Barbie is an iconic doll even to this day. Although she is forever a teenager, in reality, she actually turned 63 years old this year. To celebrate the Barbies on display at our current exhibit "Florida Girls & Boys & Their Toys" from the Museum of Florida History, here are some interesting facts about Barbie you may not know about:
Barbie was modelled after the German doll named Lilli, who was based on a '50s comic strip about a high-end call girl that appeared in the German tabloid Bild-Zeitung.
Her full name is "Barbara Millicent Roberts."
According to the official Barbie website, she is from the fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin.
The original Barbie had pursed lips that made her look quite serious. It wasn't until 1971 that the Malibu Barbie, the first version of the doll to smile with her teeth, was released to the public.
Barbie's friend Christie was the first African-American doll in the Barbie universe, which was released in 1968.
Her first career was "teenage fashion model," but to date, she has over 200 careers, including sign language teacher, UNICEF ambassador, Canadian Mountie, and rapper.
The most expensive Barbie sold for more than $302,500 and has an actual diamond necklace by jewelry designer Stefano Canturi that features an emerald-cut Australian pink diamond surrounded by three carats of white diamonds.