The Barbie Evolution: Behind the Doll’s Massive Success

How many times have you received or purchased Barbie dolls so far? Speaking for myself; more than I can count!

This worldwide popularity of the Barbie brand was not gained by the American toymaker easily. In fact, the Barbie evolution story can be an example of successful business ventures that have checked most, if not all boxes, when it comes to business innovation and development.

In the late 1950s, a young American mother noticed that her daughter's playdates were missing human-like dolls as she was playing with paper ones. The mother thought that the market is missing dolls portraying beautiful and trendy women and contemplated filling the gap.

Consequently, Ruth Handler told her husband, Elliot Handler, then co-owner of a plastic furniture-building business, that they can explore producing toys with the vision Ruth had.

In March 1959, the Handlers chose the American Toy Fair in New York City to introduce their new $3.00 product, the toy called after their young daughter; Barbie.

Dressed in a TV-friendly black and white bathing suit, the new doll in makeup and trendy hairdo became an instant hit, appealing to millions of young girls who demanded Barbie for their birthdays and Christmas presents. During the first year of its manufacturing, Barbie's revenues reached $300,000.

The Barbie Evolution

This huge success inspired new releases of the toy, with a variety of fashion items that mimicked glamourous movie stars and fashion icons in the 1950s and 1960s, including the highly popular first lady at that time, Jackie Kennedy and Doris Day's style at her blockbuster film, Pillow Talk.

In 1961, the manufacturers introduced a new character to accompany Barbie, the infamous boyfriend; Ken. In no time, Barbie became one of the most selling toys in the US, let alone being the main topic of numerous songs, such as 1997 worldwide hit.

If we were to take a look at what made the Barbie brand stand out, besides being the first human-like doll, it is crucial that we look at how the manufacturer, the Mattel toymaker, kept a close eye on the latest trends and hypes across the United States, not only in the fashion scene but also the political and social ones.

Social Listening

The first versions of Barbie were heavily criticized for portraying women as submissive housewives conforming to 1950s societal stereotypes and traditional beauty standards with interests limited to house, kids, and fashion.

Not too long afterward, the growing feminist movement in America inspired the new evolution of Barbie, bringing a series of new independent working Barbies to the world, ones that took more than 200 jobs; a doctor, a pilot, a teacher, and even a candidate for the US Presidency in the early 1990s.

In an effort to remain relevant to social and political changes in America during the Civil Rights Movement, Mattel introduced a new black character in 1968; Barbie's best friend Christie.

Later on and in response to accusations of excluding non-white ethnicities in the US, Barbie released two new more inclusive dolls for the same character, Barbie, in 1980, an African American and a Hispanic one.

In one more response to backlash accusing it of "promoting unrealistic body images", Barbie started introducing a variety of sizes in 2016, including curvy, tall, and petite Barbies.

In 2017, Barbie appeared in an Instagram post wearing a pro-LGBTQ shirt reading "Love Wins", in support of marriage equality in the US, making the doll more socially inclusive, gaining the reputation of "the most diverse doll in the US".

For the 2018 International Women's Day, Barbie launched a new collection of "role model" dolls "in celebration of extraordinary women" around the world, showing support for women's rights and their case for equality.

It is this practice of social listening by the Barbie manufacturers that has been keeping its dolls amongst the best-selling toys for over 60 years now.

The Barbie brand also remained at the top of the internet game since the early 2000s. The brand's online presence has grown its popularity amongst new generations of millennials, via video games, online websites, e-commerce, and even social media accounts that make Barbie feel as though a real celebrity loved by both the young and old.

Barbie's official YouTube account was created in 2005. It also joined Twitter in 2009 and Instagram in 2014. 

Find more statistics at Statista

As a result of Mattel's policies to stay up-to-date with global changes and to serve the needs of different target groups, Barbie's sales continue to grow over the years.

During the first few months of global lockdowns, Mattel reported an unexpected jump in sales worldwide, one that has been contributed to selling over 1 billion dolls around the world.

While Barbie celebrates its 63rd birthday this year, it is fair to say that the brand offers valuable business lessons, ones that are based on staying relevant and aware of social needs.