New Life Size Stripper Barbie
Barbie is a fashion
doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in
March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation
of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration.
Barbie is the
figurehead of a brand of Mattel dolls and accessories, including other family
members and collectible dolls. Barbie has been an important part of the toy
fashion doll market for fifty years, and has been the subject of numerous
controversies and lawsuits, often involving parody of the doll and her
lifestyle.
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.[9] 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[10]).
She has an on-off
romantic relationship with her boyfriend Ken (Ken Carson), who first appeared
in 1961. A news release from Mattel in February 2004 announced that Barbie and
Ken had decided to split up,[11] but in February 2006 they were hoping to rekindle
their relationship after Ken had a makeover.[12] 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 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).
Mattel has created a
range of companions for Barbie, including Hispanic Teresa, Midge, African
American Christie, and Steven (Christie's boyfriend). Barbie's siblings and
cousins were also created including Skipper, Todd and Stacie (twin brother and
sister), Kelly, Krissy, and Francie. Barbie was friendly with Blaine, an
Australian surfer, during her split with Ken in 2004.