Happy birthday, Barbie! Mattel celebrates her 65th anniversary with new dolls

Amid her changing appearance, new careers and recent blockbuster film debut, Barbie is not slowing down as she celebrates her 65th anniversary.

To commemorate the iconic doll's birthday on March 9 and International Women's Day, which takes place the day before, Barbie's parent company Mattel is unveiling several new dolls.

“Barbie’s story has never been just about her," Krista Berger, senior vice president of Barbie and global head of dolls, said in a statement. "It’s about the countless young kids she’s inspired and the millions of stories she helped them imagine along the way.

"For the past 65 years, Barbie has used her global platform to empower girls to dream big, explore their limitless potential, and direct their own narrative to shape their future," she continued.

Here's everything you need to know about the history of Barbie and how Mattel is celebrating her 65th anniversary.

First, how old is Barbie? Inside the doll's age and history

Looking at Barbie’s perky, unchanging smile, it’s hard to believe that we’ve been living in a Barbie world for over six decades.

Barbie’s story began in 1959 when creator Ruth Handler noticed that her young daughter liked to give her paper dolls adult clothing and careers.

In response, she designed Barbie (formally Barbara Millicent Roberts), a teenage fashion model doll, as an alternative to the infant dolls that dominated the toy market at the time. The Barbie doll immediately became a smash hit, and her popularity has endured to this day.

Though it’s been 65 years since the doll’s manufacturing debut, Barbie has retained her youthful demeanor.

In the past, Mattel has reportedly said that Barbie is frozen in time at age 19. Being a teenager explains her seemingly boundless energy, but raises the question of how Barbie could have possibly attained all the credentials for her careers at such a young age.

Barbie has kept busy in her 65 years of existence: According to Mattel, she has held over 250 careers, ranging from paleontologist to a Rockette. She has even served as a United States Army officer, and ran for president six times. Barbie is far from retirement, though — just this year, Barbie took on the roles of dentist, fashion boutique owner, panda rescuer, pastry chef, stylist, tennis player, volleyball player and wardrobe stylist.

According to Handler, Barbie and her many careers were meant to inspire young women.

‘’Every little girl needed a doll through which to project herself into her dream of her future,’’ she told the New York Times in 1977.

Though it may be unrealistic for a teenager to achieve all of Barbie’s career highlights, Handler wanted Barbie to serve as a representation of possibility.

“My whole philosophy of Barbie was that through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be,” Handler wrote in her 1994 autobiography. “Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices.”

The question of the doll’s real age has also been addressed in more recent Barbie media. The Mattel-sponsored web series “Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse,” which ran from 2012 to 2015, regularly joked about Barbie’s mysterious age. In the first episode, Barbie prepares to go on a date with Ken to celebrate the 43rd anniversary of the first time they held hands.

Later in the show, Barbie’s friends attempt to calculate her age on her birthday. “I know she was a doctor, and you have to go to school for at least eleven years for that,” one mused. “Well, she ran for president, and you have to be at least 35,” another added. When Barbie does reveal her age at the end of the episode, her answer is hilariously drowned out by a vacuum noise.

The ages of the characters in the Barbieverse once again became a point of contention in the lead-up to the 2023 film “Barbie.”

Actor Margot Robbie, who plays Barbie in the live-action film, was 33 years old in real life at the time the movie premiered. Ryan Gosling, who plays Ken, was 42. Some Barbie fans reacted strongly to Gosling’s perceived age difference with the Ken doll, even creating the #NotMyKen hashtag to protest his casting. (It bears mentioning that if Ken’s age was also calculated from his manufacturing debut, Gosling would have been exactly twenty years younger than his character.)

Part of Barbie and Ken’s appeal is their portrayal of eternal youth and happiness — a concept that “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig frequently parodies in the film. There are also multiple versions of Barbie and Ken in the “Barbie” movie. As Gosling himself told GQ, “If people don’t want to play with my Ken, there are many other Kens to play with.”

Regardless of their real ages, Barbie and Ken remain cultural icons to this day — and life in plastic still seems fantastic.

How is Mattel celebrating Barbie's 65th anniversary?

In honor of Barbie's 65th anniversary, Mattel has announced an array of new dolls for fans to enjoy.

Mattel is releasing a vintage-inspired 65th anniversary doll, whose black-and-white striped ballgown is based on the first Barbie’s iconic swimsuit.

Mattel is also introducing 2024 Fashionistas dolls, which will pay homage to Barbie’s enduring style by putting a modern-day spin on some of her most iconic looks, including the 1959 First Barbie, 1977 Superstar Barbie and 1985 Peaches ‘n‘ Cream Barbie.

In honor of her staggering range of careers, Mattel will release new career dolls, including a farm vet, pop star and astronaut — three of Barbie’s most popular vocations since the doll’s creation.

Additionally, Mattel is honoring eight real-life female role models through creating their Barbie look-alikes, from Viola Davis to Kylie Minogue. These dolls, which are one-of-a-kind and won't be available for purchase, represent inspiring stories that encourage Barbie fans to “dream big.”

Here is the list of influential women who will be recreated as Barbie dolls, and a glimpse at why Mattel chose to spotlight them this year:

Viola Davis: actor, producer and activist

"Viola Davis is an Oscar, Emmy, Tony, and Grammy winning actor. Her production company, JuVee Productions, focuses on giving a voice to the voiceless through impactful narratives defined by inclusion," Mattel said in a press release. "Davis has partnered with multiple programs to eradicate childhood hunger in the United States."

Shania Twain: singer and songwriter

"As one of music and fashion’s most renowned trailblazers breaking down barriers for women in country music, Shania Twain is the top-selling female country pop artist of all time," Mattel stated in the release.

Twain shared her appreciation for Barbie in a statement provided by Mattel.

"I applaud Barbie for encouraging girls to create their own narratives and I'm honored to serve as a storyteller and role model during their 65th anniversary year," she said. "Dreaming is wonderful, but being able to put those dreams into action is a crucial step that Barbie helps girls visualize."

Helen Mirren: actor and advocate

In a release, Mattel described the British actor as "one of the world’s best known and most respected actresses, along with being an advocate for embracing and celebrating self-expression, aging and fashion."

"I am absolutely blown away by my Barbie," Mirren said in a statement provided by Mattel. "To be chosen by Barbie as a Role Model is a huge compliment, and something I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams happening to me at this stage in my life."

Kylie Minogue: singer

"As a superstar artist, Kylie Minogue’s glittering career has kept her firmly rooted in the present whilst defining and celebrating much of our collective past," Mattel said of the Australian pop star in the release.

Maira Gomez: content creator

"Hailing from the indigenous community of the Tatuyo ethnic group in Amazonas, Maira Gomez aims to present the culture and traditions of her people to her nearly 7 million followers on social media," Mattel shared in the release.

Lila Avilés: director

Lila Avilés is a director, producer and screenwriter from Mexico.

In the release, Mattel described Avilés as "an award-winning film producer, having won more than thirty international festivals and whose movies have a strong reception from international critics."

Nicole Fujita: model and TV personality

Nicole Fujita is a model and TV personality, and Mattel revealed that her apparel brand will be debuting its first retail store in March.

Enissa Amani, comedian

"Enissa Amani is a stand-up comedian and political activist using her voice to create and produce viral shows addressing racism issues in Germany."

CORRECTION (March 30, 2024, 4:38 p.m.): An earlier version of this article misstated that International Women's Day is on March 9. International Women’s Day is on March 8.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com