Celebrate Barbie Doll Day With the Real Human Barbie

It was on this day back in 1959 that the first BARBIE doll was sold by Mattel, check out her black-and-white-striped swimsuit.

The Barbie doll was invented in 1959 by Ruth Handler (co-founder of Mattel), whose own daughter was called Barbara.  The doll was introduced at the New York Toy Fair in 1959.  The Ken doll was named after Ruth's son and was introduced two years after Barbie in 1961.

The full name of the first doll was Barbie Millicent Roberts, from Willows, Wisconsin. Barbie's job was that of teenage fashion model. However, the doll has been made in versions connected to over 125 different careers.

In the first year (1959), 300,000 Barbie dolls were sold. Today, a mint condition "#1" (1959 Barbie doll) can fetch as much as $27,450.

There has been some controversy over Barbie's figure.  If Barbie was a real person her measurements would be an impossible 36-18-38.

Welcome to the world of  Valeria Lukyanova, who says she has only had one surgery to look like a Human Barbie Doll.