On 9 March 1959 the teenage doll Barbie went on show at the American Toy Fair in New York. Over a billion have been sold worldwide since.

Barbie was created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, and based on the German Bild Lilli doll which Handler had purchased while in Europe. 

Barbie’s clothes, a vital part of the play experience with the doll, were created by Mattel fashion designer Charlotte Johnson.

Vintage Barbie dolls from the early years are the most valuable at auction, and while the original Barbie was sold for $3.00 in 1959, a mint boxed Barbie from 1959 sold for $3552.50 on eBay in October 2004. On September 26, 2006, a Barbie doll set a world record at auction of £9,000 sterling (US$17,000) at Christie’s in London.