3/9/09 Barbie (and I) are turning 50 this year!

Today is Barbie’s 50th Birthday (Barbie Millicent Roberts that is). We were born the same year…1959. I figure if she looks this good at 50, maybe 50 isn’t going to be so bad (and she does have about 6 weeks on me). Say what you want about her creating a bad image or stereotype (interesting info. below) for our daughters, I love Barbie. What girl doesn’t have wonderful childhood memories of playing with her Barbie?

My 3 sisters and I got a lot of hours of creative play out of our Barbies. Sometimes we’d steal the Ken Doll and the Johnny West Doll (He was a Cowboy, complete with chaps and hat…think ‘Marlboro Man’…dreamy) out of my brother’s room (much to his annoyance). I remember making furniture out of cardboard…a long tissue box was the perfect bed, and with a few tissues you had sheets and a comfy pillow (4 girls, 4 tissue boxes with tissues everywhere...Mom was mad). My Mom used to buy actual patterns for Barbie outfits and sew them up for us as gifts. Back then, other than hair color, you had to give your Barbie her personality with clothing, accessories and by styling her hair…it required some creative thinking to decide what mood your Barbie was in that day…evening gown with the silver clutch purse, or mini dress with the fishnets and go-go boots? Some of my best sister memories are with our Barbies.

My DD was born in 1987 and by then Barbie clothes and accessories were now cheap and readily available. I relived my childhood again…my DD had the pop-up playhouse, plastic furniture, a bathtub that ran real water and a car with a remote control. She loved playing Barbies as much as I did. When my two DS’s came along they got their Ken dolls, and a jeep, fire truck, police truck and even a Baywatch Boat that they loved taking to the local baby pool when they were tots. What’s not to like about Barbies?

Here’s the interesting comparison of Real Women vs. Barbie


Real Women
Average woman's height is 5'4"
Their weight is approx. 140 lbs.
They wear a size 14 dress
Their bust is between 36" and 37" (B cup)
Their waist is between 30" and 34"
Their hips average between 40" and 42"
Barbie (as a human)
Barbie's height would be 7'2"
Her weight would be 101 lbs.
She would wear a size 4 dress
Her bust would be 39" (FF cup)
Her waist would be 19" (same as her head)
Her hips would be 33"
Her shoe size would be a 5 (some say her boob size and small feet would make it impossible for her to stay standing.
Her neck is twice as long as the real women


Poor Barbie has also been the source of some controversy lately. Apparently she’s getting some new flack for coming with stick-on temporary tattoos now. Parents are upset that this is the wrong message and that Barbie’s wholesome image is now changing to compete with other products (OK, I hate those Bratz dolls too). They're calling it her midlife crisis. It’s OK Barbie, I can relate. Just like you, I’ve always been considered the girl next door…and no one ever believes I have a tattoo either! Happy Birthday!

Totally Stylin Tattoo Barbie

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- You too can be Barbie...for a mere 700,000 US (well, for me, it would be well over a million...she started with more). The Boyfriend costs extra...sorry.
Sarah Burge has had plastic surgery worth £500,000 to look Barbie-like.

- I'd like some of that too...
What I might get...
the pink tulle tiara...
on sale at WalMart...
in the Barbie section.
-BG