The doll has transformed the toy business in affluent communities worldwide by becoming a vehicle for the sale of related merchandise (accessories, clothes, friends of Barbie, etc.). īarbie and her boyfriend Ken have been described as two most popular dolls in the world. From 2002 to 2017, the films were aired regularly on the Nickelodeon cable channel. The Barbie doll brand has expanded into a media franchise, including a long-running series of animated films that began in 2001. Mattel has sold over a billion Barbie dolls, making it the company's largest and most profitable line. Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for over sixty years, and has been the subject of numerous controversies and lawsuits, often involving parodies of the doll and her lifestyle.
American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration.īarbie is the figurehead of a brand of Mattel dolls and accessories, including other family members and collectible dolls. Fashion doll brand manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc.īarbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy company Mattel, Inc.
