On March 9, 1959, Barbie made her debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York City. The date became known as Barbie's birthday and is now also celebrated as Barbie Day. Barbie was thought up by Ruth Handler, wife of one of Mattel's founders, Elliot Handler. Handler noticed her daughter, Barbara, gave adult roles to paper dolls when she played with them. In 1956, Handler bought three German Lilli Dolls in Switzerland, and used them as inspiration.

Barbie made her debut in stores on Sept. 6. The first Barbie wore a black and white swimsuit, had the full name of Barbara Millicent Roberts, and was available with either blonde or brunette. Today more than 1 billion Barbie dolls have been sold since they made their debut, and Barbie has become an American cultural icon.

Source: Checkiday.com

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Today is: Barbie Day