Doll:Birthday Barbie

Introduced by Mattel, Inc., in 1959, Barbie dominates the doll world like no other doll. Today, annual sales for Barbie reach into the billions of dollars. Barbie's popularity since her introduction, however, has not been consistent. In the 1970s, many mothers and feminists condemned Barbie for encouraging little girls to think of themselves as manikins, sex objects, and housekeepers. By the early 1980s, Mattel had refocused Barbie from the ultimate consumer and party girl to a more career-oriented and culturally inclusive figure. Mattel issued more Barbies as astronauts, pilots, engineers, race car drivers, doctors, and dentists with the slogan, "We girls can do anything."