On March 9, 1959, Barbie debuted at the New York Toy Fair. The first Barbie wore a black and white striped swimsuit and her signature ponytail. Toy buyers were skeptical because Barbie was unlike the baby and toddler dolls that were popular at the time. They doubted she would be successful, but Barbie took the world by storm. Letting girls imagine their futures like never before from that moment on.

In 1965, Barbie went galactic four years before man landed on the moon. Miss Astronaut Barbie celebrated the excitement of the space program and exploring new frontiers. Dressed in a cool space suit and helmet, she showed girls they could reach for the stars.

In support of Equal Rights, Barbie released Christie, one of the first black dolls. Christie was created as a friend of Barbie and came dressed in a mod-inspired swimsuit with a short ’60s hairstyle.

Over the years, many diverse dolls were available, but they were always friends of Barbie. In 1980, Mattel released the first black and Hispanic dolls named Barbie.

Barbie has worked with more fashion designers than any other brand in the world. Her first fashion partnership was in 1985, when Oscar de la Renta created a line of designer clothes for Barbie. The glamorous jewel tone and metallic outfits brought runway fun to young fashion lovers, sparking their imaginations and creativity. This was the start of many fashion collaborations to come.

Andy Warhol made his mark by creating images of American icons. Barbie was added to the list when Warhol painted her in 1986. The first Barbie portrait was reportedly inspired by Warhol’s muse, Billy Boy, a jewelry designer and member of New York’s downtown scene in the 1980s, who owned a vast collection of Barbie dolls.

Totally Hair Barbie is the best-selling Barbie doll to date. She celebrated the loud fashions and big hair craze of the early ’90s and featured the longest hair ever on a Barbie doll. To celebrate the doll’s 25th anniversary, she was re-released in 2017.

In 2014, Barbie became a social media influencer with the launch of the @barbiestyle Instagram account. The account was created to celebrate pop culture moments through the eyes of an icon and quickly became a leading fashion influencer channel. From fashion and art, to culture and travel, @barbiestyle excites followers as only Barbie can.

In 2015, Barbie celebrated female heroes who inspire girls by breaking boundaries and expanding the possibilities for women everywhere. One-of-a-kind dolls were created for each of the Shero honorees including Ava DuVernay, Emmy Rossum, Eva Chen, Kristin Chenoweth, Sydney "Mayhem" Keiser, and Trisha Yearwood.

Barbie shined a light on empowering role models from the past and present in an effort to inspire more girls. The campaign, #MoreRoleModels, honored extraordinary women from around the world on International Women’s Day. The Inspiring Women doll line also launched and featured Frida Kahlo, Katherine Johnson, and Amelia Earhart.