988), and Nascar Barbie (1998).[39]

Legacy and influence

Barbie has become a cultural icon and has been given honors that are rare in the toy world. In 1974, a section of Times Square in New York City was renamed Barbie Boulevard for a week. The Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris at the Louvre held a Barbie exhibit in 2016. The exhibit featured 700 Barbie dolls over two floors as well as works by contemporary artists and documents (newspapers, photos, video) that contextualize Barbie.[40]

In 1986, the artist Andy Warhol created a painting of Barbie. The painting sold at auction at Christie's, London for $1.1 million. In 2015, The Andy Warhol Foundation then teamed up with Mattel to create an Andy Warhol Barbie.[41][42]

Outsider artist Al Carbee took thousands of photographs of Barbie and created countless collages and dioramas featuring Barbie in various settings.[43] Carbee was the subject of the 2013 feature-length documentary Magical Universe. Carbee's collage art was presented in the 2016 Barbie exhibit at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris in the section about visuals artists who have been inspired by Barbie.[44]

Interior of the Barbie café in Taiwan in 2013

In 2013, in Taiwan, the first Barbie-themed restaurant called "Barbie Café" opened under the Sinlaku group.[45]

The Economist has emphasized the importance of Barbie to children's imagination:

From her early days as a teenage fashion model, Barbie has appeared as an astronaut, surgeon, Olympic athlete, downhill skier, aerobics instructor, TV news reporter, vet, rock star, doctor, army officer, air force pilot, summit diplomat, rap musician, presidential candidate (party undefined), baseball player, scuba diver, lifeguard, fire-fighter, engineer, dentist, and many more. [...] When Barbie first burst into the toy shops, just as the 1960s were breaking, the doll market consisted mostly of babies, designed for girls to cradle, rock and feed. By creating a doll with adult features, Mattel enabled girls to become anything they want.[46]

On September 7, 2021, following the debut of the streaming television film Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams on Netflix, Barbie joined forces with Grammy Award-nominated music producer, songwriter, singer and actress Ester Dean and Girls Make Beats – an organization dedicated to expanding the female presence of music producers, DJs and audio engineers – to inspire more girls to explore a future in music production.[47][48][49]

Mattel Theme Park

In 2023, Mattel broke ground on a theme park near Phoenix, Arizona. The park is to open in 2024 and highlights Mattel's toys, including a Barbie Beach House, A Thomas & Friends themed ride, and a Hot Wheels go-kart race track.[50][51][52] The theme park will take place at the VAI Resort complex, located 15 miles (24 km) west of Phoenix, Arizona.[52]

50th anniversary

In 2009, Barbie celebrated her 50th birthday. The celebrations included a runway show in New York for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.[53] The event showcased fashions contributed by fifty well-known haute couturiers including Diane von Fürstenberg, Vera Wang, Calvin Klein, Bob Mackie, and Christian Louboutin.[54][55]

Barbie Dream Gap Project

In 2019, Mattel launched the "Barbie Dream Gap Project" to raise awareness of the phenomenon known as the "Dream Gap": beginning at the age of five, girls begin to doubt their own intelligence, where boys do not. This leads to boys pursuing careers requiring a higher intelligence, and girls being underrepresented in those careers.[56] As an example, in the U.S., 33% of sitting judges are female. This statistic inspired the release of Judge Barbie in four different skin tones and hairstyles with judge robes and a gavel accessory.[56]

Thank You Heroes

In May 2020, in response to thMattel announced a new line of career dolls modeled after the first responders and essential workers of 2020. For every doll purchased, Mattel donated a doll to the First Responders Children's Foundation.[57]

Habitat for Humanity

In February 2022, Mattel celebrated its 60-year anniversary of the Barbie Dreamhouse by partnering with Habitat for Humanity International. Mattel committed to taking on 60 projects, including new construction, home preservation, and neighborhood revitalization.[58]

Bad influence concerns

In July 1992, Mattel released Teen Talk Barbie, which spoke a number of phrases including "Will we ever have enough clothes?", "I love shopping!", and "Wanna have a pizza party?" Each doll was programmed to say four out of 270 possible phrases, so that no two given dolls were likely to be the same (the number of possible combinations is 270!/(266!4!) = 216,546,345). One of these 270 phrases was "Math class is tough!", which led to criticism from the American Association of University Women; about 1.5% of all the dolls sold said the phrase. The doll was often erroneously misattributed in the media as having said "Math is hard!"[59][60] In October 1992, Mattel announced that Teen Talk Barbie would no longer say "Math class is tough!", and offered a swap to anyone who owned a doll that did.[61]

In 2002, Mattel introduced a line of pregnant Midge (and baby) dolls, but this Happy Family line was quickly pulled from the market due to complaints that she promoted teen pregnancy, though by that time, Barbie's friend Midge was supposed to be a married adult.[62]

In September 2003, the Middle Eastern country of Saudi Arabia outlawed the sale of Barbie dolls and franchises, stating that they did not conform to the ideals of Islam. The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice warned, "Jewish Barbie dolls, with their revealing clothes and shameful postures, accessories and tools are a symbol of decadence to the perverted West. Let us beware of her dangers and be careful."[63] The 2003 Saudi ban was temporary.[64] In Muslim-majority nations, there is an alternative doll called Fulla, which was introduced in November 2003 and is equivalent to Barbie, but is designed specifically to represent traditional Islamic values. Fulla is not manufactured by Mattel (although Mattel still licenses Fulla dolls and franchises for sale in certain markets), and (as of January 2021) the "Jewish" Barbie brand is still available in other Muslim-majority countries including Egypt and Indonesia.[65] In Iran, the Sara and Dara dolls, which were introduced in March 2002, are available as an alternative to Barbie, even though they have not been as successful.[66]

In November 2014, Mattel received criticism over the book I Can Be a Computer Engineer, which depicted Barbie as being inept at computers and requiring that her two male friends complete all of the necessary tasks to restore two laptops after she accidentally infects her and her sister's laptop with a malware-laced USB flash drive.[67] Critics complained that the book was sexist, as other books in the I Can Be... series depicted Barbie as someone who was competent in those jobs and did not require outside assistance from others.[68] Mattel later removed the book from sale on Amazon in response to the criticism,[69] and the company released a "Computer Engineer Barbie" doll who was a game programmer rather than designer.[69][70]

Diversity

"Black Barbies" redirects here. For the Nicki Minaj song, see Black Barbies (song).

Black Barbie (1980)

Barbie Oreo School Time Fun (2001)

Black Barbie (left) was introduced in 1980.

Barbie Oreo School Time Fun (right) from 2001[71] was controversial due to a negative interpretation of the doll's name.

"Colored Francie" made her debut in 1967, and she is sometimes described as the first African-American Barbie doll. However, she was produced using the existing head molds for the white Francie doll and lacked distinct African characteristics other than dark skin. The first African-American doll in the Barbie range is usually regarded as Christie, who made her debut in 1968.[72][73] Black Barbie was launched in 1980 but still had Caucasian features. In 1990, Mattel created a focus group with African-American children and parents, early childhood specialists, and clinical psychologist, Darlene Powell Hudson. Instead of using the same molds for the Caucasian Barbies, new ones were created. In addition, facial features, skin tones, hair texture, and names were all altered. The body shapes looked different, but the proportions were the same to ensure clothing and accessories were interchangeable.[74] In September 2009, Mattel introduced the So In Style range, which was intended to create a more realistic depiction of African-American people than previous dolls.[75]

Starting in 1980, it produced Hispanic dolls, and later came models from across the globe. For example, in 2007, it introduced "Cinco de Mayo Barbie" wearing a ruffled red, white, and green dress (echoing the Mexican flag). Hispanic magazine reports that:

[O]ne of the most dramatic developments in Barbie's history came when she embraced multi-culturalism and was released in a wide variety of native costumes, hair colors and skin tones to more closely resemble the girls who idolized her. Among these were Cinco De Mayo Barbie, Spanish Barbie, Peruvian Barbie, Mexican Barbie and Puerto Rican Barbie. She also has had close Hispanic friends, such as Teresa.[76]

Professor Emilie Rose Aguilo-Perez argued that over time, Mattel shifted from ambiguous Hispanic presentations in their dolls to one that is more assertive in its "Latinx" marketing and product labeling.[77]

Mattel has responded to criticisms pointing to a lack of diversity in the line.[78] In 2016, Mattel expanded the So In Style line to include seven skin tones, twenty-two eye colors, and twenty-four hairstyles. Part of the reason for this change was due to declining sales.[79] The brand now offers over 22 skin tones, 94 hair colors, 13 eye colors and five body types.[4]

Mattel teamed up with Nabisco to launch a cross-promotion Barbie doll with Oreo cookies in 1997 and 2001. While the 1997 release of the doll was only released in a white version, for the 2001 release Mattel manufactured both a white and a black version. The 2001 release Barbie Oreo School Time Fun was marketed as someone with whom young girls could play after class and share "America's favorite cookie". Critics argued that in the African American community, Oreo is a derogatory term meaning that the person is "black on the outside and white on the inside", like the chocolate sandwich cookie itself.[80]

In May 1997, Mattel introduced Share a Smile Becky, a doll in a pink wheelchair. Kjersti Johnson, a 17-year-old high school student in Tacoma, Washington with cerebral palsy, pointed out that the doll would not fit into the elevator of Barbie's $100 Dream House. Mattel announced that it would redesign the house in the future to accommodate the doll.[81][82]

Role model Barbies

In March 2018, in time for International Women's Day, Mattel unveiled the "Barbie Celebrates Role Models" campaign with a line of 17 dolls, informally known as "sheroes", from diverse backgrounds "to showcase examples of extraordinary women".[83][84] Mattel developed this collection in response to mothers concerned about their daughters having positive female role models.[83] Dolls in this collection include Frida Kahlo, Patti Jenkins, Chloe Kim, Nicola Adams, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Bindi Irwin, Amelia Earhart, Misty Copeland, Helene Darroze, Katherine Johnson, Sara Gama, Martyna Wojciechowska, Gabby Douglas, Guan Xiaotong, Ava Duvernay, Yuan Yuan Tan, Iris Apfel, Ashley Graham and Leyla Piedayesh.[83] In 2020, the company announced a new release of "shero" dolls, including Paralympic champion Madison de Rozario,[85] and world four-time sabre champion Olga Kharlan.[86][87] In July 2021, Mattel released a Naomi Osaka Barbie doll as a part of the 'Barbie Role Model' series. Osaka originally partnered with Barbie two years earlier.[88] A month earlier, a Julie Bishop doll was released to acknowledge the former Australian politician,[89] as was one for general practitioner Kirby White for her work during th.[90] In August 2021 a Barbie modelled after European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti was released.[91]

Collecting

Mattel estimates that there are well over 100,000 avid Barbie collectors. Ninety percent are women, at an average age of 40, purchasing more than twenty Barbie dolls each year. Forty-five percent of them spend upwards of $1000 a year. Vintage Barbie dolls from the early years are the most valuable at auction, and while the original Barbie was sold for $3.00 in 1959, a mint boxed Barbie from 1959 sold for $3552.50 on eBay in October 2004.[92] On September 26, 2006, a Barbie doll set a world record at auction of £9,000 sterling (US$17,000) at Christie's in London. The doll was a Barbie in Midnight Red from 1965 and was part of a private collection of 4,000 Barbie dolls being sold by two Dutch women, Ietje Raebel and her daughter Marina.[93]

In recent years, Mattel has sold a wide range of Barbie dolls aimed specifically at collectors, including porcelain versions, vintage reproductions, and depictions of Barbie as a range of characters from film and television series such as The Munsters and Star Trek.[94][95] There are also collector's edition dolls depicting Barbie dolls with a range of different ethnic identities.[96] In 2004, Mattel introduced the Color Tier system for its collector's edition Barbie dolls including pink, silver, gold, and platinum, depending on how many of the dolls are produced.[97] In 2020, Mattel introduced the Dia De Los Muertos collectible Barbie doll, the second collectible released as part of the company's La Catrina line which was launched in 2019.[98]

Parodies and lawsuits

Barbie has frequently been the target of parody:

Mattel sued artist Tom Forsythe over a 1999 series of photographs called Food Chain Barbie in which Barbie winds up in a blender.[99][100][101] Mattel lost the lawsuit and was forced to pay Forsythe's legal costs.[99]

On the 25th episode of In Living Color, in December 1990, a Homey D. Clown sketch found HDC filling in for Santa Claus at a shopping mall. A little girl (Kelly Coffield) asks for a Malibu Barbie & Condominium playset; instead, "Homey Claus" gives her "Compton Carlotta" (a crude doll made of sticks and bottlecaps) with a slum-apartment (a milk carton). When the girl complains, Homey raises his signature blackjack and wishes her a Merry Christmas; taking the hint, she thanks him and hastily retires.

In Latin America, notable controversies include a 2018 legal dispute involving the Panama-based Frida Kahlo Corporation's allegations that Frida Kahlo's great-niece in Mexico had wrongly licensed the Frida Kahlo trademark for the "Frida Kahlo Barbie" doll.[102]

Mattel filed a lawsuit in 2004 in the U.S. against Barbara Anderson-Walley, a Canadian business owner whose nickname is Barbie, over her website, which sells fetish clothing.[103][104] The lawsuit was dismissed.[99]

In 2011, Greenpeace parodied Barbie, calling on Mattel to adopt a policy for its paper purchases that would protect the rainforest. Four months later, Mattel adopted a paper sustainability policy.[105]

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno displayed a "Barbie Crystal Meth Lab".[citation needed]

Saturday Night Live aired a parody of the Barbie commercials featuring "" and "Tupac Ken".[106] In 2002, the show also aired a skit, which starred Britney Spears as Barbie's sister Skipper.[107]

In November 2002, a New York judge refused an injunction against the British-based artist Susanne Pitt, who had produced a "Dungeon Barbie" doll in bondage clothing.[108]

Aqua's song "Barbie Girl" was the subject of the lawsuit Mattel v. MCA Records, which Mattel lost in 2002, with Judge Alex Kozinski saying that the song was a "parody and a social commentary".[109][110]

Two commercials by automobile company Nissan featuring dolls similar to Barbie and Ken was the subject of another lawsuit in 1997. In the first commercial, a female doll is lured into a car by a doll resembling G.I. Joe to the dismay of a Ken-like doll, accompanied by Van Halen's "You Really Got Me".[111] In the second commercial, the "Barbie" doll is saved by the "G.I. Joe" doll after she is accidentally knocked into a swimming pool by the "Ken" doll to Kiss's "Calling Dr. Love".[112] The makers of the commercial said that the dolls' names were Roxanne, Nick and Tad. Mattel claimed that the commercial did "irreparable damage" to its products,[113][114] but settled.[115]

In 1999, Canadian nude model Barbie Doll Benson was involved in a trademark infringement case over her domain name, BarbieBenson.com.[116]

In 1993, a group calling itself the Barbie Liberation Organization secretly modified a group of Barbie dolls by implanting voice boxes from G.I. Joe dolls, then returning the Barbies to the toy stores from where they were purchased.[117][118]

Malibu Stacy from The Simpsons 1994 episode "Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy".

Savior Barbie refers to a satirical Instagram account. Savior Barbie is depicted as being in Africa where she runs an NGO that provides drinking water to locals and makes sure to provide footage that depicts her glorious acts of goodness. The account is likely to have inspired others such as "Hipster Barbie" and "Socality Barbie".[119][120]

Competition from Bratz dolls

In May 2001, MGA Entertainment launched the Bratz series of dolls, a move that gave Barbie her first serious competition in the fashion doll market. In 2004, sales figures showed that Bratz dolls were outselling Barbie dolls in the United Kingdom, although Mattel maintained that in terms of the number of dolls, clothes, and accessories sold, Barbie remained the leading brand.[121] In 2005, figures showed that sales of Barbie dolls had fallen by 30% in the United States, and by 18% worldwide, with much of the drop being attributed to the popularity of Bratz dolls.[122]

In December 2006, Mattel sued MGA Entertainment for $1 billion, alleging that Bratz creator Carter Bryant was working for Mattel when he developed the idea for Bratz.[123] On July 17, 2008, a federal jury agreed that the Bratz line was created by Carter Bryant while he was working for Mattel and that MGA and its chief executive officer Isaac Larian were liable for converting Mattel property for their own use and intentionally interfering with the contractual duties owed by Bryant to Mattel.[124] On August 26, the jury found that Mattel would have to be paid $100 million in damages. On December 3, 2008, U.S. District Judge Stephen Larson banned MGA from selling Bratz. He allowed the company to continue selling the dolls until the winter holiday season ended.[125][126] On appeal, a stay was granted by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; the Court also overturned the District Court's original ruling for Mattel, where MGA Entertainment was ordered to forfeit the entire Bratz brand.[127][128]

Mattel Inc. and MGA Entertainment Inc. returned to court on January 18, 2011, to renew their battle over who owns Bratz, which this time included accusations from both companies that the other side stole trade secrets.[129] On April 21, 2011, a federal jury returned a verdict supporting MGA.[130] On August 5, 2011, Mattel was also ordered to pay MGA $310 million for attorney fees, stealing trade secrets, and false claims rather than the $88.5 million issued in April.[131]

In August 2009, MGA introduced a range of dolls called Moxie Girlz, intended as a replacement for Bratz dolls.[132]

Effects on body image

From the start, some have complained that "the blonde, plastic doll conveyed an unrealistic body image to girls."[133]

Criticisms of Barbie are often centered around concerns that children consider Barbie a role model and will attempt to emulate her. One of the most common criticisms of Barbie is that she promotes an unrealistic idea of body image for a young woman, leading to a risk that girls who attempt to emulate her will become anorexic. Unrealistic body proportions in Barbie dolls have been connected to some eating disorders in children.[134][135][136][137]

A standard Barbie doll is 11.5 inches (29 cm) tall, giving a height of 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) at 1/6 scale. Barbie's vital statistics have been estimated at 36 inches (91 cm) (chest), 18 inches (46 cm) (waist) and 33 inches (84 cm) (hips). According to research by the University Central Hospital in Helsinki, Finland, she would lack the 17 to 22 percent body fat required for a woman to menstruate.[138] In 1963, the outfit "Barbie Baby-Sits" came with a book titled How to Lose Weight which advised: "Don't eat!"[139] The same book was included in another ensemble called "Slumber Party" in 1965 along with a pink bathroom scale permanently set at 110 pounds (50 kg),[139] which would be underweight for a woman 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall.[140] Mattel said that the waist of the Barbie doll was made small because the waistbands of her clothes, along with their seams, snaps, and zippers, added bulk to her figure.[141] In 1997, Barbie's body mold was redesigned and given a wider waist, with Mattel saying that this would make the doll better suited to contemporary fashion designs.[142][143]

In 2016, Mattel introduced a range of new body types: 'tall', 'petite', and 'curvy', releasing them exclusively as part of the Barbie Fashionistas line. 'Curvy Barbie' received a great deal of media attention[144][145][146] and even made the cover of Time magazine with the headline "Now Can We Stop Talking About My Body?".[147] Despite the curvy doll's body shape being equivalent to a US size 4 in clothing,[144] some children reportedly regarded her as "fat".[147][148]

Although Barbie had been criticized for its unrealistic-looking "tall and petite" dolls, the company has been offering more dolls set to more realistic standards in order to help promote a positive body image.[149]

Barbie's waist has been widened in more recent versions of the doll.

Barbie's waist has been widened in more recent versions of the doll.

 

Back cover of the vintage booklet titled How to Lose Weight, stating "Don't Eat!"

Back cover of the vintage booklet titled How to Lose Weight, stating "Don't Eat!"

 

Bathroom scale from 1965, permanently set at 110 pounds (50 kg)

Bathroom scale from 1965, permanently set at 110 pounds (50 kg)

Barbie syndrome"

"Barbie syndrome" is a term that has been used to depict the desire to have a physical appearance and lifestyle representative of the Barbie doll. It is most often associated with pre-teenage and adolescent girls but is applicable to any age group or gender. A person with Barbie syndrome attempts to emulate the doll's physical appearance, even though the doll has unattainable body proportions.[150] This syndrome is seen as a form of body dysmorphic disorder and results in various eating disorders as well as an obsession with cosmetic surgery.[151]

Ukrainian model Valeria Lukyanova has received attention from the press, due in part to her appearance having been modified based on the physique of Barbie.[152][153] She stated that she has only had breast implants and relies heavily on make up and contacts to alter her appearance.[154] Similarly, Lacey Wildd, an American reality television personality frequently referred to as "Million Dollar Barbie", has also undergone 12 breast augmentation surgeries to become "the extreme Barbie".[155]

Jessica Alves, prior to coming out as transgender, underwent over £373,000 worth of cosmetic procedures to match the appearance of Barbie's male counterpart, garnering her the nickname the "Human Ken Doll". These procedures have included multiple nose jobs, six pack ab implants, a buttock lift, and hair and chest implants.[154] Sporting the same nickname, Justin Jedlica, the American businessman, has also received multiple cosmetic surgeries to enhance his Ken-like appearance.

In 2006, researchers Helga Dittmar, Emma Halliwell, and Suzanne Ive conducted an experiment testing how dolls, including Barbie, affect self-image in young girls. Dittmar, Halliwell, and Ive gave picture books to girls age 5–8, one with photos of Barbie and the other with photos of Emme, a doll with more realistic physical features. The girls were then asked about their ideal body size. Their research found that the girls who were exposed to the images of Barbie had significantly lower self-esteem than the girls who had photos of Emme.[156] However, Benjamin Radford noted that the answer may not be this simple since this research also showed that the age of the girl was a significant factor in the influence the doll had on her self esteem.[157]

eginning with the release of an eponymous video game in 1984, Barbie, a fashion doll manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and debuted on March 9, 1959, has been featured in a media franchise predominantly consisting of a film series and media formats across technologies like television and the Internet.[1] Since then, it has become one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time and has been referred to among fans as the "Barbie Cinematic Universe".[2]

The film series were released direct-to-video from 2001 and aired regularly on Nickelodeon as television specials in the United States from 2002, with both running until early 2017. Since mid-2017, beginning with Barbie Dolphin Magic, Mattel revamped them into streaming television films, branded or marketed them as animated "specials" with a reduced 1-hour video length as opposed to the feature films beforehand and move them to streaming media services, predominantly Netflix, but also including Amazon Prime Video, Google Play and Apple TV+. These films released from late 2017 onwards could still be released on home video formats, although locally, or get picked up for television broadcast in multiple countries and regions/territories. Aside the film series, Barbie has been featured in other media formats including two animated syndicated television specials in Barbie and the Rockers: Out of This World and its sequel, Barbie and the Sensations: Rockin' Back to Earth, both in 1987, web series like Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse, Barbie: Vlogger, Barbie Dreamtopia and Barbie's Dreamworld and Barbie: Life in the City, television shows like Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures and Barbie: It Takes Two, a live-action film and an interactive short film.

Origins

Barbie debuted on March 9, 1959, at the American International Toy Fair (now the North American International Toy Fair) and it was well received locally in the United States, sparking a revolution in the toy industry. Since then, numerous likenesses of the doll were released which later evolved into what is now considered as "Barbie's friends and family" and clothing and accessories to accompany them. Various print hardcover and comic books starring Barbie were also released through partnerships and/or deals with Dell Comics, Marvel Comics and currently Papercutz.[3]

Critical response

Barbie attained critical acclaim.[b] According to The New York Times, critics praised the script for addressing past criticisms of the Barbie brand's portrayal of women and lack of diversity while infusing humor, but there were also critics who felt that it did not go far enough in critiquing consumerism and beauty standards. The performances of Robbie and Gosling received widespread acclaim.[259]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 460 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Barbie is a visually dazzling comedy whose meta humor is smartly complemented by subversive storytelling."[260] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100, based on 67 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[261] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled at PostTrak gave it an 89% overall positive score, with 79% saying they would definitely recommend the film.[2]

In his review for the Chicago Tribune, Michael Phillips called Barbie "a lovely, eccentrically imaginative example of brand extension and raw, untrammeled commercialism", applauded the production design, and summed: "The crucial partnership here is the one between director and performer, Gerwig and Robbie; anything Gerwig and Baumbach's verbally dexterous script requires, from Barbie's first teardrop to the final punchline, Robbie handles with unerring precision".[262] Richard Brody of The New Yorker called it "brilliaaiming the "giddily stylized vision of a doll coming to life makes a serious case for the art of adapting even the most sanitized I.P." and commended the "free and wild" direction as well as the "profuse and exquisite" visual aesthetics.[263] Charlotte O'Sullivan of the Evening Standard hailed the film as "easily the comedy of the year" with a large amount of fun, where "star and producer Margot Robbie, and writer-director Greta Gerwig, have done themselves proud" with a "breezily outrageous" film "about a woman’s right to be 'weird, dark and crazy'."[264] Eileen Jones of Jacobin said that the film "manages to overcome cumbersome plotting and feminist pieties to provide a delightful spectacle of funny moments that add up to something pretty good."[265] In The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw awarded Barbie a 3 out of 5 stars, describing it as "beamingly affectionate and deliriously pink-themed" but "perhaps a giant two-hour commercial for a product" and highlighted Gosling as a scene-stealer, being given "all the best lines".[266]

Lovia Gyarke of The Hollywood Reporter called the film a "tricky balancing act of corporate fealty and subversion" lauding Gerwig's direction, the set design, costumes, soundtrack and lead performances, but criticizing the "muddled politics and flat emotional landing".[10] Variety critic Peter Debruge praised the humor for giving "permission to challenge what Barbie represents" and lauded Gosling's physical performance, but concluded that the film is an "an intellectual experience, not an emotional one, grounded largely in audience nostalgia."[267] In the Vulture component of New York, Alison Willmore commended the lead performances, particularly that of Robbie, whom she characterized is "as capable of heartbreaking earnestness as humor, and who sometimes effortlessly achieved both at once", but lamented on the themes of the film, opining that it "doesn't ultimately want to do much more than talk itself in circles about these themes".[268] On a similar note, Stephanie Zacharek of Time praised Robbie's "buoyant, charming performance", Gosling's "go-for-broke" effort, and the "inventive production design", but criticized the "self aware" nature of the film especially following the first half-hour, concluding that it is a feminist film "only in the most scattershot way", and that it's not "subversive".[269] Camilla Long of The Times wrote that the film featured Mattel's "pink, squealing, corporate grasping", trying to be "ahead of the sexism curve", but "ended up feeling sexist itself" for its portrayal that "men are stupid, go to the gym, run everything and don't care about women, while women are sensible, striving but ultimately conflicted victims."[270] In the review of Kyle Smith of The Wall Street Journal, he stated: "As bubbly as the film appears, its script is like a grumpier-than-average women's studies seminar", exemplified by the Mattel employee character's "long monologue on how miserable it is to be female".[271]

Chinese film critic Li Jingfei (李竞菲) praised the film's humor and criticism of patriarchy, qualifying that its themes were too-often advanced by slogans rather than the experiences of its characters.[272]

Accolades

Barbie won Best Teaser at the 2023 Golden Trailer Awards.[273] It won Most Anticipated Film at the 6th Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards.[274]

Themes and analysis

As with the doll itself, feminism and related themes in the film were the subject of discussion.[c] Some reviews for the film saw it as a satire that pokes fun at capitalism, while others perceived it as a satire that cleverly uses capitalist themes.[259]

Philosophy

Barbie has been characterized as exploring themes of existentialism.[282][283][284] Lucy Ford of GQ wrote that the film "ruminates on the very idea of what makes us human, the idea of 'the other', whether there's truly such a thing as autonomy or if we're all simply pawns to be picked up and disposed of when we are no longer useful". Ford observed that, in the film, Barbie and Ken go on "opposite but equal" journeys of self-discovery, after venturing out into the Real World and learning that it is an oppressive patriarchal society as opposed to the matriarchal utopia that is Barbieland, and get "caught in the crosshairs of being both sentient and someone else's idea, battling with free will and the omnipresent predetermined rules about where to go and how to act".[283]

In Vogue India, Varya Srivastava applied Beauvoirian concepts of existentialism and individualism to Barbie, arguing that "individualism makes you question societal norms and expectations [...] Even for Barbie, this has been brewing for a while. She has tried to be inclusive and representative. She has tried to acknowledge the feminist critique and now has jobs like being the President, a scientist, and a doctor. But the burden of being a role model in a world that is questioning morality and embracing multiplicity is a lot. Existentialism thrives in that gap between what is and what ought to be".[285] Clark University professor of philosophy Wiebke Deimling compared a scene in the film, in which Barbie has to make a choice between going back to her perfect life in Barbieland or learning the truth about her existence in the Real World, to the experience machine, a thought experiment by American philosopher Robert Nozick. Diemling also observed that gender in Barbieland is performative, noting how the Kens behave before and after a patriarchy is established.[286]

Alissa Wilkinson of Vox compared Barbieland to the biblical Garden of Eden, with Barbie and Ken as inverted parallels of Adam and Eve. She saw Barbie and Ken's first impression "that they're suddenly self-conscious and aware of being looked at" in the Real World as the film's version of the Fall.[287]

Chinese film critic Li Jingfei (李竞菲) compared Barbie's sudden awareness of death to the moment when Siddhārtha Gautama left the palace of his birth and first learned of suffering and death, which eventually led to his enlightenment.[272]

Feminism

Katie Pickles of The Conversation observed that Barbie shows how the matriarchy can be "as bad" as the patriarchy, with the Kens being the objectified and excluded sex in Barbieland. Pickles further comments that the true heroes were outcasts such as Weird Barbie and Allan, who deprogrammed the Barbies from tolerating the status quo. She believes that this aligns with Gerwig's conception of feminism, where "everyone stands in the sunshine".[288][289]

Jack Butler of National Review rejected the perception of the film as a "shallow, man-hating, and repulsive screed" and, argued that the film is instead a "post-feminist satire of what feminists imagine a perfect world looking like and of what they imagine male dominance is like", noted that in the Real World, "Ken is rebuffed in all of his attempts to join the male hierarchy that purportedly dominates the world. He must return to Barbieland to institute it; what he institutes there is so shallow that it collapses almost as quickly as it is set up. Meanwhile, though Robbie's Barbie restores female dominance in Barbieland, she chooses not to stay there, electing instead to become fully human".[290]

Many journalists coupled Barbie with the Eras Tour by Taylor Swift for the concurrent representation of recontextualized mainstream femininity.[291][292][293] Michelle Goldberg of The New York Times described the launch of the film and the tour, their rave public reception, and the associated critical discourses as the biggest cultural phenomena of 2023 summer, explaining that "beneath their slick, exuberant pop surfaces, [both the film and the tour] tell female coming-of-age stories marked by existential crises and bitter confrontations with sexism."[294] Ben Sisario considered both the works as critiques of patriarchy,[295] while Talia Lakritz of Business Insider said both of them "reclaim girlhood without rescinding power".[296] Similarly, Chris Willman stated that both use patriarchy as a subject of irony "while being utterly friendly to and welcoming of men as much as anybody", eventually becoming a billion-dollar-earning phenomenon.[297]

Masculinity

In the Los Angeles Times, Jean Guerrero presented a subtext to the film's feminist exterior, in which "a world that disregards men and their feelings is an inverted form of patriarchy and also cruel", and added: "The film is a rare product of mainstream culture that invites men to reimagine masculinity for their own sake. It acknowledges the identity crisis and loss of hope, economic promise and life purpose among American men. These struggles are often ignored by progressives, but conveniently and poisonously exploited by right-wing manfluencers from Andrew Tate to Josh Hawley [...] The film's reception has focused on its messages of women's empowerment, but what makes it a radical story is that it also invites women to reimagine feminism so that it doesn't ignore male struggles".[298]

Nicholas Balaisis contended in Psychology Today that Barbie provides a "relatively nuanced portrayal of masculinity" in two cases that resonated with issues and concerns frequent in clinical psychology and therapy: In the first case, which concerns the "over-valuation of a woman's gaze and attention on male sense of self-esteem, and even an existential sense of identity", Ken turns to patriarchal expression and masculine dominance "over other men, women or objects" because he doesn't receive the "sense of attractiveness, worth, and general self-value" he wants from Barbie's gaze and attention. In the second case, which concerns "the relationship to shame or existential solitude and the conversion to sex-as-soothing", when Barbie approaches Ken in the third act of the film for consolation, he interprets it as a sexual advance and tries to kiss her, which Dr. Balaisis likened to "the same way that shame can quickly morph into resentment and anger, here we see loneliness and existential angst being converted into a sexual plea — for sex to solve and resolve these bad feelings".[299]

Megan Garber of The Atlantic found Ken and his journey of self-discovery "mimics adolescence", describing "Like any teenager, Ken is figuring out who he is, and trying the world’s possibilities on for size. But his immaturity is not contained, and this is its problem. His adolescent approach to the world, instead, inflicts itself on everyone else". Garber concluded that Ken embodies a "core idea" in the film "that patriarchy is a profound form of immaturity".[300] Eliana Dockterman of Time noted that Ken's radicalization resembles the men's rights movement, particularly in his "feelings of emasculation" and evangelization of the patriarchy.[301]

This article shows the complete fictional and non-fictional friends and family of Barbie, a fashion doll manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and launched on 9 March 1959.[1]

Main characters

Barbara Millicent "Barbie" Roberts (1959–present): A blonde-haired, blue-eyed doll who was born in the fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin.[2][3] According to eponymous Random House books published in the 1960s, the character's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. Barbie's age has fluctuated; she was originally a 19-year-old,[4] but she is often shown as an older character in adult careers. The inaugural episode of Life in the Dreamhouse even jokes that she is over 43 years old. Barbie has three younger sisters: Skipper, Stacie and Chelsea.[5] Mattel describes Barbie as strong, confident and always willing to help her siblings.[6]

Kenneth Sean "Ken" Carson (1961–1967, 1969–present): Barbie's male counterpart and former boyfriend as well as the second character added to the line. Mattel announced a split between him and Barbie in 2004[7] and a reunion on Valentine's Day in 2011.[8] According to books published by Random House in the 1960s, Ken's full name is Kenneth Sean Carson. Since Barbie: Dolphin Magic, he is one of Barbie's best friends and next-door neighbor.

Family members

Barbie's sisters

Barbie's three younger sisters are main characters in many adaptations of the franchise, including Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse, Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures, and the Barbie & Her Sisters in... film entries.

Skipper Roberts (1964–2003, 2009–present): The teenage younger sister of Barbie and the first character added to Barbie's family. Originally released as an 8-year-old, she was changed to a 14-year-old later on. Mattel temporarily halted production of Skipper dolls between 2003 and 2009. When Skipper returned in 2009, she was redesigned to have brown hair with a purple (or sometimes blue) colored streak. In Life in the Dreamhouse and its follow-ups, Skipper is shown to love technology, music and gadgets.

Stacie Roberts (1990–present): Originally introduced as Kelly in the 1990 Wedding Day Midge gift set as the flower girl, this doll was renamed and re-introduced as Stacie shortly thereafter in 1992, and the Kelly name was instead used for her younger sister. In Life in the Dreamhouse and Dreamhouse Adventures, Stacie is 11 years old and shown to be a competitive, skilled athlete. She has her own line of sports-themed dolls called "Team Stacie".

Kelly/Chelsea Roberts (1995–2010 as Kelly, 2011–present as Chelsea): Barbie's youngest sister, approximately 6 years old, then later 7 years old. Chelsea loves the color pink and has blonde hair and blue eyes like her older sister Barbie. Chelsea is the star of her own series, Barbie: Dreamtopia.

Barbie's parents

George Roberts (1960–present): George is Barbie, Skipper, Stacie and Chelsea's father and the husband of Margaret. Originally just a book character, he has not been issued in doll form but has appeared for the first time in animation in the digital series Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures. He was originally an engineer, but his job changed to documentary filmmaker in Dreamhouse Adventures.[9]

Margaret Rawlins Roberts (1960–present): Margaret is Barbie, Skipper, Stacie and Chelsea's mother and the wife of George. Also, originally a book character, she has not been issued in doll form, but she made her first on-screen appearance in Dreamhouse Adventures. She was initially a homemaker, but in Dreamhouse Adventures, she is a computer engineer and the designer of the Roberts family dreamhouse. She has a sister named Millicent.[9]

Discontinued characters

Tutti and Todd (Tutti: 1965–1971, Todd: 1965–1996): Twins, both Tutti and Todd were younger siblings of Barbie and Skipper and had seamless 'bendy' bodies with internal wires.[10] The two were only sold together in one set. They debuted in 1966 and were available in the US until 1971, remaining on the European market until 1980. Todd was reintroduced in 1991 as part of the wedding party for Barbie's best friend Midge Hadley, but Tutti was not reintroduced, with new sisters Kelly and Stacie taking her place. Mattel produced several more of the new Todd dolls over the next few years, but Todd was dropped from the Barbie line after 2008. The last version of Todd was the 2008 Todd and Stacie Mary Poppins boxed set, with a comment on the back that "Todd and Stacie are dressed as Michael and Jane from Disney's Mary Poppins".

Francie Fairchild (1966–1977): Marketed as "Barbie's Modern Cousin," Francie paved the way for Barbie's transition into the MOD era. Francie appeared to be only slightly younger than Barbie, and had a straight, streamlined figure. The Francie doll was the first to feature rooted eyelashes. In the March 1966 issue of Barbie Magazine, she is the daughter of Claude and Lily Fairchild.

Jazzie (1988–1992): Another cousin of Barbie and part of a small group of high school age dolls. She was taller than Francie, with Jazzie being almost the same height as Barbie.

Kristine "Krissy" Roberts (1998–2001): This character is an infant and is only intermittently included in the Barbie sibling lineup.

Blaine Gordon (2004): Barbie's Australian ex-boyfriend, whom she dated during her much-publicized "breakup" with Ken. Blaine is said to be the brother of Summer, one of Barbie's friends. Blaine does not show up in any of the Barbie series but was originally a character from Generation Girls and showed interest in Ana.

Extended family members

Millicent Rawlins (2010): Barbie's aunt and Margaret's sister. Her first appearance was in Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale. In the movie, she is shown to be a fashion designer with an atelier in Paris. She was never made into a doll.

Grandmother Rawlins (2015): Barbie's grandmother and Margaret Roberts' mother. She passed her love of reading onto Barbie and gave her a book that Barbie related to. She is encouraging and supportive of her granddaughter. Her first appearance is in Barbie and the Secret Door as Alexa's (Barbie) grandmother. She also appears in Barbie & Her Sisters in The Great Puppy Adventure as herself. She was never made into a doll.

Kristen Rawlins (2013): A cousin of Barbie, appearing in the picture book, The Wedding Party. She was never made into a doll.

Marlene Roberts (2015): Barbie's aunt, George's sister and Margaret's sister-in-law. She was never made into a doll.

Max and Marie Roberts (2013): The twin children of Marlene Roberts, cousins of Barbie and her siblings, and niece and nephew of Margaret Roberts and George Roberts. They showed up in Barbie and Her Sisters in A Pony Tale. Marie is shown to be an otaku.

Lillian Roberts Fairchild (1966): Francie's mother, Barbie's aunt, George's sister and Margaret's sister-in-law. She was never made into a doll.

Claude Fairchild (1966): Francie's father, Barbie's uncle and Margaret and George's brother-in-law. He was never made into a doll.

Adele (2019–Present): Barbie's aunt and the owner of the Windy Willows Inn in Barbie's hometown, Willows, Wisconsin. She first appeared in season 3, episode 3 of Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures, "The Ballad of Windy Willows." Her most recent appearance was in season 5, episode 7, "The Curse of the Miner's Ghost." Her design is very similar to Margaret's, suggesting they are sisters. She was never made into a doll.

Barbie's friends

Female best friends

Margaret "Midge" Hadley Sherwood (1963–1966, 1988–2004, 2013–2015): This character was Barbie's Irish American best friend. She was the third character introduced to the Barbie line, following Barbie and Ken. In the Random House novels, her last name is Hadley. She was paired with Allan Sherwood, Ken's best friend, when Allan was introduced in 1964. After she married Allan/Alan in 1991, she became Midge Hadley Sherwood. In the 1990s Price Stern Sloan series Adventures with Barbie, she and Alan are married, and in book 5, "The Phantom of Shrinking Pond", by Suzanne Weyn, (1992), it's implied that she is named after her Aunt Margaret. She is named Viky in Brazil (from the book "Barbie Doll Around the World", by J. Michael Augustyniak, (2008, Collector Books). In 2001 she was given her own line named Happy Family. Midge was released with a magnetic belly and a baby. Also in the line was Alan and their son Ryan, and Midge's parents though they were never given real names. In 2013, she was brought back in the Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse web series where she undergoes a makeover to look more modern, though the character tends to act like she is still in the 1960s. There is no mention of Allan/Alan in the series. Since 2015 Midge has not appeared in doll form or in any of Barbie's movie/shows.

Christie (1968–2005, 2015): Barbie doll's first African American friend character, Christie was part of the new group of Talking dolls for 1968. She was later issued as a Twist 'N Turn version. The character appeared in the product line continuously for many years, though the original Christie face sculpt was discontinued in 1978. She is notable in that she has been romantically linked with several male characters over the years. In 1970, she was linked with Brad, the Talking Brad doll even said, "Christie is the greatest". In 1982, the Sunsational Malibu Christie doll had a boyfriend named Ken who used the Brad face sculpt with rooted hair. In the late 80s, Christie was paired with Steven. The surname O'Neil is associated with the Nikki character, who is purported to be Christie's sister, but the surname has not been associated directly with Christie. The doll has been criticized as following American beauty standards instead of representing African cultural body image, representing only one tone of skin color, and because her sculpted features were seen to symbolize white standards of beauty. Christie was discontinued when Barbie got Nikki as her new African American friend, though Nikki uses Christie's face, the change in name of almost the same doll was never stated. In the 2015 movie Barbie and her Sister in a Puppy Rescue, Christie is the name of one of Barbie's old friends from Willows, Wisconsin. On the back of the 1998 Beyond Pink Christie box, her birthday is August 9.[11][12]

Teresa Rivera (1988–present): Originally used the 1983 Spanish Barbie face sculpt for the Island Fun Teresa doll and the Beach Blast Teresa doll. Starting with the Wet 'N Wild Teresa doll, the character began using the 1972 Steffie face sculpt. Beginning with the Rollerblade Teresa doll, the character began using an all-new face sculpt that has become known as the Teresa face sculpt. In the Grolier book "High Sea Adventure" (1999), her last name is Rivera. Teresa is of Hispanic heritage. She is named Debora in Brazil (from the book Barbie Doll Around the World, by J. Michael Augustyniak, (2008, Collector Books). She was featured in the 2008 film as Barbie's best friend, where she told a story about her and Barbie (as Liana and Alexa) as two girls closer than most friends living in the forest. She appeared in the web series Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse and now stars in Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures as one of Barbie's best friends. She also starred in the 2016 movie, Barbie: Spy Squad alongside Barbie and Renee. On the back of the 1999 Beyond Pink Teresa box, her birthday is October 2.

Summer Gordon (2004–2015): This doll used an all-new face sculpt. Summer is Blaine's little sister with strawberry blonde hair and green/brown eyes. She was a frequent character in the web series Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse. She was originally from Australia when she was first introduced in 2004, but in all cartoons she's American.

Nicole "Nikki" Watkins (2006–present): This doll appears as one of Barbie's current friends, and is closer to her, Barbie is often seen hanging out with just Teresa and Nikki. She has used multiple different head sculpts through the years. Her last name is O'Neil in the 2010 Random House book, "Barbie: I Can be a Movie Star," but her last name was established as Watkins in Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures. She was a frequent character in the web series Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse and now stars in Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures as one of Barbie's best friends.

Raquelle (2006–2015): This doll used the Summer face sculpt with her original debut. In 2011, she appeared with an all-new face sculpt in the Barbie Fashionistas line. She is Barbie's frenemy as shown in The Barbie Diaries, Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale, Barbie: A Fairy Secret and the web series Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse, and has a twin brother named Ryan.

Grace (2009–2015): This African American doll made its first appearance in the 2009 SIS Line, she used to be a friend of Barbie who moves to Chicago and makes new friends. She also appears in Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale. In 2014, she moved back to Malibu. Her backstory was rebooted when she started appearing in Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse. She is very smart and interested in science.

Other friends

Left: Walk Lively Steffie, from 1972. Right: Free Moving PJ, from 1974. The Steffie face sculpt was used for decades, for several different Barbie-related Mattel dolls. Her eye color, hairstyle and hair color changed as well.

Stacey (1968–1971): Introduced as "Barbie's British chum" during the musical British Invasion of the US, Stacey first appeared with long hair, either blonde, brunette, or redhead, tied in a side ponytail. A second edition had much shorter hair, styled in a curly flip. It is the Stacey face sculpt that is used for Malibu Barbie.

PJ (1969–1983): Fully representing the "groovy", "hippie" era of the late 1960s, PJ originally appeared using Midge's face sculpt, but with much longer hair, tied into beaded pigtails. In 1972, with PJ's addition to the Malibu Barbie line (consisting of Barbie, Ken, Skipper, and Francie), she changed to the Steffie face sculpt, which continued until the end of her production. She was billed as Barbie's best friend, again replacing Midge. One of the final iterations of the doll, "Dream Date PJ", erroneously lists her as Barbie's cousin. It is the only such reference and should not be considered canon.

Steffie (1972): Although only three versions of Steffie were produced, all of which appeared in 1972, her face sculpt was used for several Barbie-family dolls for decades after, primarily the PJ doll. Some Barbies of that era, issued outside the US, use the Steffie face sculpt. In at least one Mattel advertisement from 1972, Busy Steffie is pictured, but is referred to as "Busy PJ", indicating that, even though Barbie fans refer to her as having the Steffie face sculpt, it is actually Steffie that has the PJ face sculpt. However, because PJ had used the Midge face sculpt for three years prior, Steffie was the first Mattel doll to use it as her only face sculpt, hence the name "Steffie face".

Cara (1975-1976): Appears in the Mattel Barbie line with her boyfriend Curtis, alongside Barbie's other African American couple, Brad and Christie. Cara was produced as Free Moving Cara, Ballerina Cara, and both Quick Curl and Deluxe Quick Curl Cara. She was produced with the Steffie face (Christie continues to appear as well, in the Malibu, Fashion Photo and Superstar lines from Mattel).

Whitney (1986-1991): Described on her debut as “Barbie doll’s glamorous best friend” in the Jewel Secrets Barbie line of 1986 (Princess Laura in Europe). This doll uses the Steffie face and always featured brunette hair. Returned in 1987 as Nurse Whitney in the Doctor Barbie line, and Perfume Pretty Whitney the same year. Made a return for 1988 in the Style Magic Barbie line. She made her last appearance as European exclusive Ultra Hair Whitney.

Kira/Miko (Marina in Europe) (1985–2001): Barbie doll's first Asian friend character, the first appearance was in the line of Tropical Barbie in 1985 as Miko, a native Hawaiian. Kira, an Asian-American, was later introduced looking similar to Miko and with the same head sculpt. The character appeared in the product line continuously for many years, the original Kira/Oriental face sculpt was created in 1980.

Becky (1997-1999): A friend of Barbie who uses a wheelchair. She used the Teen Skipper head mold but there were only three dolls ever made. She only appeared in Detective Barbie series and Secret Agent Barbie and voiced by Kath Soucie.

Kayla and Lea (2000-2006): First appearing as Dress up Kayla, she appears in multiple formats for the next four years and was released in tandem with Lea. Lea was an Asian girl and Kayla was depicted as almost every race, not being consistent. Kayla eventually was cut, and Lea existed until 2006, leaving Mattel's Barbie line with no Asian dolls until Lea's reintroduction in 2014.

Jamie (1970-1972): redheaded walking friend

Kelley (1973-1974): Quick Curl and Yellowstone. Not to be confused with the other dolls name Kelly.

Lia Douglas (1980s): Mainline Brazil exclusive, appears in one of the Rockers lines (Brazil had multiple Rocker's editions), and replaces Whitney in their edition of the Perfume Pretty line.

Dalma "Diva" Lancaster (1980s): Mainline Brazil exclusive, a blonde girl who shares the same nickname as Ophelia from the rockers line.

Nikki (1988): An Asian girl appearing only in the Animal Lovin' line.

Devon (1989): A black girl appearing in Dance Club.

Kayla Vanderbilt (1989): A redheaded Dutch American girl appearing in Dance Club.

Tracy (1983): A brunette friend sold in a wedding gown.

Nia (1989): A Native American girl appearing in the Western Fun line.

Viky (1989): A Brazilian friend of Barbie, released exclusively in Brazil. She used the Steffie face sculpt.

Tara Lynn (1994): A black haired girl appearing in the Western Stampin' (Country in Brazil) line. In Brazil, she was called Tina.

Lara Scottsdale (1992): Brunette Brazil exclusive, she only appears in their edition of the Superstar line.

Reina (1999): Barbie's Japanese friend. She was a Japan exclusive and used the Steffie face sculpt. Only one version was ever released. She was dressed in a schoolgirl outfit.

Drew (2002-2005): Appearing in the Mystery Squad and Fashion Fever lines.

Melody and Simone (2003): Appearing in 1 Modern Circle. Melody had blue hair and Simone was an African American.

Simone would reappear in the American Idol line with Barbie and Tori in 2005, with the Summer face sculpt.

Shannen (2005): Blonde Fashion Fever doll.

Maiko (2006): A geisha released as a Collector doll.

Harper Villa (2016-2018): First 'curvy' friend of Barbie, with blue hair. Appears in Fashionistas line and in vlogs.

Renee Chow (2016–Present): Renee is a character in the 2016 film Barbie: Spy Squad and Dreamhouse Adventures. She is a gymnast and sporty in yoga and skateboarding. She is Chinese American.

Daisy Costopolis (2018–Present): from Dreamhouse Adventures, a curvy friend of Barbie with pink hair.

Tia, Courtney, and Desiree (2004): Fashion Fever dolls. Tia and Courtney look quite similar to the characters of Tia and Courtney from The Barbie Diaries but are separate characters.

May Chung Ling (2008-2009): Barbie's Shanghai friend, released exclusively in the Barbie Shanghai boutique. According to her passport in her accessories, her favorite food is ice cream, and she enjoys singing and dancing. Only two versions would be released, before the boutique closed.

The Rockers and the Sensations

Dee Dee: Later known as "Belinda" in America, as she did not exist in the European Sensations line. She is African American. Never released in South America.

Dana: Later known as "Becky" or "Bibi" in Europe. Never released in South America. She is Asian-American.

Diva: Later known as "Bopsy" or "Becky" in Europe. Released in Brazil only once, albeit in a different outfit and with darker hair (Venezuela had three outfits for her).

Derek: The only male member of the band.

Generation Girls

Tori/Susie/Vicky Burns: Barbie's friend from Sydney, who enjoyed extreme sports.

Tori would reappear in the American Idol line with Barbie and Simone in 2005, but with the Summer face sculpt.

Nichelle Williams: Barbie's friend from New York City, who enjoyed modeling.

Ana/Marissa Suarez: Barbie's friend from Mexico City, who enjoyed swimming and track and field.

Chelsie/Gabby Peterson: Barbie's friend from London, who enjoyed songwriting.

Lara/Marie Morelli-Strauss: Barbie's friend from Paris, who enjoyed fine arts.

Mari/Mariko Nakano: Barbie's friend from Tokyo, who enjoyed video games.

Blaine Gordon: Barbie's friend from New York City, who enjoyed spinning.

Miscellaneous

Barbie Loves Benetton (2004-2005): A group of girls from around the world, named after the Benetton design company.

Isla Filipina (2000s): A spinoff similar to Shani but aimed at Filipinos.

Friends of family

Skipper's friends

Skooter (1965–1968, 1975–1976): Skipper's first female friend.

Ricky (1965–1967): Skipper's first male friend (sometimes referred to as Skipper's first "boyfriend").

Fluff (1971–1972): Skipper's playmate.

Tiff (1972–1973): Skipper's tomboy friend.

Ginger (1975): Friend of "Growing Up Skipper".

Scott (1980): Skipper's boyfriend.[13]

Courtney (1989–2018): Skipper's best friend.[13]

Kevin (1990–1995): Skipper's cool teen boyfriend.[13]

Nikki (1997–2001): Skipper's first black friend. Nikki is Christie's little sister.[13]

Stacie's friends

Janet (1994–2006): An African American character doll[13] In the Grolier Barbie book "Clawman's Warning", by Jacqueline A. Ball, (1999). Janet's mother is named Carolyn.

Whitney (1994–2006): Stacie's other doll friend, usually having red hair but has been seen with brown. She was usually released with a pair of glasses.[13]

Lila Hadley (2004-2008): Midge Hadley Sherwood's little sister, Lila, Janet, and Stacie were a part of the Wee 3 Friends line. She had red hair.

Kelly's/Chelsea's friends

Tommy (1997): Ken's little brother.[13]

Melody Hadley (1996): Also used for a Heart Family cousin in 1988; named Susie in Europe; Midge's sister.

Lorena (1996)[13]

Jenny (1996)[13]

Chelsie (1995)[13]

Keeya (1998)[13]

Marisa (1998)[13]

Deidre (1998): Christie's sister[13]

Dallin (1998)

Camdyn (1999)

Maria (1999)[13]

Tamika (1999)[13]

Nia (1999): Used for a friend of Barbie's in 1990.

Kayla (1999, 2007): Also used for an adult character in the 1990s and 2000s.

Liana (1999)

Desiree (1999)[13]

Belinda (1999): Also used for a friend of Barbie's in 1988.

Nikki (2001): Also used for a friend of Skipper's in 1997 and currently a friend of Barbie.

Ryan (2001): Became part of the Happy Family Show in 2010; also used for Raquelle's brother and Barbie's friend in 2013 for "Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse".

Kerstie (2003)

Gia (2006)

Tori (2007): Also used for a friend of Barbie's in 1999.

Miranda (2007)

Whitney: Also used for a friend of Barbie's in the 1980s and for a friend of Stacie.

Becky: Also used for a friend of Barbie's in 1997 and for a friend of Francie's in 2009.

Lola: Nikki's little sister

Johnny: One of Chelsea's Hawaiian friends.

Darrin: One of Chelsea's soccer friends

Tutti's and Todd's friends

Chris (1967–68, 1976–77): A female character doll, with a different face sculpt from Tutti and Todd.

Carla (European release only, 1976): An African American character doll.[14]

Francie's friends

Casey (1967–70, 1975): Billed as Francie's Fun Friend, she is the same measurements as Francie, and is thus able to wear her wardrobe. She has blue eyes, and is found in blonde, brunette and redhead styles (the redhead possibly being a result of the brunette hair oxidizing, as happens with Christie dolls). Her original blonde hair is a true blonde, cut into a chin-length bob. Later editions feature a platinum blonde Casey with a coarser hair texture. Casey's hair is frequently asymmetrical, as was in vogue at the time. These dolls' hair is longer, sometimes near shoulder length. All editions come without shoes, with Casey in a one-piece swimsuit: the top is white with gold mesh; the bottoms are shiny gold (though frequently fade to a matte silver color). She comes with only one ear pierced, in which is placed one gold-tone dangle triangle earring, which turns Casey's ear green if left in for a number of years. Dolls found by collectors today frequently present with some or extensive 'green ear'. The sooner the earring was removed, the better the chance this situation is avoided entirely.

      •In 1971, Mattel launched its iconic Malibu line of dolls. Even though Francie is featured prominently, it is with Casey's head mould and blue eyes (Francie is brown-eyed).

      •In 1975, Mattel produced a budget Francie and Casey, contained in clear plastic bags with hang tags, referred to by collectors as 'baggie Francie' and 'baggie Casey'. Interestingly, both Francie and Casey share Francie's head mold. For these pink skin-toned, straight leg and straight waist dolls, Francie is a brunette with brown eyes and a yellow bikini, while Casey is blonde with brown eyes (because she is using Francie's face), in a bikini which is found in varying shades of red, rose, and hot pink.

Becky (2009): In 1971, as Casey ended production, Mattel intended to introduce a Francie-sized doll to replace her. This doll was named Becky. She appears (apparently, a prototype) in Mattel's 1971 fashion booklets that came with Mattel's Barbie doll fashions, alongside her friend Francie. She's presented using the Casey face mold, but with brown eyes and an ash blonde flip with a headband. Some of Francie's fashions that year even list "Francie and Becky" on the boxes. However, for undetermined reasons, Becky never entered production. In 2009, Mattel finally produced a version of this near-mythical doll, in a boxed set titled Most Mod Becky. She was produced as she appeared in Mattel's 1971 fashion booklets, with three different outfits, and party accessories (such as invitations, records, record player, and telephone).

Jazzie's friends

Dude (boyfriend – 1989): This doll was made from the 1986 Barbie and the Rockers Derek face sculpt.

Chelsie (1989): This doll was made from the 1979 Starr friend Tracey face sculpt.

Stacie (1989): This doll was made from the 1972 Steffie face sculpt and was African American character.

Friends of friends

Ken's family and friends

Allan (1964–1965, 1991, 2002): This character has been revived several times. Allan started out as "Ken's Buddy" and was paired with the Midge doll from the beginning. In 1991, a line of dolls was created depicting a wedding for Allan and Midge. Later, a family-themed line of dolls, much like the earlier Heart Family, had the two characters raising a family.

Brad (1970): This African American male doll was available in two versions: Talking Brad and Brad with Bendable Legs. He was made from an all-new face sculpt that is known as the Brad face sculpt. The Brad character was introduced as a boyfriend for the Christie character.

Curtis (1975): This African American male character is virtually identical to Brad, and was available as only one version, 1975 Free Moving Curtis. Curtis was the boyfriend of the Free Moving Cara doll.

Todd (1983): This doll was only available as a groom character, paired with the Tracy character from the same year. This Todd doll used the 1978 Super Star Ken face sculpt.

Steven (boyfriend of Christie, 1988–present. Linked with Barbie's friend Nikki since 2007): This doll has been in the lineup intermittently over the years and has used several different face sculpts during that time.

Tommy (1997): Ken's little brother.

Derek (1985): He was never advertised as a friend of Ken's but was a member of Barbie and the Rockers along with Ken and the four female band members listed above.

Kurt (2005): He was a Fashion Fever friend of Barbie. He was first male doll in this line and was made with the Tango Ken/Blaine face sculpt.

Ryan (2012–2015): He is Raquelle's twin brother and Ken's rival. He is a main character in the Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse series. Ryan has a crush on Barbie, and therefore competes with Ken for her affection.

Midge and Allan's family

From Happy Family Playline Series:

Midge Hadley

Alan Sherwood

Ryan Sherwood (Midge and Alan's son, 2002)

Nicole "Nikki" Sherwood (Midge and Alan's daughter, 2003)

Cassandra Sherwood (Midge and Alan's daughter, 2004)

Twins a girl and a boy.

Grandma Hadley (Midge's mother, 2004)

Grandpa Hadley (Midge's father, 2004)

Unnamed Puppy (2004)

The Heart Family (Barbie's neighbors)

Dad Heart (1985)

Mom Heart (1985)

New Baby Heart (1987)

Grandma Heart (1987)

Grandpa Heart (1987)

Cousins

Honey (1988) sold with a high chair.

Janet (1988) sold with a potty chair.

Kenny (1988) sold with a tricycle.

Kevin (1988) sold with a high chair.

Melody (1988) sold with a walker.

Nellie (1988) sold with a rocking horse.

Friends

Daria (1989) sold with a desk.

Darrin (1989) sold with a desk.

Gillian (1989) sold with a giraffe.

Nikita (1993) sold only in India.

Pleasance (1989) sold with a pony (rocking horse).

Sunny (1993) sold only in India.

Susan (1993) sold only in India.

Tawny (1989) sold with a tricycle.

Windy (1989) sold with a wagon.

Real-world celebrity/film character doll friends

Twiggy (1967) Based on the top teen fashion model Lesley Hornby Lawson of the Mod era, the Twiggy doll was made using the same face sculpt as Francie doll's friend Casey.

Buffy & Mrs. Beasley (1968) Based on Anissa Jones' character from the TV show Family Affair, the Tutti-sized doll carried a miniature Mrs. Beasley doll.

Julia (1969–1970) The doll was based on Diahann Carroll's character from the TV show Julia and used the same face sculpt as the Christie doll, with different face paint and a different hairstyle.

Truly Scrumptious (1969) This doll, based on Sally Anne Howes' character from the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, was made from the Francie face sculpt, but used the Barbie body. There was a Talking Truly Scrumptious doll, as well as a basic version known as Standard Truly Scrumptious to collectors.

Miss America (1972–1977) This doll was introduced in 1972 as Walk Lively Miss America, and the following year was sold as Quick Curl Miss America. The Quick Curl Miss America doll was available with only slight variations for several years during the mid-1970s. She uses the Steffie/PJ face sculpt.

Marie Osmond (1977) Featured an all-new likeness face sculpt.

Donny Osmond (1977) Featured an all-new likeness face sculpt.

Chantal Goya (1977) This doll is available only in Europe and featured a unique likeness face sculpt.

Debby Boone (1977) Based on the popular singer, this doll featured a unique likeness face sculpt.

Kate Jackson (1978) Featured an all-new likeness face sculpt.

Cheryl Ladd (1978) Featured an all-new likeness face sculpt.

Kitty O'Neil (1978) Featured an all-new likeness face sculpt.

Buddy (1979) This doll was based on Kristy McNichol's Letitia Lawrence character from the TV show Family.

Jimmy Osmond (1979) Featured an all-new likeness face sculpt.

Wayne Gretzky (1983) the hockey player for the Edmonton Oilers, a doll sold only in Canada. He had his own clothing line, which fits Ken.

Donna Martin, Dylan McKay, Kelly Taylor, Brandon & Brenda Walsh (1992) based on the Beverly Hills 90210 characters played by Tori Spelling, Luke Perry, Jennie Garth, Jason Priestley, and Shannen Doherty. They had their own lines of clothing, which fit Barbie and Ken.

MC Hammer (1992) the rapper, Stanley Burrell. He had his own line of clothing, which fits Ken.

Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler (1994) based on the 1939 feature film, Gone with the Wind, played by Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable Hollywood Legends Collection.

Dorothy Gale, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, Glinda the Good Witch (1995, 1999, 2006, 2009), Wicked Witch of the West (2006, 2009), Munchkins (1999, 2006), Winkie Guard, Winged Monkey (2006) and Wicked Witch of the East (2009), based on the 1939 feature film, The Wizard of Oz; Hollywood Legends Collection; Pink Label Collection.

Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins (1995) Based on the 1964 feature film, My Fair Lady; played by Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison Hollywood Legends Collection.

Maria (1995) Based on the 1965 film, The Sound of Music; played by Julie Andrews Hollywood Legends Collection.

Johnny Hallyday (1995) French singer, sold only in France.

Cher Horowitz, Amber Mariens and Dionne Davenport (1997) based on the Clueless characters played by Rachel Blanchard, Elisa Donovan and Stacey Dash.

Marilyn Monroe (1997, 2001, 2009), Hollywood Legends Collection, Timeless Treasures Collection, and Blonde Ambition Collection.

Elvis Presley (1997–?) The first version came in a gift set called "Barbie Loves Elvis."

Lucille Ball (1997–2021) The first version was as the Vitameatavegamin Girl.

Audrey Hepburn (1998, 2013) Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's; Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's Pink Princess™ Fashion; Audrey Hepburn™ in Roman Holiday Doll; Audrey Hepburn™ as Sabrina Doll.

Rosie O'Donnell (1999), as host of The Rosie O'Donnell Show.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (1999–2005), fraternal twin actresses and fashion designers.

Brandy Norwood (1999–2000) R&B Singer and actress.

Frank Sinatra (1999–?) The first version came in a gift set called "Barbie Loves Frank Sinatra."

Elizabeth Taylor (1999, 2012) The Elizabeth Taylor Collection.

James Dean (2000), From the Timeless Treasures Collection.

Cher (2001–?), From the Timeless Treasures Collection; Black Label Collection.

Shakira (2002) Colombian singer.

Destiny's Child (Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams) (2005) international Superstars. Beyoncé famously got her own face sculpt while Kelly and Michelle got leftover face sculpts from Barbie's friends, Asha and Shani, respectively.

Diana Ross (2005) American singer.

Leann Rimes (2005) American country and pop singer.

Martina McBride (2005) American country music singer and songwriter.

Lindsay Lohan (2005) from My Scene Goes Hollywood, part of the My Scene line.[15]

Raven Baxter (2005) based on the That's So Raven character played by Raven-Symoné.

Mía Colucci, Lupita Fernandez, Roberta Pardo, Miguel Arango, Diego Bustamante and Giovanni Méndez (2007), based on the Mexican soap opera Rebelde.

Patrick Dempsey (2007) American actor and race car driver, Disney Movie Enchanted Robert.

Amy Adams (2007) American actress, Disney Movie Enchanted Giselle.

Kimora Lee Simmons (2008) former American fashion model; created fashion label Baby Phat.

Goldie Hawn (2009) From the Black Label Blonde Ambition Collection.

Heidi Klum (2009) From the Black Label Blonde Ambition Collection.

Carol Burnett (2009) as seen on The Carol Burnett Show; Pink Label Collection.

Debbie Harry (2009) From the "Ladies of the '80s" series.

Joan Jett (2009) From the "Ladies of the '80s" series.

Jinx Johnson (2010) From the Black Label "Bond Girls" Collection. Sculpted in the likeness of Halle Berry.

Cyndi Lauper (2010) From the "Ladies of the '80s" series.

Bella Swan, Edward Cullen, Jacob Black, Alice Cullen, Jane, Victoria, Carlisle Cullen, Esme Cullen, Jasper Hale, Rosalie Hale, and Emmett Cullen (2009–2011), based on The Twilight Saga film series; Pink Label Collection

Barbra Streisand (2010) From the Pink Label Collection.

Farrah Fawcett (2010) From the Black Label Collection.

Taylor Swift (2010) American country pop singer.

Rock Hudson and Doris Day (2011) from the 1959 feature film Pillow Talk; Pink Label Collection.

Grace Kelly (2011) To Catch a Thief Grace Kelly Doll; Grace Kelly The Bride Doll; Grace Kelly The Romance™ Doll; Rear Window Grace Kelly Doll

Faith Hill & Tim McGraw (2011) American country pop singers.

Nicki Minaj (2011) an American rapper and singer.

Katy Perry (2011) an American singer.

Katniss Everdeen (2012–?) A character from the movie based on the Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins. The doll is a likeness of actress Jennifer Lawrence.

Peeta Mellark (2012–?) A character from the movie based on the Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins. The doll is a likeness of actor Josh Hutcherson.

Effie Trinket (2012–?) A character from the movie based on the Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins. The doll is a likeness of actress Elizabeth Banks.

Finnick Odair (2012–?) A character from the movie based on the Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins. The doll is a likeness of actor Sam Claflin.

Jennifer Lopez (2013) From the Black Label Collection. Two versions were released, one dressed in her world tour jumpsuit, the other with her dress worn at the red carpet.

Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, black label dolls released as a promotional tie-in with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). Each one is sculpted in the likeness of their respective actor, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, and Gal Gadot.

Tomb Raider (2018) features a doll based on Lara Croft in the film, sculpted in the likeness of Alicia Vikander.

A Wrinkle in Time (2018) dolls based on Mrs. Which, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Who. Each doll is sculpted in the likeness of Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling respectively.

Owen Grady and Claire Dearing from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018). The dolls are sculpted in the likeness of Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard respectively.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018) features dolls based on Clara, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the Ballerina Princess. Each doll is sculpted in the likeness of Mackenzie Foy, Keira Knightley, and Misty Copeland respectively.

Frida Kahlo (2018) Mexican artist. As of September 2018, the doll is no longer available.[16]

Amelia Earhart (2018) American Aviator and the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

Katherine Johnson (2018) American Mathematician.

CookieSwirlC (2019) YouTube Content Creator, referred to as a Roberts sister on Barbie's YouTube channel.[17]

Rosa Parks (2019) American Seamstress and Civil Rights Activist.

Sally Ride (2019) The first, and youngest, American woman to fly into space.

Ella Fitzgerald (2020) American Jazz Singer.

Susan B. Anthony (2020) American Civil Rights Activist.

Billie Jean King (2020) American Tennis Player.

Florence Nightingale (2020) English Nurse.

Black Widow (2020) Two dolls based on the titular character were released, one in the black suit and one in the white suit. Both are sculpted in the likeness of Scarlett Johansson.

Maya Angelou (2021) American Writer, Author, and Activist.

Eleanor Roosevelt (2021) Former First Lady of the United States and Human Rights Activist.

Helen Keller (2021) American Author and Activist.

Ida B. Wells (2022) American civil rights activist.

Camila Cabello, Ally Brooke, Dinah Jane Hansen, Lauren Jauregui, Normani Kordei (2014) American music group Fifth Harmony American partnered with Mattel for “With Barbie anything is possible” campaign and released accompanying anthem inspired by tagline. Dolls appeared in “Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse” episode titled ‘Sister’s Fun Day’.

Vera Wang (2022) American fashion designer, as part of the Tribute Collection.

Queen Elizabeth II (2022) Queen of England, as part of the Tribute Collection.

Laverne Cox (2022) American actress and LGBT rights activist, as part of the Tribute Collection. This doll became historical for being the first doll in Barbie history to be transgender, as Cox is a trans woman in real life.

Jane Goodall (2022) English Anthropologist and animal rights activist.

Madam C.J. Walker (2022) American entrepreneur and hairstylist.

Gloria Estefan (2022) Cuban-American Singer and Songwriter.

Tina Turner (2022) American-born Swiss Singer and Songwriter.

Bessie Coleman (2023) American civil aviator.

Anna May Wong (2023) American actress.

María Félix (2023) Mexican actress and singer, as part of the Tribute Collection.[18]

Others

Barbara "Brooklyn Barbie" Millicent Roberts (2021–present): A black eponymously-named friend of Barbie, first introduced in the 2021 film Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams. In the film, Barbie crosses paths with her over a locker engraved in their name in a performing arts school in Brooklyn, New York City. They become fast friends and have been sharing spotlights and lead roles in most recent entries in the media franchise.[19][20] Christopher Keenan, who served as co-executive producer and co-writer of the 2021 film described her as a "fearless, smart and loyal friend with an exuberant and infectious personality" as well as being "a confident and optimistic triple-threat singer, dancer and musician who dreams big and believes in the limitless possibilities of life".[21]

Model of the Moment

A collector series of dolls designed by veteran Mattel designer Robert Best. The series featured three new characters including Daria, Marisa, and Nichelle. The dolls were notable for featuring a new body sculpt known as Model Muse, which is a body designed to stay in one static pose as a display figurine. The series was discontinued after only 5 dolls, but the dolls live on as their face and body sculpts are used for other Barbie dolls ever since. The Model Muse body in particular has become the new standard body for collector dolls in the Barbie line.

Daria (2004-2005) was the Caucasian doll in this collection. Two versions of her were released, including Daria Celebutante and Daria Shopping Queen.

Marisa (2004-2005) was the Hispanic doll in this collection. Two versions of her were released, including Pretty Young Thing Marisa and Beach Baby Marisa.

Nichelle (2004) was the African-American doll in this collection, not to be confused with the Shani character Nichelle. Only one version was released, Nichelle Urban Hipster.

Shani and friends

Main article: The Marvelous World of Shani

When first introduced, the Shani line of dolls existed outside of the Barbie character continuity. After a couple of years, the Shani character was introduced into the Barbie line.

Shani (1991-1994)

Asha (1991–1994)

Nichelle (1991–1994)

Jamal (boyfriend – 1992–1994)

Asha - African American Collection

Main article: The Marvelous World of Shani

A short-lived Afrocentric doll line introduced in 1994, retroactively considered Barbie friend dolls. Although the dolls are unrelated to Shani's friend Asha, the dolls still used the Shani face mold and were meant to be a successor to the Shani line.

Harlem Theatre Collection

Three character dolls from Carlyle Nuera's Harlem Theatre Collection.

Claudette Gordon (2015)

Madam LaVinia (2016)

Selma DuPar James (2017)

Byron Lars - Passport Collection

Three dolls released in the Passport Collection by American fashion designer Byron Lars. Each doll is a multicultural and biracial character from a different part of the world.

Ayako Jones (2009) is Blasian, being of African and Japanese descent.

Charmaine King (2010) is Afro-French, being of African and French descent, specifically Monaco.

Fenella Layla (2011) is Afro-Scottish, being of African and Scottish descent. Her fashion is a fusion of Kente Cloth and Scottish Tartan.

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1986 Barbie DreamHouse

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2010 Toy Story 3 Ken & Barbie

2017 Hello Barbie™ Hologram

2017 Hello Barbie™ Hologram

2017 Hello Barbie™ Hologram

2005 Destiny's Child

2005 Destiny's Child - Michelle

2005 Destiny's Child - Kelly

2005 Destiny's Child - Beyoncé

2012 William And Catherine Royal Wedding® Giftset

2012 William And Catherine Royal Wedding® Giftset

2012 William And Catherine Royal Wedding® Giftset

2012 William And Catherine Royal Wedding® Giftset

1985 Andy Warhol Barbie

2016 Barbie Dreamhouse

2015 Barbie Dreamhouse

1998 Barbie Deluxe Dreamhouse

1990 Barbie Magical Mansion

1984 Dream Cottage

1981 Dreamhouse

2015 Barbie Find Your Style-Flats

2015 Barbie Find Your Style-Flats

2015 Barbie Find Your Style-Flats

2015 Barbie Find Your Style-Flats

2015 Barbie Princess Power Launch at Nuremberg Toy Fair

2014 Fifth Harmony with Fifth Harmony Barbie dolls

2014 Barbie Loves Forever 21

2014 Barbie Loves Forever 21

2014 Barbie announced the Fan Bing Bing Celebrity Specialty...

2014 Barbie announced the Fan Bing Bing Celebrity Specialty...

2013 Barbie Premium Experience in partnership with Royal...

2013 Barbie Premium Experience in partnership with Royal...

2013 Barbie Premium Experience in partnership with Royal...

2014 Barbie The Pearl Princess 2-in-1 Mermaid Princess Doll

2014 Barbie Entrepreneur

2013 Barbie LIVE! (EMS Entertainment)

2013 Barbie Dreamhouse Living Room

2013 Barbie Dreamhouse Dining Room

2013 Barbie Dreamhouse Elevator

2013 Barbie Dreamhouse Kitchen

2013 Barbie Dreamhouse Bedroom

2013 Barbie Dreamhouse

2013 Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse Feature Talkin Raquelle Doll

2013 Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse Fashion Vending Machine

2013 Laurence Jenkell for Barbie Candy Sculpture

2013 Laurence Jenkell for Barbie Candy Sculpture

2013 Laurence Jenkell for Barbie Candy Sculpture

2013 Laurence Jenkell for Barbie Candy Sculpture

2013 Laurence Jenkell for Barbie Candy Sculpture

2013 Laurence Jenkell for Barbie Candy Sculpture

2013 Laurence Jenkell for Barbie Candy Sculpture

2013 Barbie Is Moving event at The Grove

2013 Barbie Is Moving event at The Grove

2013 Barbie is Moving Mario Lopez

2013 Barbie is Moving Mario Lopez

2013 Barbie The Dreamhouse Experience: Berlin, Germany

2013 Barbie The Dreamhouse Experience: Berlin, Germany

2013 Barbie The Dreamhouse Experience: Berlin, Germany

2013 Barbie The Dreamhouse Experience: South Florida

2013 Barbie The Dreamhouse Experience: South Florida

2013 Barbie The Dreamhouse Experience: South Florida

2013 Barbie The Dreamhouse Experience: South Florida

2013 Barbie The Dreamhouse Experience: South Florida

2013 Barbie The Dreamhouse Experience: South Florida

2013 Barbie in the Pink Shoes Ken as Prince Siegfried

2013 Barbie in the Pink Shoes Odette

2013 Barbie in the Pink Shoes Kristyn Farraday

2013 Barbie in the Pink Shoes Kristyn Farraday (transformed)

2013 Barbie in the Pink Shoes Giselle

2012 Barbie Dreamhouse

1998 Barbie Deluxe Dreamhouse

1990 Barbie Magical Mansion

1983 Barbie Townhouse

1974 Barbie Townhouse

1962 Barbie Dream House

2012 Barbie for President by Chris Benz

2012 Stephen Burrows with Pazette Barbie Doll

2012 Barbie Princess & The Popstar Tori Doll (transformed)

2012 Barbie Princess & The Popstar Tori Doll

2012 Barbie See What Happens (Photo Girl Pink Sky): This year,...

2012 Barbie See What Happens (Photo Girl Pink Cloud): This...

2011 Barbie A Mermaid Tale 2 Merliah

2011 Barbie A Fairy Secret Doll

2011 Barbie and Ken

1984 Barbie and Ken

1979 Barbie and Ken

1978 Barbie and Ken

1961 Barbie and Ken

2011 Barbie FNO Alexis Bittar

2011 Sweet Talkin Ken

2010 Shavin Ken

2010 The Blonds Barbie

2010 Barbie by The Blonds

2010 News Anchor Display

1992 Totally Hair Ken

2010 A Fashion Fairytale Barbie

2011 Ken & Barbie Toy Story 3

2010 Ken (with tag)

1984 Ken

1979 Ken

1978 Ken

1962 Ken

2010 Barbie in A Mermaid Tale Merliah Doll

2011 Architect Barbie Launch at AIA Convention

2011 Architect Barbie Launch (Girls Workshop)

2009 Barbie Runway Show (Michael Kors design)

1981 Roller Skater

2010 Barbie Rally Car

2010 Barbie Basics Isaac Mizrahi

2008 3-Story Dream House

1979 Dream House

1978 Country Camper

1961 Austin Healy

1994 Native American Barbie

1994 Kenyan Barbie

1993 Native American Barbie

2010 Barbie Basics Rachel Roy

2010 Barbie Basics Tory Burch

2010 Computer Engineer Display

2010 Barbie Basics Albertus Swanepoel

2010 Barbie Basics Alexis Bittar

2010 Barbie Basics Betsey Johnson

2010 Barbie Basics Devi Kroell

2010 Barbie Basics Group Design

2010 Barbie Basics Justin Guinta

2010 Barbie Basics Lorraine Schwartz

2010 Barbie Basics Lorraine Schwartz

2010 Barbie Basics Monica Botkier

2010 Barbie Basics Phillip Crangi

1990s Barbie & Ken

1973 Malibu Christie

1969 Julia

1969 Christie

1963 Midge

1960s Barbie & Ken

2000 Jewel Girl

1999 Generation Girl

1992 Totally Hair Barbie

1988 Fashion Magic Barbie

1985 Day to Night Barbie

1983 Dream Date Barbie

1981 Golden Dream Barbie

1980 Hispanic Barbie

1980 Black Barbi

1977 Superstar Barbie

1973 Quick Curl Barbie

1971 Malibu Barbie

1971 Malibu Barbie (w/towel)

1969 Twist Barbie

1968 Talking Barbie

1967 Barbie Twist N Turn

1966 Barbie Color Magic

1965 Barbie

1962 Barbie Red Flare

1962 Barbie (Swimsuit

1959 Barbie (Roman Holiday)

1959 Teenage Fashion Model Barbie

In the 1980s, the net popularity and sales of the Barbie fashion doll on the toy market began to decline[4] and struggled further in 2001 when MGA Entertainment introduced a line of dolls under the name Bratz, whose sexualized characters contrasted with Barbie's older, chaste image.[5][6] Mattel therefore attempted to overhaul the Barbie brand to keep the toy relevant to consumers in the modern age by bringing in consultants and conducting research on key market groups. Mattel consultants initially considered reducing the Barbie's breast size, but later claimed that the doll's figure could not be changed because "being consistent is one of her biggest strengths".[7] Mattel's team also considered targeting market audiences of career women and their daughters by introducing lines of Doctor or Lawyer Barbies.[8] However, Mattel's research showed that girls were spending more time online than playing with physical dolls.[5][8][9] Therefore, targeted career Barbies were discarded in favor of looking for more interactive platforms through online or digital media.

In response, Mattel began adapting Barbie into various facets of media and entertainment beyond the television advertisement of its dolls and related accessories (which was a prolific marketing strategy in the past) For the first 16 entries in the film series, Barbie is featured as a virtual actress playing the main character, and often being portrayed as a modern girl telling the story to one of her sisters or a younger friend – as a parable to present affairs. Scholars examining how the Barbie films differ from other princess narratives have concluded that Mattel intentionally attempted to remediate its brand based on feminist criticisms through storytelling in the films.[4][10]

History

In 1987, Mattel produced two television specials with DIC Animation City and Saban Productions; Barbie and the Rockers: Out of This World and its sequel Barbie and the Sensations: Rockin' Back to Earth, both featuring Barbie as the leader of a rock band. Between the 1980s and early 2000s, Barbie got featured in video games, many of which were distributed by Vivendi-Universal Games. With the boom of home video marketing at the time, Mattel launched an eponymous in-house entertainment division in 2001[11] and began the creation of the Barbie films with the direct-to-video release of Barbie in the Nutcracker. The films initially revolved around Barbie being re-imagined as a princess and eventually expanded into various worlds of fashion and fantasy. A primary benefit of this strategy revolved around marketing, as Mattel could sell dolls specific to each film separately from the video sales and merchandise related to props, costumes and sets from the films.[6]

Tim Kilpin, then-senior vice-president for girls marketing at Mattel, stated: "What you see now are several different Barbie worlds anchored by content and storytelling. A girl can understand what role Barbie is playing, what the other characters are doing, and how they interrelate. That's a much richer level of story that leads to a richer level of play."[12] The strategy worked as U.S. Barbie sales, led by the princess line, "increased by two percent in 2006, saving Mattel's bottom line at a time when its worldwide share of the toy market was declining."[8][13] Within the films, Mattel included performances by well-known companies and orchestras, such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic and the New York City Ballet.[5][6] These associations could have been included as an enrichment strategy on behalf of Mattel's marketing team to help the films be seen as educational.

In the midst of the films, Canadian animation studio, Arc Productions, Inc., which was just renamed from Starz Animation Toronto[14][15][16] (originally Daniel Krech Productions (DKP) and DKP Studios) and had new-consortium ownership and structural revamp, produced the first non-Barbie-film production for Mattel in 2011, a web series called Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse which debuted on the official Barbie website and YouTube on January 11, 2012, and concluded on November 27, 2015. The web series later spawned two television specials which were broadcast in the U.S. on Nickelodeon. Impressed, Mattel gave them four Barbie films to produce while enlisting them as the third production partner after Mainframe Studios (at the time known as "Rainmaker Entertainment") and Technicolor.

Israeli animation studio, Snowball Studios, with support from the Jerusalem Film and Television Fund,[17] produced another web series, this time created by Nickelodeon alum Julia Pistor, for Mattel Playground Productions known as Barbie: Dreamtopia.[18][19] This series of 2-minute to 4-minute shorts launched on May 21, 2016, by Mattel's then-newest division, Mattel Creations, on YouTube's affiliate platform, YouTube Kids. The web shorts series later spawned an eponymous television film (distributed by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and was broadcast on television in over 5 countries and regions/territories), one web-based special and a 26-episode web series – therefore invoking the first web-exclusive Barbie media franchise. This would be the catalyst for scholars and enthusiasts alike to notice Mattel heavily invested and involved in releasing more related Barbie web series and miniseries bundles on YouTube and its variants; YouTube Kids and YouTube Shorts.

Through the short video bundles on YouTube, Mattel also provided a platform for Barbie to give its audience a look into her fictional life while trying to educate them along the way. With a YouTube channel having over 11 million subscribers,[20] Mattel introduced Barbie as a YouTuber through a web series called Barbie Vlogger (or Barbie Vlogs), uploading its first video on June 19, 2015. Julia Pistor, who worked on the series as an executive producer and writer, stated: "Barbie is conscious of language and words; she talks about intention and she's self-reflective. While we might use words that kids sometimes need to look up, we try to be true to Barbie being a 17-year-old influencer." By giving a self-reflective nature to Barbie's character, this would allow her to discuss difficult topics (such as mental health and racism) in such a way that it inspires its audience to think about and discuss those topics as well.[21][22][23]

With the success of its online platforms, Mattel would continue to produce web series and mini-series on YouTube and its variants. Beginning with Barbie: Dolphin Magic in 2017, the media franchise as a whole moved over to streaming media services, primarily Netflix, but also including Amazon Prime Video, Google Play and Apple TV+, with Mattel still maintaining the possibility of linear television broadcast agreements. In addition, Mattel signed an agreement on May 1, 2020, with Arts Music, Inc., a then-newest record label of Warner Music Group, to make thousands of songs from their brand portfolio – including Barbie – available through online music streaming services.[24][25][26] The agreement began taking effect a week later when the soundtrack albums tied to their related productions are made available through WMG's distribution label, ADA Worldwide. Mattel would extend its partnership with Netflix on October 21, 2022, 4 days before the American debut of the franchise's inaugural interactive "special", Barbie: Epic Road Trip, which would also see the pre-2017 film catalogue previously held by Universal made available occasionally through the streaming service.[27][28][29]

Films

Further information: List of Barbie animated films

After numerous video game releases in the 1990s and the rise of home video marketing, Mattel[a] partnered with Canadian company, Mainframe Entertainment, (currently Mainframe Studios)[b] to produce its first computer-animated feature-length film, Barbie in the Nutcracker, based on E. T. A. Hoffmann's classic tale and Tchaikovsky's accompanying ballet music, for a 2001 release. Mainframe continued to produce the majority of films in the series.[c] The first decade was dominated by films based on pre-existing stories/tales, including Brothers Grimm's fairy tales: Rapunzel and The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina and Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers.[32]

The second film in the series, Barbie as Rapunzel, saw the debut of the film series on American television via Nickelodeon as television specials. For the home video formats, the release of the series on VHS ceased in 2006 after The Barbie Diaries following a general gradual decline in the use of the format and the transfer of distribution duties for the series to Universal in favor of solely the DVD releases. The Blu-ray and digital copies and the digital copies (branded as "Digital HD") were introduced to accompany the DVD with the release of Barbie in the Pink Shoes in 2013.[33][34]

Due to the popularity of the 2004 film Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper (based on Mark Twain's famous novel), a remake was released in 2012 entitled Barbie: The Princess & the Popstar,[35] which itself inspired two films with a more modern look: Barbie in Rock 'N Royals in 2015 and Barbie: Princess Adventure in 2020.

The success of the first three films (Barbie in the Nutcracker, Barbie as Rapunzel and Barbie of Swan Lake) led to the princess-themed lineup in the series, releasing its original princess film Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus in 2005. The first original film in the franchise, Barbie: Fairytopia, spawned the first-in-series franchise made up of two sequels (Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia in 2006 and Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow in 2007) and two spin-offs (Barbie: Mariposa in 2008 and its sequel, Barbie: Mariposa & the Fairy Princess, in 2013).[36]

Starting with Barbie in A Mermaid Tale in early 2010, the film series moved away from the classic princess and fairy stories to focus on more modern themes like fashion, music, and on stories revolving around Barbie's friends, family and careers.[37] Barbie: Video Game Hero, the 35th film entry released in early 2017, marked the last time a Barbie film both aired on American television and released on home video formats.[38] In 2017, the film series was put on hiatus after Barbie: Dolphin Magic, which served as the pilot to the inaugural television show in the franchise, Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures, in Mattel's attempt to focus on expanding the franchise to other audiovisual media formats. Mattel later revamped the films in 2020 as animated "specials", beginning with the musical, Barbie: Princess Adventure.[39][40]

Below is the full official computer-animated films in the media franchise:

# Film U.S. original release date Director(s) Screenwriter(s) Ref.

1 Barbie in the Nutcracker October 2, 2001 Owen Hurley Rob Hudnut, Linda Engelsiepen & Hilary Hinkle [41]

2 Barbie as Rapunzel October 1, 2002 Elana Lesser & Cliff Ruby [42]

3 Barbie of Swan Lake September 30, 2003 [43]

4 Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper September 28, 2004 William Lau [44]

5 Barbie: Fairytopia March 8, 2005 Walter P. Martishius Elise Allen & Diane Duane [45]

6 Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus September 20, 2005 Greg Richardson Elana Lesser & Cliff Ruby [46]

7 Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia March 14, 2006 William Lau & Walter P. Martishius Elise Allen & Diane Duane [47]

8 The Barbie Diaries May 9, 2006 Eric Fogel Elise Allen & Laura McCreary [48]

9 Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses September 19, 2006 Greg Richardson Elana Lesser & Cliff Ruby [49]

10 Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow March 13, 2007 William Lau Elise Allen [50]

11 Barbie as the Island Princess September 18, 2007 Greg Richardson Elana Lesser & Cliff Ruby [51]

12 Barbie: Mariposa[d] February 26, 2008 Conrad Helten Elise Allen [52]

13 Barbie & the Diamond Castle September 9, 2008 Gino Nichelle Elana Lesser & Cliff Ruby [53]

14 Barbie in A Christmas Carol November 4, 2008 William Lau Elise Allen [54]

15 Barbie Presents: Thumbelina March 17, 2009 Conrad Helten [55]

16 Barbie and the Three Musketeers September 15, 2009 William Lau Amy Wolfram [56]

17 Barbie in A Mermaid Tale March 2, 2010 Adam L. Wood Elise Allen [57]

18 Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale September 14, 2010 William Lau [58]

19 Barbie: A Fairy Secret March 15, 2011 [59]

20 Barbie: Princess Charm School September 13, 2011 Ezekiel Norton [60]

21 Barbie: A Perfect Christmas November 8, 2011 Mark Baldo [61]

22 Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2 February 27, 2012 William Lau [62]

23 Barbie: The Princess & the Popstar September 11, 2012 Ezekiel Norton Steve Granat & Cydne Clark [63]

24 Barbie in the Pink Shoes February 26, 2013 Owen Hurley Alison Taylor [64]

25 Barbie: Mariposa & the Fairy Princess August 27, 2013 William Lau Elise Allen [65]

26 Barbie & Her Sisters in A Pony Tale October 22, 2013 Kyran Kelly Cydne Clark & Steve Granat [66]

27 Barbie: The Pearl Princess February 15, 2014 Ezekiel Norton [67]

28 Barbie and the Secret Door August 7, 2014 Karen J. Lloyd Brian Hohlfeld [68]

29 Barbie in Princess Power February 26, 2015 Ezekiel Norton Marsha Griffin [69]

30 Barbie in Rock 'N Royals August 13, 2015 Karen J. Lloyd [70]

31 Barbie & Her Sisters in the Great Puppy Adventure October 8, 2015 Andrew Tan Amy Wolfram [71]

32 Barbie: Spy Squad January 15, 2016 Conrad Helten Marsha Griffin & Kacey Arnold [72]

33 Barbie: Star Light Adventure August 29, 2016 Andrew Tan Kacey Arnold [73]

34 Barbie & Her Sisters in A Puppy Chase October 18, 2016 Conrad Helten Amy Wolfram & Kacey Arnold [74]

35 Barbie: Video Game Hero January 31, 2017 Conrad Helten & Ezekiel Norton Nina Bargiel [75]

36 Barbie: Dolphin Magic September 18, 2017 Conrad Helten Jennifer Skelly [76]

37 Barbie: Princess Adventure September 1, 2020 Ann Austen [77]

38 Barbie & Chelsea: The Lost Birthday April 16, 2021 Cassandra Mackay (credited as Cassi Simonds) Ann Austen & Nathaniel "Nate" Federman [78]

39 Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams September 1, 2021 Scott Pleydell-Pearce Christopher Keenan & Catherine "Kate" Splaine [79]

40 Barbie: Mermaid Power September 1, 2022 Ron Myrick Ann Austen [80]

41 Barbie: Epic Road Trip October 25, 2022 Conrad Helten Aury Wallington [81]

42 Barbie: Skipper and the Big Babysitting Adventure March 16, 2023 Steve Daye Daniel Bryan Franklin [82]

Live-action film

Main article: Barbie (film)

A live-action adaptation of the toy line from Mattel Films in association with LuckyChap Entertainment and Heyday Films was released on July 21, 2023[83][84] by Warner Bros. having wrapped on July 15, 2022.[85][86][87] The film was directed by Greta Gerwig who co-wrote the screenplay with Noah Baumbach and stars an ensemble cast led by Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken.[88]

Animated specials

Before the films and the video games, Mattel released two animated television specials in 1987. Another animated special was released on February 1, 2023, on YouTube to complement a doll line exclusively aimed at preschoolers.

Barbie and the Rockers: Out of This World, a 1987 animated TV special created by DIC Animation City with Saban Productions and featuring Barbie as the leader of a rock band. It is supposedly the pilot to a daily Barbie animated series that was scrapped in 1988.[89]

Barbie and the Sensations: Rockin' Back to Earth, a 1987 sequel to Barbie and the Rockers: Out of This World, where Barbie and her band return from space only to end up in the 1950s.

My First Barbie: Happy Dreamday, a 40-minute musical animated special produced by Canada-based Kickstart Entertainment and released on February 1, 2023, on YouTube, featuring Barbie and her friends as they prepare for a surprise party for Chelsea.[90]

Animated series

Mattel has released several animated television shows, web series and miniseries since 2012 which include as follows:

Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse, a YouTube-exclusive web series aired between January 10, 2012, and November 27, 2015, with 75 episodes (including two TV specials which aired in the United States on Nickelodeon).

Barbie: Motion Comics, a web-based animated motion comic series released between August 5 and October 18, 2015, on YouTube and is composed of miniseries, namely: Be Super (inspired by Barbie in Princess Power), Raise Your Voice (inspired by Barbie in Rock 'N Royals), and Puppy Adventures (inspired by Barbie & Her Sisters in The Great Puppy Adventure).[91]

Barbie Vlogger or Barbie Vlogs, a YouTube-exclusive CGI-animated sequences that began on June 19, 2015, and featuring Barbie as a vlogger either by herself or along with one or more of her family and friends.[92]

Barbie: Dreamtopia, a web-exclusive franchise that began in January 2016 with a release of 2-minute to 4-minute shorts on YouTube. It then spawned one 44-minute TV special (which aired on television in 5 countries/regions/territories), one web-based special and an initially-exclusive YouTube Kids series with 26 episodes. The latter was made available later on YouTube from November 5, 2017, to April 1, 2018, and aired as an actual TV series in over 6 countries.

Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures, the inaugural TV series in the franchise released between May 3, 2018, and April 12, 2020, on Netflix in the U.S. It consisted of 52 episodes over 5 "season" episode bundles and aired as an actual TV series in over 8 countries.

Barbie's Dreamworld, a YouTube-exclusive web series franchise created by Ireland-based Relish Studios that began on January 25, 2021, and is composed of several different miniseries, including Barbie: Return to Dreamtopia and Barbie and the Nutcracker among others.[93]

Barbie: It Takes Two, the second TV series in the franchise released in two installments on Netflix in the United States; 13 episodes on April 8[94] and another 13 on October 1,[95] both in 2022. Released as the television format follow-up to the film released before it, Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams, the series debuted on Australian television via 9Go! and later aired on television in over 4 countries/regions/territories.

Barbie: Life in the City, a YouTube-exclusive web series which debuted on September 15, 2022, primarily focusing on Barbie "Brooklyn" Roberts and expanding her character to emphasize her role and prominence within the brand.[95]

Barbie: A Touch of Magic, the third TV series of the franchise will premiere on Netflix on September 14, 2023, in the United States.[96]

Short films

Mattel produced a number of animated short films featuring Barbie as tie-ins with other titles within the franchise which include as follows:

Barbie as Sleeping Beauty, a 1999 short film based on the fairy tale released as a TV commercial to supplement a doll line and a video game of the same name. A full-length version supposedly adapting Tchaikovsky's ballet was scrapped in 2009.[97][98]

Barbie: A Camping We Will Go, a 2011 short film produced by Technicolor that revolved around Barbie and her sisters to accompany the film, Barbie: A Perfect Christmas.[99]

Barbie in the Pink Shoes: Land of Sweets, a 2013 short film and Christmas special for Barbie in the Pink Shoes that was first released in German, then was later dubbed in English.[100]

Barbie and the Nutcracker, a 2021 short film released on YouTube as an episode for Barbie's Dreamworld and, along with a doll line, was part of celebrating the 20th anniversary of the first film, Barbie in the Nutcracker.[101]

Related animations

Aside its eponymous franchise, Mattel also licensed for Barbie to appear in other related animated productions which include as follows:

Dance! Workout with Barbie, a 1992 30-minute direct-to-video workout tape, featuring Barbie in stop-motion animation by Will Vinton Productions and teaching dance aerobics to real girls.[102]

Toy Story, a Disney-Pixar film franchise that started in 1995 and featuring Barbie (and later Ken) as supporting characters from Toy Story 2 onwards and its 2011 short film Hawaiian Vacation.

My Scene, a discontinued franchise launched by Mattel in 2002 and featuring Barbie in its web series and in all of its films, namely: Jammin' in Jamaica and Masquerade Madness in 2004 and My Scene Goes Hollywood in 2005.

Kelly Dream Club, a 2002 direct-to-video animated series and featuring Barbie as a supporting character to her younger sister, Kelly (renamed Chelsea in 2011).[103]

Cancelled projects

The television specials released in 1987, Barbie and the Rockers: Out of this World and Barbie and the Sensations: Rockin' Back to Earth, were originally pitched as pilot episodes for a Barbie animated series that never materialized owing to the break-down in negotiations between DIC Entertainment and Mattel. The project eventually emerged with a whole new set of characters as Hasbro's Maxie's World in 1988.[89]

In an earlier version of the first Toy Story film, Barbie supposed to have a pivotal role. However, Mattel did not authorize her use to Pixar, as they feared the film would not be successful. Additionally, they wanted to maintain Barbie's neutrality wherein every girl who bought a Barbie doll could imagine her as they wanted, rather than as she was portrayed in a particular film. After the success of the first film, multiple Barbie dolls had small roles in Toy Story 2, before the debut of the franchise's definitive iteration in the second sequel.[104]

The 1999 short film commercial, Barbie as Sleeping Beauty, which was released on Nickelodeon as a tie-in to a doll line and video game of the same name, was originally pitched to be a full-length film. At the peak of classic princess-themed films in the 2000s, Mattel continued to pitch the idea of adapting the fairy tale based on the ballet, completing the adaptations of all three Tchaikovsky's ballets into the franchise. However, it was scrapped without any disclosure on the status of its development while doll lines were released on multiple occasions.[105] Although the reason behind the cancellation is closely linked to The Walt Disney Company being granted to trademark the name "Princess Aurora" and included the acquisition of some of the music (also based on the ballet) for its film.[106][98]

Upcoming projects

Starting with the interactive special film Barbie: Epic Road Trip on October 25, 2022, Mattel signed a long-term deal or contract extension with Netflix to make available the pre-2017 film catalogue previously held by Universal Pictures occasionally on the service and also co-produce upcoming projects which include exclusive animated films, specials and shows based on Barbie, while still maintaining the possibility of linear television broadcast agreements and YouTube engagements.[27][28]

Mattel published its upcoming projects on February 16, 2023, that was made available through this link which included a list of more Barbie content, as follows:

Release date Title Streaming platform Type

Autumn/Fall 2023 – Spring 2024 Barbie: Touch of Magic Netflix Animated series

(with 2 seasons and 26 episodes)

Spring 2024 My First Barbie

YouTube Kids

Netflix

Animated series

(with 250 minutes of content)

March/April 2024 Barbie: Stacie to the Rescue Netflix Full-length film (with 4 new songs)

September/October 2024 Barbie: Passport to Adventure First Netflix original series

(with 8 22-minute episodes)

Timeline of media appearances

The earliest appearance of Barbie as a media character is her role in the 1987 TV specials where she was voiced by Sharon Lewis.[107] She was voiced by Jodi Benson during her appearances in the Toy Story film franchise.[108] In the Barbie lead-role films, she was voiced by Kelly Sheridan in 27 films altogether.[109] Sheridan was initially succeeded by Diana Kaarina beginning with Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale in 2010, but returned to the role 2 years later with Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2[110] and stayed put until Mattel announced Erica Lindbeck as her successor from 2016.[111] The film series was put on a hiatus in 2017 for the shift in focus to the TV series, Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures, where America Young would replace Lindbeck as the vocal provider for Barbie ahead of the film series resumption in 2020.[112] She was portrayed by Australian actress Margot Robbie in the live-action adaptation of the toyline which was released on July 21, 2023.

Barbie's appearances in films and other audiovisual media officially licensed by Mattel 

Year Title Barbie's roles Portrayed by Notes

1987 Barbie and the Rockers: Out of This World Barbie Sharon Lewis (voice) TV special

Barbie and the Sensations: Rockin' Back to Earth

1992 Dance! Workout with Barbie Jodi Benson (voice) Direct-to-video/featurette

1999 Toy Story 2 Tour Guide Barbie (cameo appearance) feature film

Barbie as Sleeping Beauty Princess Rose silent appearance TV commercial/short film

2001 Barbie in the Nutcracker Barbie / Clara / Sugar Plum Princess Kelly Sheridan (voice) Direct-to-video

2002 Barbie as Rapunzel Barbie / Rapunzel

Kelly Dream Club Barbie (supporting character)

2002–2007 My Scene Barbie web series (43 episodes with Barbie)

2003 Barbie of Swan Lake Barbie / Odette Direct-to-video

2004 My Scene: Jammin' in Jamaica Barbie

My Scene: Masquerade Madness

Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper Princess Anneliese / Erika

Melissa Lyons (singing voice for Anneliese)

Julie Stevens (singing voice for Erika)

2005 Barbie: Fairytopia Elina

My Scene Goes Hollywood: The Movie Barbie

Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus Princess Annika

2006 Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia Elina

The Barbie Diaries Barbie Skye Sweetnam (singing voice for Barbie)

Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses Princess Genevieve Melissa Lyons (singing voice for Genevieve)

2007 Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow Elina

Barbie as the Island Princess Ro / Princess Rosella Melissa Lyons (singing voice for Rosella)

2008 Barbie: Mariposa Elina / Mariposa Chiara Zanni (voice for Mariposa)

Barbie & the Diamond Castle Barbie / Liana Melissa Lyons (singing voice for Liana)

Barbie in A Christmas Carol Barbie / Eden Starling

Morwenna Banks (voice for Eden Starling)

Melissa Lyons (singing voice for Eden)

2009 Barbie Presents: Thumbelina Barbie

Barbie and the Three Musketeers Corinne

2010 Barbie in A Mermaid Tale Merliah Summers Melissa Lyons (singing voice for Merliah)

Toy Story 3 Barbie (support character) Jodi Benson (voice) feature film

Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale Barbie Diana Kaarina (voice) Direct-to-video

2011 Barbie: A Fairy Secret

Barbie: Princess Charm School Blair Willows / Princess Sophia

Barbie: A Perfect Christmas Barbie Jennifer Waris (singing voice for Barbie)

Barbie: A Camping We Will Go short film

Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation Jodi Benson (voice)

2012–2015 Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse Kate Higgins (voice) web series (75 episodes, including 2 TV specials)

2012 Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2 Merliah Summers Kelly Sheridan (voice) Direct-to-video

Barbie: The Princess & the Popstar Princess Tori / Keira

Jennifer Waris (singing voice for Tori)

Ashleigh Ball (Keira, speaking)

Tiffany Giardina (Keira, singing)

2013 Barbie in the Pink Shoes Kristyn Farraday / Giselle / Odette

Barbie: Mariposa & the Fairy Princess Mariposa

Barbie & Her Sisters in A Pony Tale Barbie

Barbie in the Pink Shoes: Land of Sweets Kristyn Farraday short film

2014 Barbie: The Pearl Princess Princess Lumina Direct-to-video

Barbie and the Secret Door Princess Alexa Brittany McDonald (singing voice for Alexa)

2015 Barbie in Princess Power Princess Kara / Super Sparkle

Barbie in Rock 'N Royals Princess Courtney Jordyn Kane (singing voice for Courtney)

Barbie & Her Sisters in The Great Puppy Adventure Barbie

Barbie: Motion Comics America Young (voice) web series

2015–present Barbie Vlogger

2016 Barbie: Spy Squad Erica Lindbeck (voice) Direct-to-video

Barbie: Star Light Adventure Barbie / Princess Starlight

Barbie & Her Sisters in A Puppy Chase Barbie

2016–2018 Barbie: Dreamtopia TV series (26 episodes + 2 TV specials + 8 shorts)

2017 Barbie: Video Game Hero Direct-to-video

Barbie: Dolphin Magic TV film

2019 Toy Story 4 silent cameo feature film

2018–2020 Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures America Young (voice) TV series (52 episodes, 5 seasons)

2020 Barbie: Princess Adventure Barbie / Princess Amelia

Elli Moore (Barbie, singing)

Erica Lindbeck (Princess Amelia, speaking)

Jordyn Kane (Princess Amelia, singing)

TV film

2021–present Barbie's Dreamworld Barbie web miniseries (including Barbie: Return to Dreamtopia and Barbie and the Nutcracker)

2021 Barbie & Chelsea: The Lost Birthday TV film

Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams Barbie (Malibu)

2022 Barbie: It Takes Two TV series (26 episodes)

Barbie: Mermaid Power TV film

Barbie: Epic Road Trip

2023 My First Barbie: Happy Dreamday Animated special

Barbie: Skipper and the Big Babysitting Adventure Barbie TV film

Barbie Margot Robbie Live-action film

Reception

Commercial performance

The first 10 films in the franchise sold 40 million DVD and VHS units worldwide by 2007, grossing over $700 million in sales.[11] As of 2013, the films in the franchise has sold over 110 million DVD units worldwide.[113]

# Film U.S. original release date Video sales Sales revenue

1 Barbie in the Nutcracker October 2, 2001 110,000,000[114] $700,000,000[115]

2 Barbie as Rapunzel October 1, 2002

3 Barbie of Swan Lake September 30, 2003

4 Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper September 28, 2004

5 Barbie: Fairytopia March 8, 2005

6 Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus September 20, 2005

7 Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia March 14, 2006

8 The Barbie Diaries May 9, 2006

9 Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses September 19, 2006

10 Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow March 13, 2007

11 Barbie as the Island Princess September 18, 2007 $28,205,093[116]

12 Barbie: Mariposa February 26, 2008 $14,082,768[116]

13 Barbie & the Diamond Castle September 9, 2008 $11,643,793[116]

14 Barbie in A Christmas Carol November 4, 2008 $6,626,008[116]

15 Barbie Presents: Thumbelina March 17, 2009 $11,088,380[116]

16 Barbie and the Three Musketeers September 15, 2009 $19,813,585[116]

17 Barbie in A Mermaid Tale March 2, 2010 $18,295,349[116]

18 Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale September 14, 2010 $19,473,444[116]

19 Barbie: A Fairy Secret March 15, 2011 $14,483,518[116]

20 Barbie: Princess Charm School September 13, 2011 $10,254,239[116]

21 Barbie: A Perfect Christmas November 8, 2011 $13,019,893[116]

22 Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2 February 27, 2012 $14,840,303[116]

23 Barbie: The Princess & the Popstar September 11, 2012 $18,959,311[116]

24 Barbie in the Pink Shoes February 26, 2013 581,187[117] $10,843,872[116]

25 Barbie: Mariposa & the Fairy Princess August 27, 2013 271,194[118] $5,878,488[116]

26 Barbie & Her Sisters in A Pony Tale October 22, 2013 458,026[119] $9,454,173[116]

27 Barbie: The Pearl Princess February 15, 2014 368,500[120] $7,580,205[116]

28 Barbie and the Secret Door August 7, 2014 329,836[121] $8,488,067[121]

29 Barbie in Princess Power February 26, 2015 212,385[122] $4,655,070[116]

30 Barbie in Rock 'N Royals August 13, 2015 131,836[123] $5,006,613[116]

31 Barbie & Her Sisters in The Great Puppy Adventure October 8, 2015 69,950[124] $4,171,779[116]

32 Barbie: Spy Squad January 15, 2016 190,146[125] $2,961,549[125]

33 Barbie: Star Light Adventure August 29, 2016 21,154[126] $2,088,235[116]

34 Barbie & Her Sisters in A Puppy Chase October 18, 2016 22,492[127] $2,095,317[116]

Total 112,656,706 $964,009,052

Note: This list will be updated once the information is disclosed.

In other media

Video games

Main article: List of Barbie video games

Mattel has produced dozens of Barbie video games since the 1980s. These games often are tie-ins with other titles within the franchise Since 2018, video games based on Barbie media are produced by Budge Studios.[128]

Books

Mattel has produced more than 400 books published by multiple authors and publishers based on Barbie since the early 1990s. Every film in the franchise has an eponymous book adaptation.[129]

Comic books

Mattel has produced a series of comic books about Barbie published by Dell Comics between 1962 and 1963 and Marvel Comics between 1991 and 1996. Since 2016, Papercutz is currently the publisher of graphic novels based on Barbie which are usually tie-ins with other titles within the franchise.[3]

Barbie and Ken, a 5-issue comic series published by Dell Comics from May 1962 to November 1963.[130]

Barbie, a 63-issue comic series published by Marvel Comics from January 1991 to March 1996.[131]

Barbie: Fashion, a 53-issue comic series published by Marvel Comics from January 1991 to May 1995.[132]

Barbie: Halloween Special, a 2-issue comic series published by Marvel Comics in October 1993.[133]

Barbie and Baby Sister Kelly, a special one-shot published by Marvel Comics in October 1995.[134]

Albums

Mattel has released dozens of soundtrack albums and compilation albums based on Barbie since the early 1990s. Most of the films, especially those under the musical genre, are accompanied by their eponymous soundtracks.[135]

Barbie Sings! The Princess Movie Collection, a soundtrack album released on October 5, 2004, that features music from the first four film entries in the series: Barbie in the Nutcracker, Barbie as Rapunzel, Barbie of Swan Lake and Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper.[136]

Sing Along with Barbie, a direct-to-video released on November 9, 2009, and a compilation of twelve songs from different Barbie films released at that time that its viewers can sing-along to.[137]

In popular media

On February 14, 2021, film and media podcast, Cult Popture, released an 18-hour episode of Film Franchise Fortnights covering all of the 37 Barbie films released at the time. During the production of the episode, a 38th film was announced.[138]

Barbie[a] is a 2023 American fantasy comedy film directed by Greta Gerwig from a screenplay she wrote with Noah Baumbach.[8] Based on the Barbie fashion dolls by Mattel, it is the first live-action Barbie film after numerous computer-animated films and specials. The film stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken on a journey of self-discovery following an existential crisis. It features a supporting cast that includes America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, and Will Ferrell.

A live-action Barbie film was announced in September 2009 by Universal Pictures with Laurence Mark producing. Development began in April 2014, when Sony Pictures acquired the film rights. Following multiple writer and director changes and the casting of Amy Schumer and later Anne Hathaway as Barbie, the rights were transferred to Warner Bros. Pictures in October 2018. Robbie was cast in 2019, after Gal Gadot turned down the role due to scheduling conflicts, and Gerwig was announced as director and co-writer with Baumbach in 2020. The rest of the cast were announced in early 2022. Filming took place primarily at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, in England and at the Venice Beach Skatepark in Los Angeles from March to July 2022.

Barbie premiered at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on July 9, 2023, and was theatrically released in the United States on July 21 by Warner Bros. Pictures. Its simultaneous release with Universal's Oppenheimer led to the "Barbenheimer" cultural phenomenon, which encouraged audiences to see both films as a double feature. The film received critical acclaim for its direction, themes, humor, and performances, and has grossed $1.34 billion worldwide, becoming the second-highest-grossing film of 2023, as well as the highest-grossing film directed solely by a woman, the highest-grossing film by Warner Bros., and the 17th-highest-grossing film of all time.

Plot

Stereotypical Barbie ("Barbie") and fellow dolls reside in Barbieland; a matriarchal society with different variations of Barbies, Kens, and a group of discontinued models, who are treated like outcasts due to their unconventional traits. While the Kens spend their days playing at the beach, considering it as their profession, the Barbies hold prestigious jobs such as doctors, lawyers, and politicians. Beach Ken ("Ken") is only happy when he is with Barbie and seeks a closer relationship, but Barbie rebuffs him in favor of other activities and female friendships.

One evening at a dance party, Barbie is suddenly stricken with worries about mortality. Overnight, she develops bad breath, cellulite, and flat feet, disrupting her usual routines the next day. Weird Barbie, an outcast due to her disfigurement, tells her she must find the child playing with her in the real world to cure her afflictions. Ken stows away in her convertible hoping to join her on the journey, to which Barbie reluctantly agrees.

Arriving at Venice Beach, Barbie punches a man for groping her, leading to her and Ken's brief arrest. Alarmed by their presence, Mattel's CEO orders their recapture. Barbie tracks down her owner, a tween girl named Sasha, who criticizes her for encouraging unrealistic beauty standards. Distraught, Barbie discovers that Gloria, a Mattel employee and Sasha's mother, inadvertently catalyzed her existential crisis after Gloria began playing with Sasha's old Barbie toys in a similar state. Mattel attempts to put Barbie in a toy box for remanufacturing, but she escapes with Gloria and Sasha's help and the three travel to Barbieland with Mattel executives in pursuit.

Meanwhile, Ken learns about the patriarchal system and feels respected for the first time. Returning to Barbieland, he persuades the other Kens to take over, and the Barbies are indoctrinated into submissive roles, such as agreeable girlfriends, housewives, and maids. Barbie arrives and unsuccessfully tries to convince Ken and the Barbies to return to the way things were. She becomes depressed, but Gloria gives an inspirational speech about society's conflicting expectations of women, restoring Barbie's self-confidence.

With the assistance of Sasha, Weird Barbie, Allan, and the discontinued dolls, Gloria convinces the Barbies to free themselves from subordination. The Barbies manipulate the Kens into fighting amongst themselves, distracting them from enshrining male superiority into Barbieland's constitution, and the Barbies regain power. Having now experienced systemic oppression for themselves, the Barbies resolve to rectify the faults of their previous society, emphasizing better treatment of the Kens and all outcasts.

Barbie and Ken apologize to each other, acknowledging their mistakes. Ken bemoans that he has no purpose without Barbie, so Barbie encourages him to find an autonomous identity. Barbie, who remains unsure of her own identity, meets with the spirit of Ruth Handler, Mattel co-founder and creator of the Barbie doll, who explains that Barbie's story has no set ending and her ever-evolving history surpasses her roots.

After the Barbies, Kens, and Mattel executives bid Barbie goodbye, she decides to become human and return to the real world. Sometime later, Gloria, her husband, and Sasha take Barbie, now going by the name "Barbara Handler", to take her first "human" step by going to a gynecological appointment.

Cast

Margot Robbie at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International in San Diego, California.

Ryan Gosling at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con International in San Diego, California.

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling portray Barbie and Ken.

Margot Robbie as Barbie, often referred to as "Stereotypical Barbie"[9][10]

Different variations of Barbie played by:

Kate McKinnon as Weird Barbie[11][12]

Issa Rae as President Barbie[13][12]

Alexandra Shipp as Writer Barbie[14][12]

Emma Mackey as Physicist Barbie[15][12]

Hari Nef as Dr. Barbie[12]

Sharon Rooney as Lawyer Barbie[13]

Ana Cruz Kayne as Judge Barbie[13][12]

Ritu Arya as Journalist Barbie[13][12]

Dua Lipa as the Mermaid Barbies[16][12]

Nicola Coughlan as Diplomat Barbie[13][12]

Mette Narrative as Barbie Video Girl

Marisa Abela as Teen Talk Barbie[17]

Lucy Boynton as Proust Barbie

Ryan Gosling as Ken, often referred to as "Beach Ken"[18]

Different variations of Ken played by:

Kingsley Ben-Adir as Basketball Ken[13]

Simu Liu as Tourist Ken/"Rival Ken"[19][20][12]

Scott Evans as Stereotypical Ken[13]

Ncuti Gatwa as Artist Ken[19][13]

John Cena as Kenmaid, a merman Ken[21][22]

Rob Brydon as Sugar Daddy Ken[13]

Tom Stourton as Earring Magic Ken[23]

America Ferrera as Gloria, a Mattel employee who helps Barbie in the real world[24]

Michael Cera as Allan[25]

Ariana Greenblatt as Sasha, Gloria's daughter[26][27]

Genvieve Toussaint as young Sasha

Rhea Perlman as the spirit of Ruth Handler, the co-founder of Mattel[3]

Helen Mirren as the narrator[28]

Will Ferrell as the CEO of Mattel[29]

Connor Swindells as Aaron Dinkins, a Mattel employee

Jamie Demetriou as the CFO of Mattel

Emerald Fennell as Midge[30]

Hannah Khalique-Brown as "Growing Up" Skipper[31]

Erica Ford as Babysitter Skipper[32]

Ann Roth as the woman on the bench[33]

Ryan Piers Williams as Gloria's husband[34]

Lauren Holt as Time Mom[35][36]

  • Condition: Used
  • Condition: See photos for detailed description. Untested, as is.
  • Unit of Sale: Lot
  • Antique: No
  • Character: Barbie
  • Doll Hair Type: Straight
  • Occasion: All Occasions
  • Signed: No
  • Set Includes: Doll
  • Material: Hard Plastic, Plastic
  • Age Level: 2-10 years
  • Vintage: No
  • Brand: Barbie
  • Doll Gender: Girl Doll
  • Ethnicity: Multiracial
  • Type: Doll Playset
  • Doll Age Group: Youth
  • Doll Eye Color: Pink
  • Packaging: Without Packaging
  • Theme: Equestrian
  • Features: Battery-Operated, Collector Toy, Detachable Parts
  • Time Period Manufactured: 2010-2019
  • Doll Complexion: Light
  • Handmade: No

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