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Barbie

12 random facts you didn't know you wanted to know about Barbie

Did you know she kick-started an A-lister’s career?

LOOK, LET’S CALL a spade a spade.

We know you don’t go around wishing you’d done your undergraduate degree on Barbie or lamented the sleep you got when you could have been reading up on her.

life in plastic

But we also know that there’s a lot to be said for random trivia, and we’re suckers for the kind of information that could earn you a free round in a pub quiz.

So, with that in mind we’ve compiled a list of facts you didn’t know you wanted to know about the iconic doll, and won’t be able to stop yourself rolling out the next time you lay eyes on her.

You can thank us later.

1. Today is her birthday

Barbie was born on March 9, 1959 making her 59-years-old today.

barbie

2. Barbie is, in case you hadn’t copped, just a nickname.

Barbie’s real name is Barbara Millicent Roberts, and she’s named after the daughter of  Mattel’s co-founders, Ruth and Elliot Handler.

3. Barbie hails from the Midwest.

She’s a Wisconsin girl; born and bred and buttered in the fictional town of Willows.

4. Barbie appreciates a slightly younger man.

Ken, who is named after the creators’ son, just so happens to be two years younger than Barbie at just 57.

ken

5. Barbie is from a pretty whopper-sized family.

Her siblings names are Skipper, Stacie, Chelsea, Krissy, Kelly, Tutti, and Todd.

6. Barbie helped kickstart Mila Kunis career.

The Ukranian-born actress started acting in Barbie commercials as a child.

80scommercialsforever / YouTube

6. Bettina Dorfmann is the world’s biggest Barbie fan.

This German woman owns a staggering 15,000 dolls.

7. Barbie remains one of the world’s most popular toys.

There are three Barbies sold every second around the world, and by her 50th birthday, one billion models had been sold.

8. The best-selling Barbie of all time was Total Hair Barbie.

And with promo like this, we can see why.

BarbieCollectors / YouTube

8. Barbie made history in 1997.

She became the first doll to be marketed with a wheelchair.

9. Her vital statistics have been a source of controversy for decades.

At 5 foot 9, Barbie weighs in at 110 lbs, with an 18 inch waist and 33 inch hips.

10. The most expensive Barbie ever sold was auctioned off in 2010.

Created by jewellery designer, Stefano Canturi, to raise money for cancer research, the diamond-incrusted Barbie went for $302,500.

11. In 2003, Saudi Arabia banned Barbie for being a “symbol of decadence to the perverted West”.

In 2009, Mattel released a range of Barbies wearing burkas and hijabs.

12. Barbie has run for President six times and travelled into space in 1965.

As you do.

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