12 Toys of Christmas: 5 Busty Barbies

Imitated but never duplicated, Barbie is one of the most successful toys ever. Many of my Barbie® memories include my friends and I cutting her hair, searching for her high-heeled shoes and creating our own swimming pool in the bathroom sink. Barbie was certainly my favorite toy and I am sure many of you would agree (yes, even you guys. . . we know you loved to wage war on her with your G.I. Joes).

Barbie was first introduced at The New York Toy Show in 1959, and she was unlike anything else in the market. Barbie had the fashion sense of paper dolls, the realism of baby dolls, and the beauty of a young woman who would go on to inspire the imaginations of millions of little girls. Within ten years, Mattel had sold $500 million in products.

Many people do not realize that Barbie, and her boyfriend Ken, were actually inspired by real people. They were named after the children of Ruth and Elliot Handler, the doll’s creator. That’s right -- the original Barbie (Barbara) and Ken (Kenneth) were brother and sister!
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