Barbie

From the time she was introduced in 1959, Barbie took the world by storm as the first adult toy doll in a sea of infants. Her popularity soared and, by the time the 70s arrived, she was well-established as one of the most adored children’s toys of all time. She was also living the high life by then, thanks to some great accessories and playsets. Let’s take a look back.

Barbie was the creation of Ruth and Eliot Handler, who started a small toy company in their garage that they called Mattel. They watched their daughter Barbara play with her toy dolls and wondered if she might like a more mature toy companion.

They named their new doll after their daughter and it wasn’t long before Barbie dolls were flying off of store shelves.

 

Over the years, Barbie would eventually find a boyfriend named Ken (also named after one of the Chandler children) and continue to develop her exquisite fashion sense.

And, with the arrival of the 70s, there was plenty of places to go, not to mention new stuff for Barbie to do with her boyfriend and various friends.

 

She could dance the night away as “Disco Barbie” or while away the dog days of summer on the beaches as “Malibu Barbie.” She was ready to compete in the ’76 Olympics, thanks to her “Gold Medal” athletic attire, and became quite the jet setter, thanks to the Barbie Friendship Plane.

Eventually, her and Ken would settle down in the Barbie Townhouse, and later within the affluent Barbie Dream House.

 

Suffice to say, the 70s were very good to Barbie, and she made quite the impression on countless young girls (and some boys) during this amazing era.

If you were one of them, and still hold plenty of fond memories for your old pal Barbie, I hope you’ll share your memories of this classic Mattel toy with all of us in our comments section below.

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