Barbie Fun Facts:

Barbie was born on March 9, 1959.

In 1959, the first Barbie cost $3.

Barbie is the best known brand name in the world according to "Financial World" and "USA
Today".

The co-founder of Mattel, Ruth Handler, and her husband Elliot, were the creators of the first
Barbie.

Barbie and Ken were named after the children of the founders of Mattel.

Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts.

Ken's full name is Kenneth Carson.

Barbie and Ken have been dating since 1961.

The average American girl is exposed to 2,452 Barbie TV commercials per year.

Little girls in the United States own an average of eight Barbies.

The Barbie name is fast approaching an annual sales volume of one billion dollars.

Two Barbie dolls are sold every second somewhere in the world.

Barbies are currently sold in over 140 countries around the world.

Over 700 million Barbie dolls and friends have been sold since 1959.

In 1992 alone, Mattel sold 36 million Barbies and friends.

Doll collecting is the second most popular collecting hobby in America, with stamp collecting
being the first.

Nearly 1 billion fashions have been produced since 1959 for Barbie and her friends.

More than 105 million yards of fabric have been used to make Barbie fashions, making Mattel
one of the largest apparel manufacturers in the world.

Approximately 120 new ensembles are designed for Barbie each year.

The bridal gown has been the number one selling fashion every year since the beginning.

The best-selling Barbie doll ever was Totally Hair Barbie. She had hair down to her toes.

In 1986, the first Limited Edition collector Barbie was introduced. She was the first Barbie
made of porcelain, and her name was Blue Rhapsody.

All unsold FAO Schwarz exclusive Barbies were sent back to the manufacturer to be
destroyed after they were on the shelf for one year. This practice was stopped when the
Silver Screen Barbie was introduced.

One popular sport that Barbie has never tried is bowling. She has never had a bowling outfit
or set.

Barbie got her first computer in 1985. It was the Home and Office set for Day to Night Barbie.

Barbie doll has had more than a billion pairs of shoes.

Placed head to toe, all the Barbies and friends that have been sold since 1959 would circle
the earth more than seven times.