Bambola, brand, now practically a feminist myth after the film directed by Greta Gerwig which also made it intelligent, Barbie turns 65 years old without absolutely feeling them on you. And the Mattel who created it and made it a global icon on which essayists and anthropologists have explored, announces today the start of the celebrations for this important birthday.
Happy Birthday Barbie
Tomorrow, March 9, the brand will share countless stories of empowerment as it brings to life its legendary legacy, experienced and told by fans around the world, starting with some of the most renowned women who have made a difference through their stories. «The doll’s story was never just about her. But it was always about the many little girls she inspired and the millions of stories she helped imagine along the way,” said Krista Berger, Senior Vice President of Barbie and Global Head of Dolls.
The doll for all little girls
It was Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel, who invented the doll after seeing her daughter Barbara play with paper dolls. She wanted little girls to have a toy onto which they could project their own aspirations and dreams – a very feminist proposition in theory, but which she took a different turn in practice.
With its immediate success, in fact, the new toy found itself at the center of political controversies that criticized white beauty standards and the doll’s unrealistic body.
A big birthday: the most loved doll turns 65, even if it doesn’t seem like it (Credit: Mattel)
Increasingly inclusive
Mattel was very intelligent, however, understanding that that doll had to become the representation of the dreams and aspirations of all little girls. Barbie was supposed to be the emancipated woman who could become anything she wanted: and so already in 1963 Barbie was released. Barbie businesswoman and, to follow, astronaut And surgeon, arriving at a time when only 9% of American doctors were women. Going forward and changing society again, the brand also understands that it must evolve by becoming more inclusive and in 1997 and 1999, in fact, it launched two Becky dolls into the Barbie universe. Both use wheelchairs and one is a Paralympic athlete at the Sydney 2000 games. Even more recently, Mattel dedicated an armless Barbie to Turkish paralympic swimmer Sumeyye Boyac.
A global success
In short, whether it is a marketing strategy or not, However, Barbie seems to be moving on the right path and the globally successful film has certainly helped. “For the past 65 years, Barbie has used her global platform to encourage girls to dream big, explore their limitless potential and direct their imaginations to shape their future.” She didn’t always make it, but the anniversary is still important, certainly for Mattel given that even today they sell 3 per second.
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