Barbie was launch in 1959 and the best-selling fashion doll in the world. The official Birthday of Barbie is March 9, 1959. This is the major income / revenue product produced by Mattel, Inc. Barbie was created by an American businesswoman, Ruth Handler (1916-2002 Ruth Handler died April 27, 2002) through the inspiration of a German doll called Bild Lilli. Barbie has played an important role in the toy fashion doll market for almost fifty years (50) years now. It has also gone through numerous lawsuits and controversies involving the doll’s lifestyle and parody. In a very competitive world of business, lately, Barbie has under-went stiff competition from the Bratz range of dolls.

Ruth Handler originally launched in March 1959. She got her idea when she saw her daughter Barbara playing paper dolls and noticed that she enthusiastically and enjoying giving adult image role to the doll, even though in that time, dolls were just representation of children’s infant toy dolls. Realizing the age gap in the market of the product, the idea of producing it was never given attention by her husband Elliot who happens to be the director and co-founder of Mattle toy co. when she suggested and present it. Drawn inspiration from a German adult toy doll, Bild Lilli (sold in 1955) that she saw during the family’s (Barbara& Kenneth) trip in Europe, she reworked and designed with the help of Jack Ryan the doll called Barbie. Mattel acquired the rights to the Bild Lilli doll in 1964 and production was stopped. The first Barbie dolls were manufactured in Japan, with their clothes hand-stitched by Japanese home workers, a black and white zebra striped swimsuit and signature topknot ponytail, and was available as either a blonde or brunette. The doll was sold as a "Teen-age Fashion Model," with her clothes created by Mattel fashion designer Charlotte Johns and almost 350,000 Barbie dolls were sold during the first year of production.

Barbie's full Name : Barbara Millicent Roberts.

Parents: George and Margaret Roberts

Hometown: Fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin.

School: Willows High School and Manhattan International High School in New York City which was based on the real-life Stuyvesant High School.

Beau: Ken (Ken Carson), who first appeared in 1961.

Pets: over forty pets including cats and dogs, horses, a panda, a lion cub, and a zebra

Vehicles: Wide range of vehicles, including pink convertibles, trailers and jeeps.

Career: She also holds a pilot's license, and operates commercial airliners in addition to serving as a flight attendant.

Other Careers: Miss Astronaut Barbie (1965), Doctor Barbie (1988) and Nascar Barbie (1998).

Friends: Range of companions, including Hispanic Teresa, Midge, African American Christie and Steven (Christie's boyfriend).

Invention: Barbie® doll in 1959

Trademark: Reg. No. 0689055 issued December 1, 1959

Inventor: Ruth Handler

Criteria: First to invent. First to patent. Entrepreneur.

Birth: November. 4, 1916 in Denver, Colorado, Ruth Mosko

Death: April 27, 2002 in Los Angeles, California

Nationality: American, of Polish immigrant parents

Milestones:1938 Ruth married Elliot Handler

1945 Mattel founded by Harold Matson, Elliot Handler and Ruth Handler to make picture frames

1946 Matson sells his interest to the Handlers. Mattel makes and sells doll house furniture

1960 The success of the Barbie doll led Mattel to become a publicly-owned company

1967 Ruth Handler becomes President of Mattel, Inc.

1974 the Handlers leave the Mattel Company