With Barbie,
“you can be anything you want”
!
In more than six decades of existence, the doll has been a model, nurse, astronaut, florist, firefighter, pilot, yoga teacher and even paleontologist.
As a result, it became Mattel's best-selling toy.
At 65 years old, she shows no wrinkles, having been able to adapt to fashions and customs to stay
in
.
Mattel has a lot to celebrate on this anniversary.
The American company is a leader in the fashion doll category, and was a pioneer in marketing Barbie on the market.
Faustine Goriaux, consultant at the Faubourg Stories agency notes:
“she continues to evolve and reinvent what a doll looks like and who it is intended for, thanks to powerful brands, to revitalized brands, to the intellectual properties of the catalog and brands licensed from our partners (Barbie, Disney Princesses, Monster High, Enchantimals, Harry Potter etc…)
. ”
According to Circana, the doll segment was worth $7.6 billion worldwide in 2022, 26% of which was held by Mattel.
In November 2023, the American manufacturer's share of dolls (all brands combined) reached 33%.
100 dolls sold every minute
In 65 years, more than a billion dolls have been sold around the world.
Each year, 80,000,000 Barbies are sold in more than 150 countries, or 100 dolls on average per minute.
With these figures, no wonder she has a 99% awareness rate, making her the most popular doll on the planet.
It is present in more than 50 categories, including beauty, clothing and accessories.
Old dolls from the brand.
Mattel
Despite her record age, Barbie has often been criticized for her thinness, her lack of representation of the diversity of female bodies and her sexism.
However, Mattel has tried to break stereotypes.
As early as 1965, the group released an astronaut Barbie, a candidate for the presidency of the republic in 1990 and even a firefighter in 1995. In total, she was represented in more than 250 professions.
Barbie is also the most inclusive and diverse doll: 35 skin tones, 97 hairstyles and 9 body types exist.
Dolls in wheelchairs, with Down syndrome, vitiligo as well as gender neutral dolls have emerged.
Since 2015, Mattel has even varied the height of its Barbies with dolls slightly smaller or taller than the standard 29 centimeters.
A digital phenomenon
After winning the hearts of little girls, Barbie diversified her activities by arriving in the cinema in particular.
Last July, Greta Gerwig's film shattered numerous box office records by exceeding $1.44 billion at the worldwide box office and allowing its director to become the first woman to reach this figure.
This global success has enabled Mattel to sign more than 165 partnerships and licenses with different brands (Funko, OPI, Nyx, Crocs) and brands (Primark, Carrefour, Kiabi).
Musically, Barbie sets the
bar ablaze: Barbie The Album has reached 3 billion streams
and received 12 Grammy nominations.
The poster for the film starring Margot Robbie released this summer.
Mattel
On the Internet, Barbie is present on YouTube where she has more than 20 million subscribers and more than 23 billion minutes of viewing worldwide.
In the age of social networks, Barbie is more connected than ever.
It is the leading toy brand for girls and presents itself with a unique voice on its various platforms to reach a wide audience.
Here too, the figures are dizzying: 3.6 million followers on Instagram and more than 14 million on Facebook.
“Barbie applications have on average more than 7 million monthly active users and a total of 200 million downloads,”
indicates the Faubourg stories agency.
Celebration with great fanfare
On the occasion of this symbolic date, the brand is launching numerous commercial operations to delight its fans.
In a press release, anniversary dolls are announced to revisit the most popular models launched during its 65 years of existence.
Those interested will be able to find in store
“a new collectible signature doll inspired by the original 1959 Barbie doll”
,
“2024 Fashionistas dolls that pay homage to Barbie style through the decades”
as well as
“a new Blue Sapphire Barbie doll »
.
Mattel announces that
“Barbie and the Belle Épine Shopping Center (94) will unveil a 6 meter high Climbing wall, in the brand’s colors”
.
From March 8 to 10, visitors will even be able to
“climb the wall to prove that no limit is impossible to cross”
indicates the press release.
Other surprises will spice up this anniversary with 65 days of surprises and activations on the shelves in France.