In this bonus episode we’re telling you our sometimes troubling childhood relationship with dolls and giving you a brief history of the doll of all dolls— Barbie. from her German Lilli doll roots to her status as a global icon, Barbie has come a long way since she was created by Ruth Handler in 1959 and she has had a lasting and divisive impact on popular culture.

From being named after the creator’s own daughter, Barbara, to getting her own boyfriend named after the creator’s son, Kenneth, in 1961. Suing Cindy, Suing Bratz. Malibu Stacy, Robert the Doll, what happened to Midge’s baby? Where’s Alan? Is there an Adam or was he just a torso in a toy box?

With Barbiecore on the rise and the release of the trailer for the soon to be Greta Gerwig summer blockbuster, Barbie's legacy remains strong. After all, she's more than just a doll – she's an idea, a symbol, an astronaut, an Olympian, she’s been president— she forever retains a perfect arch with her perfect plastic feet, she’s a blank slate, an icon— she’s everything.


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Sources:
The Secret Life of Barbie, ABC News, 1999
Tiny Shoulders, documentary, Hulu, 2019
The Take, The Rise of Barbiecore, How Feminism Became Hot Pink and The Barbie Movie YouTube, 2022
Robin Gerber, Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World’s Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her
The Island of the Dolls, NPR, 2017
Robert the Haunted Doll, South Florida PBS, 2014
My Modern Met, Barbie: The History and Legacy of the World’s Most Famous DollBy Madeleine Muzdakis on February 14, 2022
This day in history: Barbie doll makes her debut in 1959, CBS News
The Barbie Doll's Not-for-Kids Origins, Time Magazine, Jennifer Latson, 2015