Barbie celebrates 65 years with new doll nod to the original

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the date for International Women’s Day.

(NewsNation) — Barbie shows no signs of retiring from her 250 different jobs as a plastic and fantastic doll whose small feet have left a big cultural mark on the human world as she celebrates her 65th anniversary.

The iconic doll’s birthday on March 9 comes one day after International Women’s Day, and to commemorate the occasion, Mattel is releasing a new doll who is a nod to the original that started it all.

The original Mattel Barbie with her iconic blonde hair, black and white bathing suit and eyes angled to the side, was inspired by creator Ruth Handler’s daughter, Barbara, in 1959. In 2024, Mattel will release a vintage-inspired 65th-anniversary doll, whose black-and-white striped ballgown is based on the first Barbie’s iconic swimsuit.

“Barbie’s story has never been just about her,” Krista Berger, senior vice president of Barbie and global head of dolls, said in a statement. “It’s about the countless young kids she’s inspired and the millions of stories she helped them imagine along the way.

“For the past 65 years, Barbie has used her global platform to empower girls to dream big, explore their limitless potential, and direct their own narrative to shape their future,” she continued.

The Barbie Career 65th Anniversary doll collection highlights a range of careers, including a farm vet, pop star and astronaut — three of Barbie’s most popular careers since the doll’s creation.

Additionally, Mattel is honoring eight real-life female role models by creating their Barbie look-alikes, including Viola Davis, Shania Twain and Dame Helen Mirren. These one-of-a-kind dolls won’t be available for purchase, but represent inspiring stories that encourage Barbie fans to “dream big.”

As Barbie celebrates her 65th anniversary, the dolls are produced in a diversity of colors, hair textures, body shapes and more. Barbies come in 35 skin tones, 97 hairstyles and nine body types, including dolls with wheelchairs, Down Syndrome, vitiligo and plus-sizes as well as gender-neutral dolls.

The doll has also become the fashion icon recently inspiring Barbiecore and helping many renowned hair stylists and clothing designers, like Karl Lagerfeld, get their start.

Adding to the brand’s evolution, the commercial success of the 2023 8-time Oscar-nominated “Barbie” movie directed by Greta Gerwig, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, added a new emotional depth to the doll.

To this day, the doll is still associated by some with unrealistic body proportions, gender roles and Eurocentric beauty standards.

Reuters contributed to this story.