Happy 50th Anniversary, Barbie !
Style icon, fashion idol, cultural trendsetter… Barbie’s appeal knows no bounds and it’s as strong today as it ever was.
If you thought that Barbie was just plastic and idolized without reason... if the concept-author of the Metropolitan Blog (Ken Metrosexual) remains a mistery for you, this article has been written for you!
Every second, two Barbies are sold in the world. For a woman turning 50, Barbie sure does look good and has never looked so good. She is making appearances at Fashion Week, has her own blog (way cool by the way), has a Twitter account and a Facebook account and you can even see how she’s made in a cool YouTube video.
Barbie's legendary 50th year will be the most epic, global celebration in the brand's history. There are very few brands in the world that serve as a reflection of fashion, culture and aspiration like the Barbie brand. ... This is a celebration of 50 fabulous years but also.... Barbie's 50th anniversary is also very much about unveiling the next chapter for the Barbie brand and celebrating their future. From new initiatives at retail to exciting collection of celebratory and must-have products, 2009 is definitely more than just an anniversary.The brand is being approached as a fashion brand. Barbie is among, and has always been among, the most popular dolls in the world. Through fashion and fabulous accessories, Barbie has represented what all American women want to be – independent, successful and fabulous at any age – and all the things they should be.
BARBIE'S HISTORY
Created after a german doll called Lili, Barbie debuted at the New York Toy Fair on March 9, 1959. Cost: $3. Since then, she’s amassed a wardrobe cut from more than 105 million yards of fabric, and worn more than a billion pairs of teeny plastic shoes. Her resume includes stints as a model, flight attendant, astronaut, surgeon, aerobics instructor, soccer star, Air Force pilot, rapper and Olympian. She was dreamed up by Ruth Handler, the wife of a Mattel co-founder and mom to Barbara and ... can you guess? ... Ken.
Barbie is redesigned every seventh year. For instance, her face has become smiling and her body tanned in the sixties.
BY THE NUMBERS
• 1 billion – fashions have been produced since 1959 for Barbie and friends
• 74.5 million – results received from googling Barbie
• 300,000 – Barbie dolls sold in 1959
• 300 – Facebook pages in her likeness
• 1,000 – YouTube Channels dedicated to Barbie
• 100 – people, designers, seamstresses, pattern makers and stylists needed to create a single Barbie outfit and look
• 90 – percent of girls ages 3-10 who own at least one Barbie doll
• 70 – famous designers who have outfitted Barbie
• 50 – different nationalities Barbie has represented
• 43 – years Barbie and Ken were together
• 12 – average number of Barbie dolls girls ages 3-6 own
• 1–Barbie is the No. 1 doll property in the US and the No. 1 worldwide property in the traditional toy industry
MORE THAN JUST A DOLL
Barometer for fashions
Barbie is so much more than the most popular doll in the world. For five decades, she has inspired girls of all ages to dream, discover and celebrate their girlhood in a world without limits. It is a little girl’s introduction into fashion and style.
Baromet for social issues of western countries
Barbie is more than a person and a fashion victim. She is a myth and exerts a palpable pull on American culture although she is very small. For example, the music I'm a Barbie Girl by AQUA shows how deeply the "barbie culture" is influent in western societies.
An intergenerational pattern
Following the american political correctness, ethnic Barbies have been created : for instance, a black one in the sixties. In 1986, the disabled one was on sale.
Barbie has become independant, emancipated (divorce with Ken in 2004) and very modern. Indeed, she has represented all ethnies and 118 jobs). She's the World's only brand that allows girls to imagine themselves as a mermaid to a movie star, a fairy to a fashionista, and a princess to a president.
CRITICS
Despite years of scorn by feminists, Islamic idealists and parents who criticized the doll's physical appearance, Barbie's popularity hasn't suffered a decline.
We shouldn't have our children look up to Barbie. She is unrealistic, and too many girls end up with eating disorders for trying to look like her. Indeed, in the early Sixties, Barbie coud be bought with a kit pyjama party including a pyjama, a comb, slippers and....scales (stopped around 40 kilos) with the book « How to loose weight » in which one can read : « Don't eat! ». Moreover,in the nineties, a young french woman did surgery ten times in for years to look exacly like her favorite doll.
Barbie is not human. Why ? She has implausible anatomical proportions : 39-21-33. If Barbie was a human being, she would not be able to move without falling regarding her proportions: a simple matter of balance. Anthropomorphic studies conclude that less than 1 woman out of 100 000 has Barbie's mensurations.
CELEBRATIONS
Main events which celebrate the anniversary
Mattel celebrates Barbie's 5Oth anniversary with :
* a version modelled on German chancellor
Angela Merkel the barbie doll is tall, blond with blue eyes. Its tiny waistine looks suspicious. Who knew Angela Merkel was so hot and smiling in spite of the economic crisis that has to face the Europe's largest economy ?
* the 2009 Barbie Runway Show, on Febr. 14th (Valentine's day) during Mercedes benz Fashion Week New York for the Fall 2009 collections
The Herald Tribune and The Associated Press both announced that Mattel – the doll's manufacturer – and the Council of Fashion Designers of America celebrated the iconic doll's half-century birthday with this fashion show that brought 50 designer fantasy outfits to the runway. The event was an entertaining and vibrant look at the history of Barbie. The show was fun to watch and it was interesting to see how the look and essence of such an iconic character has transcended time to both follow and influence not only the trends of fashion but the style and individuality of women. The runway was taken over by models in dresses designed by top names in the fashion world such as Vera Wang, Badgley Mischka, Tommy Hilfilger and Calvin Klein.
* Events in Paris :
- a BARBIE FASHION SHOW at the Galeries Lafayettes ( 6- 25 April)
at the first level, 50 outfits designed by fashion leaders : Sonia Rykiel, Christian Lacroix, Chantal Thomass, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Karl Lagerfeld...
- in the french concept store Colette...
The doll world will be presented : bag, cellphone, MP3, makeup, cosmetics, candies,... all accessories necessary to be a real Barbie! There will also be clothing collection, in limited edition, designed by the american Jeremy Scott (from March 12th).Most importantly, Karl Lagerfeld will exhibe a serie of pictures in which Barbie in human proportions poses with a young man : mi-Ken, mi-Karl.
- exhibition of the first Barbie dolls in the Musée de la poupée
* Other events in the world in 2009 :
- Opening of the brand's first flagship store in Shanghai in March
- Run a four-day National Barbie Doll Collector's Convention in Washington, D.C., in July....
Join the celebration all year round. Browse upcoming A-list events, check out the chicest product launches and see how an icon throws a party --> http://barbiestyle.barbie.com/events.html
BARBIES-INSPIRED MERHANDISE (being released this year)
- Stylist Orlando Pita used a prototype of the Barbie Loves T3 Featherweight dryer to create hairstyles for the Barbie runway show. Look for the dryer, $200, in stores this September.
- Barbie’s sweet on accessories, including a shoebox of “The Perfect Pair of Chocolate Heels.” Her new candy line, $8 to $28, hits stores in April. At Dylan’s Candy Bars in New York; or dylanscandybar.com.
- Limited-edition Barbie Loves Stila Beauty Cans, $40, including the original ponytail doll (1959), Malibu Doll (1971) and Foxy Doll (1980)
+ the Barbie Loves Stila Talking Palette, ($40) on sephora.com.
- A book published by les éditions Assouline retraçant l’univers de la muse de notre enfance. In a bubblegum pink box, this collector book pays tribute to Barbie. It reminds us of its beginnings and diverse evolutions throughout history. A luxuous book that will fulfill the little girl in you !
In New York, Bloomingdale’s or on assouline.com ($500).
In Paris, in the Assouline shop (340 €)
4, square alboni
75016 PARIS
- Hotel Chocolat (british chocolatier)
Contents: 8 chocolate Barbie microslabs
- Barbie make-up for women will also go on sale in 2009, featuring aptly titled make-up colours, such as 'All Dolled Up' and beauty creams named, 'Plastic Smooth'.
--> THE BLOG : Ready to indulge in everything Barbie? This is the place to celebrate fifty years of fun, fashion and friends. Read about everything from the most talked about runway moments, hottest parties, chicest trends and more. Check out exclusive video content, photo galleries and all the latest must-have goodies!
Teaming up with fashion designers Jeremy Scott and Vera Wang, as well as The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Barbie is to be transformed into a bona fide fashion brand complete. Who said that the best part of life was after 50 ?
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