Barbie And Ken Are Based On Siblings Ruth Handler's iconic dolls were named after real people: her children Barbara and Ken.
Ken is sold at 12 inches tall — half an inch taller than his girlfriend. The duo is from the fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin. But while Barbie and Ken have been long recognized as lovers in toy form and translated on-screen, their namesakes are actually siblings.
Barbie and Ken are one of pop culture's most famous couples. But the plastic dolls were named after real people, and they weren't a couple – they were siblings. Ruth Handler's children resented the dolls named after them and didn't buy any for their own children.
Barbie's age has fluctuated; early on, Mattel described her as 19 years old, but she is often shown as an older character in adult careers. The first episode of Life in the Dreamhouse even jokes that she is over 43 years old. As of 2021, Barbie has three younger sisters: Skipper, Stacie, and Chelsea.
Barbie has seven siblings. Skipper was introduced in 1964, twins Todd and Tutti were around from 1965 to 1971, Stacie hit shelves in 1990, Kelly was sold from 1994 to 2010 and Chelsea was introduced in 2011 as a replacement for Kelly.
Barbie and Ken felt it was “time to spend some quality time apart” with Arons hinting that Ken's reluctance to put a ring on it may have played a part in their breakup. Still, the two swore the breakup was amicable and they would remain friends.
In addition to Chelsea, Barbie also has three older sisters: Skipper, Stacie, and Shelly (who was renamed “Stacie” in later years). There is also a sister named Krissy who was introduced in 1999 but only lasted for a few years.
Skipper Roberts is a doll created by Mattel in 1964 to be Barbie's younger sister. A Skipper doll. Since 2009, Skipper has had a colored streak in her hair. Mattel redesigned Skipper in 2009, adding a purple streak to her hair and giving her a tech-savvy personality.
Kenneth Sean "Ken" Carson is a fashion doll introduced by American toy company Mattel in 1961 as the counterpart of Barbie, who was introduced two years earlier.
One of her siblings eventually went missing.
Tutti and Todd are twins—or they were, until Tutti mysteriously disappeared in 1971. Stacie, who was introduced in 1992, is also Todd's twin, to add to the whole twin mystery.
Barbie broke up with Ken on Valentine's Day in 2004. To impress Barbie, Ken got a makeover from stylist Phillip Bloch in 2006. Barbie and Ken got back together in 2011. In 2010, Ken starred in Toy Story 3.
Calculating Barbie's age from her manufacturing debut, the first Barbie doll is now over 64 years old. Considering that Barbie was created as a 19-year-old doll, she could technically be up to 83 years old. However, in the past, Mattel has reportedly said that Barbie is frozen in time at age 19.
While some on social are wondering how Barbie snagged a girlfriend before them, or when exactly she came out, Aimee Song weighed in to make the relationship Twitter-official. “I am the girlfriend,” Aimee tweeted, alongside a photo of herself and her Barbie likeness wearing her “Love Wins” t-shirts.
Margaret Roberts is Barbie's mom.
Barbie never married Ken, and I think that's important. The helmet-head himbo was introduced in 1961 — two years after Barbie — and from inception, he was intended to be a boyfriend, not a husband, her companion but not a legally binding one. In the Mattel universe, they broke up, they got back together.
Technically, Ken has no official age (he is a doll, after all) although he was first introduced as Barbie's boyfriend on March 11, 1961, which means he has been around for 62 years. (Barbie was created in 1959, which would make her 64.)
In the nineties and the early part of the first millennial decade, Barbie had a toddler sister named Kelly. She looked like the doll on the left, only blonde and blue-eyed. Fast-forward to the current year, and Kelly is gone. She's morphed into a little girl named Chelsea (right).
This dollhouse wasn't the typical pink, plastic dream house made by Mattel, but a more traditional looking house that was "Barbie-sized." Among the rooms was a nursery for a Barbie baby, which posed a problem: Barbie is technically not married and, technically, she can never have a baby.
Barbie® doll's boyfriend, Ken®, debuted two years after Barbie® in 1961. Ken® doll's official birthday is March 11, 1961 – making Ken® 2 days and 2 years younger than Barbie®. Starting out with nine outfits, a skinny frame and fuzzy crew cut, he's always stood by Barbie.
Fans had no way of knowing that Barbie had an even more adult side: She was closely related to a German novelty toy. Barbie had a sister—Bild-Lilli, a racy doll marketed to men.
The Chelsea doll is Barbie's younger sister and was launched in 2011. At age seven, she's meant to be the youngest sister of the Barbie family and was designed specifically for younger children. The Chelsea doll line also includes a doll in a wheelchair.
Chelsea Roberts is Barbie's youngest sister. She was originally named Kelly, but she was known as Shelly in Europe.
One shows that the gender expectations for Skipper, Barbie's little sister, in the books did not quite align with the toys and accessories rom the very beginning. Skipper has been an enduring character in the plastic-fantastic Barbie world.
Raquelle is usually the villain or antagonist in the show. Raquelle founded The Raquelle Boutique in an attempt to overshadow Barbie's own store.
Tutti. Tutti is Todd's twin sister. Together with Todd, she appeared in 1965 and got discontinued in 1971. After being ceased, some people confused her for Stacie – probably because Tutti was replaced by Kelly, who in turn got replaced by Stacie.