Barbie

Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched on March 9, 1959. The doll was created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, who was inspired by the German Bild Lilli doll. Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for over six decades.

The doll presents a highly stylized and idealized adult female form, and over the years, Barbie has been given a vast array of careers, fashions, vehicles, and accessories. The brand has expanded into a media franchise, including video games, web series, and a long-running series of animated films.

Barbie's cultural impact is significant and complex. She has been both celebrated as a symbol of female empowerment and independence, offering girls a toy that allowed them to imagine adult lives and careers, and criticized for promoting an unrealistic body image and materialistic values. In response to criticism, Mattel has introduced dolls with more diverse body types, skin tones, and abilities in recent years.