Barbie Doll
date: label: Date made
content: ca 1958
name: label: maker
content: Mattel, Inc.
label: originator
content: Handler, Ruth
notes: label: Description
content: In 1959 the Mattel toy company introduced the Barbie Doll. Unlike most dolls at the time, Barbie was a grown-up—a teenage fashion model who could date, drive, and wear fabulous clothes. While often criticized for her unrealistic physical proportions and for promoting gender stereotypes, Barbie has also evolved with the times to reflect social and cultural changes in American culture. Since the 1980s she has taken on many new careers, from police officer to paleontologist to presidential candidate.
label: Description
content: During the Bicentennial, Mattel dressed Barbie in a patriotic wardrobe, but a decade later they began to see the success of the Pleasant Company and decided to create historical characters centered around their favorite doll. They began with Great Era’s Barbies in 1993-95 Such as Queen Elizabeth I and Gibson Girl concentrating on the details of fashionable clothing. In 1994 they produced the American Story Collection of Special edition Barbies that included a Pilgrim Barbie, a Colonial Girl Barbie, and a Frontier Barbie- each with a small booklet that provided a story relating to the doll. In 2015 Mattel introduced Sheros, Barbies dressed as modern notable figures and entertainers like Lucille Ball, Grace Kelly and Rita Moreno, and continued the line by honoring contemporary celebrities. In 2018, Mattel released it’s new “Inspiring Women” collection with the plan to feature three ground-breaking, history-making women per year. These are trail blazers, role models, activists, athletes, other women in history that contributed to society. The first being —Amelia Earhart, Frida Kahlo and Katherine Johnson.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view (ribbon)
place: label: Place Made
content: Japan
label: used
content: United States: Maryland, Bethesda
topic: label: Subject
content: Toys
label: Subject
content: Dolls
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
label: See more items in
content: Popular Entertainment
label: See more items in
content: Family & Social Life
label: See more items in
content: American Enterprise
label: See more items in
content: Artifact Walls exhibit
label: Exhibition
content: American Enterprise (doll)
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Anonymous
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1988.0608.17A
label: catalog number
content: 1988.0608.17A
label: accession number
content: 1988.0608
objectType: label: Object Name
content: doll
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: paint (features material)
label: Physical Description
content: jersey (bathing suit material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 28 cm x 8.4 cm; 11 1/32 in x 3 5/16 in