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Why Are We Still So Obsessed With Barbie?

Unpacking what makes Barbara Millicent Roberts (aka Barbie) one of the most popular cultural influencers of our time.

Corrie Evanoff

Read when you’ve got time to spare.

Barbie’s controversial history, how much your Ken and Skipper dolls could be worth today, and why everything suddenly seems so pink.

Image by Thierry Chesnot / Stringer / Getty Images

The Often Wacky, Sometimes Wicked, and Always Wondrous Eras of Barbie

The Mattel doll has been through a lot since her 1959 creation—a rise to fame, a public backlash, a breakup, a reconciliation, and much more. Now, we’ve entered her latest era—Blockbuster Barbie—which shows that, somehow, both the doll and perceptions of her are still evolving.

Barbie’s ‘Pornographic’ Origin Story, as Told by Historians

A new trailer for the Barbie movie shows her visiting the real world. In reality, the doll was based on a German sex toy called Lilli.

When Barbie Broke the Glass Ceiling

The iconic doll traveled to space, flew with the Thunderbirds and joined the NBA, beating real-life women to an array of career milestones

Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ Dream Job

Mattel wanted a summer blockbuster to kick off its new wave of brand-extension movies. She wanted it to be a work of art.

The Long, Complicated, and Very Pink History of Barbiecore

Barbie has had her fair share of critiques, especially when it comes to gender and diversity.

The Real-Life Scandal Behind Barbie’s Two Strangest Characters

There’s only one Allan, and don’t ask his wife about their child.

10 of the Most Valuable Barbie Accessories

Selling that old Barbie Dream House could bring you one step closer to getting your own.

The Hollow Man: What Do You Mean ‘Just’ Ken?

In anticipation of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie, starring Margot Robbie as the leggy doll and Ryan Gosling as her gelded beau, Esquire gets beneath the plastic of an uncomfortably freighted icon of anti-masculinity.

Not Every Version of Barbie and Her Friends Was a Hit. Check Out These Flops

There’s nothing Barbie has loved more in her 64 years in the toy world than to keep reinventing herself.

Long Before Barbie Got a Movie, She Was a Star at This D.C. Pond

The displays of Barbie and her crew at the pond have delighted neighbors, made the must-see lists of tourists and even played a role in a wedding proposal.

When Barbie Went to War with Bratz

How a legal battle over intellectual property exposed a cultural battle over sex, gender roles, and the workplace.

Barbie, Her House and the American Dream

Take a stop-motion journey with the young, single homeowner of the Dreamhouse. Ken isn’t on the deed.

I Found the Black Side of California’s Barbie World

SFGATE travel reporter Olivia Harden designed a Barbie doll that looked more like her.

The Most Valuable Barbie Dolls in 2023 — According to the Experts

As the new Barbie film hits screens, we ask the experts about the old dolls that could fetch a pretty penny.

You Can Spend a Night in Barbie’s Malibu DreamHouse

Ken is renting it out on Airbnb—and yes, it comes with a disco roller rink and a pool.

BONUS READ: The Oral History of Aqua’s ‘Barbie Girl’

In 1997, a completely unknown Danish pop group turned a tongue-in-cheek song about “life in plastic” into a global hit that’s never truly gone away.