{ barbieGirl: [ { image: "https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/o/barbie%2Fbarbie_1959.png?alt=media&token=3f2dd66d-a968-4f52-bf50-f319a5bda389", date: "1959", html: `

Back to where it all began! Barbie first appeared in 1959 at the New York Toy Fair. The doll was the creation of American businesswoman Ruth Handler, who co-founded Mattel with her husband and their friend Harold Matson.

Fun fact: Mattel was a combination of Matson and Elliot.

Named after their daughter Barbara, Barbie was a 'teenage fashion model' with a backstory - she was born in Wisconsin as Barbara Millicent Roberts (yes, Barbie had a full name!).

With long blonde hair and a sideways glance, she wore a black-and-white knit swimsuit, had a high ponytail and hoop earrings. Her style reflected the old Hollywood glamour projected by icons at the time, like Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor.

`, }, { date: 1960, html: `

In 1960, Barbie became a fashion designer. Named 'Busy Gal' Barbie, she sported a red two-piece skirt and jacket, a red and white striped blouse with a bowtie neckline, a blue hat, and a brown belt with a gold buckle. She also carried around a big ol' portfolio filled with illustrated fashion sketches.

Following her stint as a fashion designer, Barbie also expanded her resume as a registered nurse and an American Airlines stewardess.

Fun fact: The iconic 'Busy Gal' Barbie doll was reproduced by Mattel in 1999.

`, image: "https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/o/barbie%2Fbarbie_1960.png?alt=media&token=8c942ca9-98ab-4494-b8b0-b4712a715564", }, { date: 1961, html: `

Not only did Barbie kick some serious career goals in the early '60s, but she also met her first boyfriend, Ken. What a time!

Named after Handler's son, Ken was on par with his girlfriend on the style front. He came with his very own stylish wardrobe, as well as nine different choices of hair colour.

Similarly to our friend Barbie, the early Ken has since evolved to meet the changing styles and trends of the times.

`, image: "https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/o/barbie%2Fbarbie_1961.png?alt=media&token=b5bc2e16-62ee-42fb-ba4b-db1f525e9540", }, { image: "https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/o/barbie%2Fbarbie_1962.png?alt=media&token=fe6b7a61-3fd2-472c-90b7-bce7abea18d3", date: 1962, html: `

Barbie went for the chop and ditched her iconic long blonde hair in 1962, opting for a pretty dramatic transformation - a 'bubble cut' brunette hairstyle.

Inspired by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Barbie's wardrobe also had a bit of a revamp - with stylish dresses and a pillbox hat making an entrance.

To fit all her trendy outfits, hats and accessories, Barbie obviously had to get a little bit more space. So, she bought her first house - Barbie's Dreamhouse.

Filled with colourful and stylish mid-century furniture, and plenty of storage space, every girl imagined themselves chilling and entertaining in that very Dreamhouse.

`, }, { image: "https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/o/barbie%2Fbarbie_1965.png?alt=media&token=2878795f-f83f-49ea-bda9-60510ffd7c6d", date: 1965, html: `

Do you know who landed on the moon before man? Miss Astronaut Barbie, of course. She arrived on shelves a couple of years after cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space, reflecting the buzz and excitement around the space race.

Dressed in a metallic space suit, a white helmet, brown gloves and matching boots, Miss Astronaut Barbie showed girls they could do absolutely *anything*.

`, }, { image: "https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/o/barbie%2Fbarbie_1968.png?alt=media&token=ddeb243a-bb35-4d69-b550-f2fbf7b907c3", date: 1968, html: `

In 1968, Barbie introduced us to her friend, Christie - who was one of the first Black dolls to appear on shelves. Reflecting the movement behind Equal Rights, Christie represented more than just a doll.

Christie marked the push for more diverse representation for young girls - dolls with different skin tones, eye colours and hairstyles.

With short '60s-styled brown hair, Christie shared Barbie's good taste in fashion, rocking a mod-inspired yellow and pink one-piece swimsuit.

`, }, { image: "https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/o/barbie%2Fbarbie_1970.png?alt=media&token=4bd9a224-32db-45f7-9b26-e726c407e66e", date: 1970, html: `

Moving away from her mod years and into those sweet Californian vibes, the early '70s brought us Malibu Barbie. She was your quintessential surfer girl - with her iconic long blonde hair and tanned skin (she pretty much looked like Marcia Brady).

Mattel also decided to give Barbie a fresh new look, featuring a white smile and forward-looking eyes instead of a sideways glance. Different!

`, }, { image: "https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/o/barbie%2Fbarbie_1980.png?alt=media&token=10ac0499-3ff6-443b-bc1f-ef783630dc31", date: 1980, html: `

Up until the '80s there were a wider selection of diverse dolls - however, they were notably always 'friends' of Barbie.

However, in a significant move, Mattel decided to diversify their collection and release the first official African American and Hispanic dolls named Barbie in 1980.

Released alongside 40 other international dolls, African-American Barbie stole the spotlight, looking confident, glamourous and sophisticated. She wore a red bodysuit with a wrap and snap disco skirt, dangly earrings, and a bold necklace.

`, }, { image: "https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/o/barbie%2Fbarbie_1984.png?alt=media&token=401e0281-c321-4359-8a5e-629c0f1c4228", date: 1984, html: `

Barbie started running the whole show in 1984, with the release of Day-to-Night Barbie which celebrated the women's workplace revolution of that era.

In the ultimate wardrobe transformation, her iconic dusty pink power suit flipped inside out into a hot pink skirt and top combo for an evening look.

`, }, { image: "https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/o/barbie%2Fbarbie_1985.png?alt=media&token=187d7d9b-c2b3-4562-9024-e29d73904c8a", date: 1985, html: `

Did you know Barbie has more fashion collaborations under her belt than any other brand on the planet?

One of the most notable was Barbie's first official fashion partnership in 1985.

Storied fashion designer Oscar de la Renta (who is known for dressing Jacqueline Kennedy) designed a fabulous line of fashionable clothing for Barbie, which included a selection of colourful jewel tone and metallic outfits. There were capes! Faux fur! Ruffled sleeves!

By bringing the runway into the hands of young fashion lovers, Barbie's designer wardrobe undeniably influenced the creativity and self-expression of kids around the world.

`, }, { image: "https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/o/barbie%2Fbarbie_1987.png?alt=media&token=28f708fd-d6dc-4947-aa9e-96e3caf6dc71", date: 1987, html: `

Oh, come on - as IF I'm not going to mention the year Barbie first became a doctor! It was my favourite Barbie, after all.

Expanding her medical resume into general practice, Barbie chose to be a leading pediatrician, looking after babies.

Her kit also came with evening wear so she could quickly change for a night out with Ken. It’s called ~balance~.

`, }, { image: "https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/o/barbie%2Fbarbie_1992.png?alt=media&token=6adde9a6-f012-4575-b1f5-6f51f15abda2", date: 1992, html: `

Referred to as the 'Year of Women' in American politics, Barbie headed her first presidential campaign in 1992, with the launch of ‘Barbie for President’.

Dressed in a matching red two-piece pencil skirt and jacket combo, Barbie also came with an American-themed dress for an inaugural ball - because obviously.

Since then, Barbie has run for president in every election year.

Fun fact: In 2016, Barbie ran with the first all-female ticket to serve as inspiration for girls to become leaders.

This year also marked the release of Barbie's best-seller - Totally Hair Barbie.

Featuring iconic long crimped hair (Barbie's hair was literally the longest it's ever been), and an uber colourful outfit and accessories, this particular release celebrated some of the biggest trends in fashion and style from the time. It's basically the '90s in doll form.

`, }, { image: "https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/o/barbie%2Fbarbie_2010.png?alt=media&token=7657e984-f54a-4429-98cf-cd895c58661e", date: 2010, html: `

Off the back of the Barbie Fashionistas line that dropped in 2009, the first Barbie Fashionista ‘Swappin' Styles’ app was released in 2010. The app allowed users to create their favourite Barbie look - changing characters, personalities, clothes, accessories and colours. You could basically be Barbie’s own personal stylist! So. Damn. Cool.

`, }, { image: "https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/o/barbie%2Fbarbie_2014.png?alt=media&token=f1b4092e-7352-4e9a-8747-61f43def41dd", date: 2014, html: `

What's one of the world's bigger fashion influencers without an Instagram account?!

Barbie found her true calling in 2014, launching the @barbiestyle Instagram account - and it's one we all added to our follow list immediately.

Whether it's attending Fashion Week, collaborating with brands or travelling to New York, London, Milan and Paris, for the first time we were able to see it all through the eyes of Barbie herself.

`, }, { image: "https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/o/barbie%2Fbarbie_2015.png?alt=media&token=e113efba-a3d1-4f24-b776-31538a475c6b", date: 2015, html: `

Off the back of Barbie's 'You Can Be Anything' campaign, which encouraged young girls that they could do whatever they put their mind to, Mattel introduced the Barbie Sheroes collection.

Here, Barbie shone the spotlight on heroes who inspired girls by breaking boundaries and expanding the possibilities for women everywhere.

Special edition dolls were created to honour women such as Ava DuVernay, Emmy Rossum, Eva Chen, Kristin Chenoweth, Sydney "Mayhem" Keiser, and Trisha Yearwood.

Fun fact: As part of the 2017 Shero line, Mattel created a Barbie inspired by Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first Barbie to wear a hijab.

`, }, { image: "https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/o/barbie%2Fbarbie_2018.png?alt=media&token=6deef31c-23c3-40e9-a8c7-6f84757e8bf5", date: 2018, html: `

In 2018, Barbie pushed the need for younger girls to have strong female role models, launching an ‘Inspiring Women’ line, which featured 17 role models.

The collection included important historical figures such as artist Frida Kahlo, mathematician Katherine Johnson, and aviator Amelia Earhart.

We love to see it.

`, }, { image: "https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/o/barbie%2Fbarbie_2020.png?alt=media&token=c71b1d17-c431-4e92-8c1a-995c222da3e7", date: 2020, html: `

On the home front, Barbie honoured Australian Para-athlete and world championship gold medalist Madison de Rozario with her own doll.

Fun fact: Every year Mattel honours one inspirational Australian woman with a Barbie doll. How cool!

As part of Barbie's Shero campaign, the wheelchair racing champion was recognised as an inspiring individual who continuously breaks the mould for women in sport. Mattel said de Rozario “inspires the limitless potential in every girl”.

The Olympian followed Australian personalities such as Bindi Irwin and Ita Buttrose as inspirational models in their field who have been immortalised in Barbie form. How cool is that?!

`, }, { image: "https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/o/barbie%2Fbarbie_2022.png?alt=media&token=a193e0e0-4fcc-4164-8527-f0a6dc1399f7", date: 2022, html: `

This year, French luxury label Balmain announced a partnership with Barbie, celebrating her contribution to fashion and culture with a line of ready-to-wear clothing and accessories.

Under Olivier Rousteing’s creative direction, the over 50-piece collaboration features bursts of 'Barbie pink' and the iconic 1990s Barbie logo alongside Balmain’s trademark patterns.

Now, the perennial style icon’s influence lives on to inspire a new generation of fashion lovers.

`, credit: 'Instagram/@balmain' }, ], }

What's In, What's Out, and What's Actually Worth Buying This Season