09 March,2009 08:14 AM IST | | Swati Kumari
The iconic Barbie is turning fifty today, and doesn't have a single strand of grey yet. We invite you to her birthday bash
She's every li'l girl's idol and every young boy's fantasy date. Not to forget, every woman's envyu00a0it's her golden anniversary, and she's showing absolutely no signs of aging! Barbie has been an astronaut, pilot, flight attendant, doctor, nurse, vet and fashionista, but little is known of her personal life, just like most real-life celebs. We nose around to let you in on everything you ever wanted to know about the diva of Toyland.
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Barbie has seven different skin tones to be exact.u00a0 Her hair comes in seven different shades of blonde, woven together in various combinations to achieve highlights or lowlights. After her hair is rooted, brushed and styled, Barbie is placed in a customised heating machine to set her hairstyleu00a0much like how a dome hair-dryer is used in hair salons!
She's never turned preggy!
Here's some interesting Barbie trivia to chew on:
' Barbie has never been married or pregnant; she just likes to model wedding gowns for her designer friends
' 100 peopleu00a0designers, seamstresses, pattern makers and stylists are needed to create a single Barbie outfit and look
' Barbie has owned 50 pets including dogs, horses, ponies, cats, a parrot, a chimpanzee, a panda, a lion club, a giraffe and a zebra
' Barbie has represented 50 different nationalities
' The cost of the first Barbie doll sold in 1959 was $3
'B'-town basics
Name: Barbie Millicent Roberts
Place: Willows, Wisconsin, went to Willows High School
Family: Parents are George and Margaret Roberts; has four sistersu00a0Skipper (born 1964), Stacie (born 1992), Kelly (born 1995) and Krissy (born 1995) and brother Todd (born 1966)
Vital stats: 5 inches (bust), 3 inches (waist), 5 3/16 inches (hips)
Height: 11.5 inches
Weight: 7.25 ounces
Friends: Best friend Midge (born 1963), first boyfriend Ken (born 1961 - they broke up on Valentine's Day in 2004 after being together more than 43 years)
Working Barbie
Barbie has had 108 careers in her lifetime (now that's some achievement!) and has motivated several generations of girls to discover their ambitions and realise their potential all without leaving their playrooms. She encourages girls to imagine themselves in and 'try on' careers like
' Astronaut (1965)
' Surgeon (1973)
' Olympic Athlete (1976)
' Presidential Candidate (2000)
' Princess (2001)
' American Idol Winner (2005)
' TV Chef (2008)
Designer diva
Barbie has been dressed (105 million yards of fabric and still counting!) by more than 70 top names in fashion, from Calvin to Cartier, Gucci to Galliano, Versace to Vera, and has one billion pairs of shoes.
Who invented her?
Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel Toys, was watching her daughter Barbara play with paper dolls and imagine them in grown-up roles when the idea hit her. Why not make a teenage doll that little girls could dream about the future with, she thought to herself. Handler then resolved to create such a doll through her own company, which she co-founded with her husband Elliott Handler. Ruth and Elliott unveiled Barbie at New York's annual Toy Fair back in 1959 on this day.
