Published: March 04, 2009 03:57 pm      

LIFESTYLE: Barbie turns 50

America’s most famous blonde has experienced her share of turmoil during her first half-century in the world.

She’s changed jobs more than 100 times, lost four presidential races, been highly criticized for keeping a wafer-thin figure and not too long ago broke up with her boyfriend of four-plus decades.

But even as she turns 50 years old this week, Barbie maintains astoundingly good looks for a quintogenarian and hasn’t lost one smidgen of sparkle from the smile she’s proudly worn for five decades.

Monday marks the 50th anniversary of the day that Barbara Millicent Roberts made her debut at the Toy Fair in New York. Created by Ruth Handler for Mattel — and inspired by Handler’s daughter, who frequently enjoyed playing with paper dolls before having a plastic toy available — Barbie debuted in a a black-and-white striped swimsuit and originally sold for $3, according to Mattel.

Countless incarnations of Barbie have since been created, with millions of the dolls having been sold, along with boyfriend (now pal) Ken, Barbie’s sisters — Skipper, Stacie, Kelly and Krissy — and many friends. About 90 percent of U.S. girls ages 3-10 own at least one Barbie doll, an affection that often carries over into adulthood; Mattel estimates that there are more than 100,000 adult Barbie collectors.

Town of Tonawanda resident Mary Szanyi-Coffey hadn’t thought about Barbie in years until 2001, when she saw a doll inspired by Lucille Ball’s character in her classic sitcom “I Love Lucy.” Her husband bought her that doll days later, and before she knew it Szanyi-Coffey’s home was adorned with more than 300 of the figures from several time periods.

“One doll became another doll, then another, then a hundred,” she said.

Focusing her collection on pre-1970s figures and modern dolls, the 42-year-old Szanyi-Coffey said her collection allows her to revisit her past.

“I played with her as a child. I always liked to live in that little dream world growing up,” she said. “I guess it’s just the feeling of you go back into the world of make-believe. It makes me feel young again.”

That sense of nostalgia appeals to many collectors, according to Susan Asbury, a curator who oversees the Barbie exhibit at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester. The museum is also home to the National Toy Hall of Fame — to which Barbie belongs — and Asbury said the 1,500 Barbie items acquired from a Wisconsin collector in 2003 remain a popular draw both there and scattered amongst other museum exhibits.

“You hear a lot of intergenerational conversation ... talking about how they played with their dolls,” she said.

Nostalgia isn’t the only motivation to collectors, Asbury said, as some dolls are worth a good deal of money. The original Barbie, for example — Barbie No. 1 — could fetch more than $25,000 in mint condition; this doll is doubly rare, Asbury said, because Mattel offered a trade-in program in Barbie’s infancy that allowed doll owners to send in their old Barbie for the newest model, which took a lot of the originals off of the market.

Money isn’t the motivation, though, for collectors such as Szanyi-Coffey and Linda Callahan, who both belong to the Lilac Fashion Doll Club, a Barbie collector’s society that encompasses all of Western New York. Callahan, who has amassed at least 2,000 Barbies since starting her collection at age 37 in 1986, said the main draw for her is Barbie’s ability to stay updated in terms of fashion; she’s been outfitted by more than 70 big-name designers over the years, in addition to needing something new to wear for each of her 108 careers and her many stand-ins for film stars and other celebrities.

“Mattel has been able to create fashions to reflect the eras and also show that girls can grow up to be anything they wish to be,” said Callahan, a resident of Penfield, in an e-mail. “She really fit into the image of an assertive woman and the women’s lib movement.”

That, rather than what haters have said is a perpetuation of unrealistic body image, is what matters to girls and women of all ages, Asbury said.

“She’s been able to change with the times,” she said. “It’s not just clothing that reflects high fashion ... but clothing that reflects career choices.”

That distinction is what makes Barbie different — and in Szanyi-Coffey’s opinion better — than contemporary competitors such as the Bratz doll line.

“I’ve learned a lot about fashion from Barbie,” she said. “Modern dolls have lost focus on having multiple careers.”

The world’s top-selling doll will receive her fair share of attention during her 50th birthday celebration. A Valentine’s Day fashion show held in New York paid tribute to Barbie, with 50 models adorned in top designers’ takes on the doll’s differing styles over the decades. Mattel released a reproduction of the original Barbie to mark the occasion, while the Strong museum will host a “Happy Birthday Barbie” exhibit starting June 27 that will feature more than 1,000 versions of Barbie and her many accessories.

Continuing through March, meanwhile, is an exclusive display at Bloomingdale’s New York in Manhattan featuring a display of 120 vintage Barbies and a 242-square-foot Barbie boutique, as well as window displays. A birthday party will be held Monday at the custom-built “real” Barbie dream house in Malibu, Calif., and a national Barbie contention will take place July 7-11 in Washington, D.C.

But while 2009 will be a year to look back on Barbie’s influence, times have to continue moving forward.

Mattel has established an agreement with the Council of Fashion Designers of America to skupport developing designers through mentoring and scholarships. Numerous special dolls have been created this year, as well, including one honoring Angela Merkel, the first female chancellor of Germany, and a Pink World Barbie line is due out later this year.

“You always look at what’s coming next,” Szanyi-Coffey said. “You’re always looking for the next one to get.”

Contact editor Paul Laneat 693-1000, ext. 116.