18 Surprising Things You Don't Know About Barbie

All those years spent playing together and you didn't even know her real name.

1. Barbie's real name is Barbara Millicent Roberts.

Via bonbonbunny.tumblr.com

2. In 1959, the first Barbie doll sold for $3.00 (that would be the equivalent of $23.97 today).

3. The first Barbie doll was available as either a blonde or a brunette.

Via every-day-is-special.blogspot.com

4. The first Barbie dolls were manufactured in Japan and their clothes were hand-stitched by Japanese workers.

Via Flickr: 20758136@N06

Barbie's were manufactured in Japan until 1972.

5. Barbie isn’t from Malibu, she is actually from (fictional) Willows, Wisconsin.

Via oti.newamerica.net

6. Barbie was originally a 17-year-old "Teen Age Fashion Model."

Via etsy.com

7. Over the years, Barbie has had seven siblings: Skipper, Stacie, Chelsea, Krissy, Kelly, Tutti, and Todd.

8. She has had more than 130 careers; they have included being an elementary school teacher, a business executive, a McDonald's cashier, a doctor, an astronaut, and yes, even a rapper.

Via wordpress.com

Rappin' Rockin' Barbie commercial:

This was the cringe-inducing message written on the back of the Rappin' Rockin' Barbie box:

"When you and your friends

are in a dancin' mood,

Hip-hop to the Boom Box beat

with a cool attitude.

Barbie says, 'Yo! Come on, guys,

and all you fly girls too.

Rap 'n rhyme 'cause now it's time

to show what you can do!'"

9. Ken is two years and two days younger than Barbie (he was introduced in 1961). Also, his full name is Ken Carson.

10. Ken has never put a ring on it (he and Barbie have never officially been married).

Via ebay.com

11. The very first Barbie car was a 1962 Austin Healy roadster.

Via philpatton.typepad.com

12. Barbie’s first pet was a horse named Dancer. Since then, she has had more than 50 other pets, including 21 dogs, 6 cats, a chimpanzee, a panda, a parrot, a lion cub, a giraffe, and a zebra.

Via u.jimdo.com

13. Brown is the color most frequently used for Barbie’s eye shadow.

14. In 1985, Andy Warhol created a silkscreen painting of Barbie.

Via fashiontrotter.wordpress.com

According to his posthumous book, The Andy Warhol Diaries, he hated it and cringed when he unveiled it for the President of Mattel.

15. Totally Hair Barbie (1992) is the best-selling Barbie doll ever.

Via images.businessweek.com

Totally Hair Barbie commercial:

16. In 2004, after breaking up with Ken, she had a rebound relationship with Blaine, an Australian surfer.

Via forums.vampire-diaries.net

Ken and Barbie got back together on Valentine’s Day 2011.

17. Barbie has never been pregnant (only her best friend Midge has).

Via community.babycenter.com

18. Aqua's 1997 song, "Barbie Girl," was the subject of the lawsuit Mattel v. MCA Records. In 2002, Mattel lost the lawsuit, a Court of Appeals ruled that the song was protected under the First Amendment as "parody and a social commentary."

In 2009, despite the lawsuit, Mattel released a music video of Barbie singing, “Barbie Girl” (a re-recorded version with modified lyrics):

Facts via: Barbie Media and Doll Diaries