Meant to be a 19-year-old woman, the doll was named after 18-year-old Barbara, the daughter of American businesswoman and Barbie inventor Ruth Handler. Today, the doll itself is 64 years old; in 2023, Barbie would technically be 83 years old if she aged.
The prime demographic for Barbie dolls are girls aged between 3 and 12 years old, according to market research across the years. Can the same be said for Barbie, Greta Gerwig's upcoming movie based on the iconic Mattel toy line? It depends where you live in the world.
Barbie, formally known as “Barbara Millicent Roberts,” was born in 1959, which would technically make her 63 years old — except for the small fact that she was born as a 19-year-old. Yep, that's right: The first ever Barbie was officially 19 years old, which would make her age closer to 82-83 years old.
Barbie's official birthday is March 9, 1959 even though she was 19 years old when she was born! If you consider Barbie to have been 0 years old when she was born, she would be 64 as of March 9, 2023. If you consider the fact that she was born at age 19, Barbie would be 83 years old as of March 9, 2023.
Considering that Barbie was created as a 19-year-old doll, she could technically be up to 83 years old. However, in the past, Mattel has reportedly said that Barbie is frozen in time at age 19.
While the film does not dive into trans identity, Barbie still manages to touch upon LGBTQ+ issues without naming them as such. In fact, the film features several openly LGBTQ+ actors, like Hari Nef, Kate McKinnon, Alexandra Shipp, and Scott Evans.
Our recommendation is that the movie should be safe for nearly all children ages 11 and older (which Common Sense Media seconds). If your kids are younger and they're still dying to watch the movie, take these considerations in mind and decide for yourself.
If true, and we assume that March 9, 1959, was Barbie's 19th birthday, then it means she celebrated her 83rd birthday in March 2023. If you'd rather consider March 9, 1959, as the day she was actually born, then she's currently 64 years old.
Barbie and Ken felt it was “time to spend some quality time apart” with Arons hinting that Ken's reluctance to put a ring on it may have played a part in their breakup. Still, the two swore the breakup was amicable and they would remain friends.
Ryan (2012–2015): He is Raquelle's twin brother and Ken's rival. He is a main character in the Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse series. Ryan has a crush on Barbie, and therefore competes with Ken for her affection.
Other elements that made Barbie a 12A are innuendo (such as the 'beaching-off' gag we saw in the trailer), comic fight scenes that feature "undetailed punches, kicks, headbutts and use of improvised weapons" and references to death.
Is BaiRBIE.Me safe? Even though these apps can be a lot of fun, we need to be careful about what information and photos we give to the websites that host them. Poland's Ministry of Digitization warned people not to use an app that changes photos to make people look like Barbie or Ken dolls.
Yes, Barbie has never got married or had children - something that was apparently a very deliberate choice, with Ruth Handler not wanting young girls to aspire only to marriage and motherhood.
CNN: Why might it be important that “Barbie” culminated in a gynecologist appointment? Wen: Having everyone see Barbie go to the gynecologist normalizes the experience. It solidifies the understanding that reproductive health is an integral part of overall health.
Plus, The Motion Picture Association has given "Barbie" a rating of PG-13 for suggestive references and brief language, meaning that it's not entirely kid-friendly.
Ken (short for Kenneth Carson) hit the toy aisle as Barbie's buyable boyfriend two years after her 1959 debut. He was available in two styles — blond or brunette hair, made of hard plastic — and came dressed in very short red swim trunks.
By the late 1980s, Midge was back on shelves as part of the California Dream Barbie set. Then, she was re-released in the 1990s wearing a wedding dress, and again in 2002 with a detachable magnetic pregnant stomach, which allowed her to “deliver” a small plastic baby curled up inside, per CBS News.
The movie also features shirtless Kens, a comedic “battle” scene involving toy weapons and a few references to “brewskys” (beer). As for language, parents can expect one bleeped out use of the word “motherf*****,” as well as the use of other mildly bad words like “hell, “shutup,” “crap” and “damn.”
Director Greta Gerwig, who has built a devoted following for such female-forward movies as Lady Bird and Little Women, has labeled Barbie "most certainly a feminist film." Mattel executives, on the other hand, have said the opposite.
While the original Barbie doll, meant as a high fashion toy, didn't have pink marketing, in the 70s, Mattel made a push to market the doll to young girls, instead of adolescent girls, and used pink as the main color for the doll's brand identity.
