Midge, full name Margaret Hadley Sherwood, who was first introduced as Barbie's best friend in 1963, and is Barbie's on-screen neighbor. Midge's run as the youthful, freckled sidekick has been sporadic and at times turbulent, with only a handful of releases in the '60s, before she resurfaced in the '80s and '90s.
In real life, Midge was introduced as Barbie's best friend in 1963. Mattel eventually stopped making her, only to bring her back in 1988. Mattel also sold her in a wedding-day set with Allan and in a controversial "Happy Family" set, pictured, in which she was pregnant.
In 1968, Mattel created Christie. Christie had the same body as Barbie so that their clothes were interchangeable. But her face was a new design intended to highlight the facial features of a Black woman. Many consider Christie to be the first “Black Barbie.” Christie was part of a series of talking dolls.
Raquelle is Barbie's frenemy in the animated series "Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse," constantly trying to sabotage Barbie's life out of envy. Raquelle does not appear in Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie, but fans hope she might be included in a potential sequel as a villainous character.
Kenneth Sean "Ken" Carson (1961–1967, 1969–present): Barbie's male counterpart and former boyfriend as well as the second character added to the line. Mattel announced a split between him and Barbie in 2004 and a reunion on Valentine's Day in 2011.
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.
“Sindy is Barbie's biggest rival, no doubt about it,” Reynolds said. “She is the first doll talked about after Barbie.” Reynolds noted that while Sindy had reached overseas markets, the brand never managed to crack the United States.
Sugar Daddy Ken is a satirical knock-off doll that made a hilarious cameo appearance in the movie Barbie, poking fun at the legacy of the iconic doll. Released in 2009 as a special edition for adult collectors, Sugar Daddy Ken was quickly discontinued due to controversy surrounding its suggestive name and appearance.
Although the doll was part of a 'Happy Family' line of dolls, there was backlash at the time for endorsing 'teenage pregnancy', so the road towards endorsing a liberating world through Barbie dolls has admittedly not always been smooth. Regardless, for Ruth the idea was to keep Barbie single and child free.
One of the characters in the movie is a pregnant Midge, who is played by Emerald Fennell and is based on a real doll. The controversial pregnant Midge doll was released by Mattel in 2002 and caused outrage among parents who believed it promoted teen pregnancy.
“Pregnant Barbie” is actually Margaret Hadley Sherwood, or Midge, as her friends call her. Midge was created to be a less glam, more relatable Barbie, per Buzzfeed News. The doll was launched in 1963 as Barbie's bestie. She had freckles and red hair, and she wore less makeup than Barbie did.
Sindy hit the shops four years after her American counterpart Barbie, in 1963. She could be said to be a little less glamorous and, perhaps, more realistic, which is potentially why Sindy is looked at more fondly by some.
Fans had no way of knowing that Barbie had an even more adult side: She was closely related to a German novelty toy. Barbie had a sister—Bild-Lilli, a racy doll marketed to men.
Ken's job in the Barbie movie is "beach," which makes him feel purposeless compared to the empowered Barbies who can be anything they want. In real life, Ken has had over 40 different jobs, including country western singer and surgeon, but still lacks a defined identity.
Barbie® has lots of best friends, but her oldest friend is Midge® (shown here), who she grew up with in Willows. Barbie was even Midge's maid-of-honor at her wedding to Alan in 1991.
Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. Barbie was named after Ruth Handler's daughter, Barbara, and Ken after her son, Kenneth. She is from (fictional) Willows, Wisconsin, where she attended high school.
Between Suicide Squad and now Barbie, you can't keep Margot Robbie's movie characters out of jail. But this time, our blonde bombshell was wrongly imprisoned alongside her beau Ken after a stranger assaulted Barbie.
Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling say their characters don't kiss in "Barbie" because it wouldn't have made sense logistically. The Ken actor said in a recent joint interview with the Barbie actor that kissing was in the initial plans, but didn't make the final cut.
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.
