HOW BARBIE GOT CURVY AND SENT SALES SOARING

Barbie’s fufull name is Barbara Millicent RobRoberts, named after the daughter oof Mattel’s founders Ruth and Elliot Handler. They also have a son - Ken. Barbie has had 180 careers, and has been an astronastronaut three times, in 1965, 1986 and 1994.19 More than 1bn BBarbie dolls have been sold in 150 cocountries.

Barbie and her plasticp boyfriend Ken broke up in 2004 aafter 43 years together. They got back together on Valentine’s Day in 22011. Mattel broke the news on Barbie’s FaFacebook page. In 2013, a BarbieBarbie-themed restaurant was opened in Taiwan’sTaiw capital Taipei.

The most expensexpensive Barbie was made with Australian jewelleryjew designer Stefano Canturi and sold for £240,000. A NEW range of curvy,y, tall and petite Barbie dolls has revivedd sales of the toy, which had been falling out of fashion.

Sales had suffered a three-year hree-yeardecline decline as children increasingly turned to other dolls, electronic toys and tablets.

US maker Mattel had also struggled to compete against rivals after losing its licence to make Disney’s Frozen princesses Anna and Elsa.

But introducing dolls of different shapes with a variety of skin tones, hairstyles and outfits has helped drive a 16pc boost in Barbie sales.

A break from the traditional tall, blonde Barbie saw it join UK-based rival Pedigree Dolls anda Toys, which introduced a Sindy do doll with a ‘realistic’ body shape in September.Septem

Mattel had also sought to show Barbie as more than just a pretty face by launching a campaign to highlight women in leadership roles.

A President Barbie and plastic running mate was introduced in July. The campaign was new, but a President Barbie was launched in 1992 – long before a women was seriously considered for the real role.

In a third quarter update, Mattel said group sales remained flat – better than the analyst expectation of a fall.