There's no doubt about it – Barbie is one of the most famous toy brands in the world, beloved by kids and adults around the globe. According to Mattel, the company behind the doll, Barbie is sold in 150 countries and has a product range that spans over 50 categories, including clothing, fitness, and even food.
2023's live-action movie saw the Barbie brand scale new heights, with the iconic doll even earning a coveted spot on Forbes' 2023 list of the world's most powerful women. In light of the doll's massive year, read on to discover the incredible numbers behind the brand.
All dollar amounts in US dollars.
The first-ever Barbie hit shelves in March 1959, sporting a stylish black-and-white swimsuit (pictured) and a slick of bright red lipstick. She was designed to emulate the old-school glamour of Hollywood stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe.
Around 300,000 Barbie units were sold in the toy's first year, retailing for $3 (£2) each. Today, a mint-condition original Barbie can comfortably fetch more than $25,000 (£20k) at auction.
Since the doll's launch, Mattel has diversified the brand to include nine body types, 35 skin tones, and almost 100 hairstyles. The multi-talented Barbie has also had over 250 careers, including doctor, president, astronaut, and pop star. That's one long résumé...
Figures released by the toy company revealed that it pulled in $1.1 billion (£870m) in gross sales from Barbie dolls and toys in 2018, $1.15 billion (£910m) in 2019, and $1.35 billion (£1bn) in 2020.
While sales in 2021 totalled $1.7 billion (£1.3bn), 2022 actually saw a dip to $1.5 billion (£1bn) – although it's safe to assume the final 2023 figure will be higher.
While Mattel has over 99% brand awareness globally, more than half of its revenues are generated in America and Canada.
Mattel's impressive revenues are hardly a surprise. Over one billion Barbies have been sold since the doll debuted in 1959.
According to Mattel, 100 Barbie dolls are snapped up every minute, while one Barbie Dreamhouse (pictured) sells every two minutes.
These incredible stats make Barbie the most popular fashion doll ever created, beating competition from the likes of Bratz and Sindy.
One of the most recent Barbies to hit shelves is modelled after Stevie Nicks, the frontwoman of the legendary rock band Fleetwood Mac. The collectible (pictured) bears a striking resemblance to the Queen of Rock and Roll. She's dressed in a bohemian-style black dress and holds the singer's iconic tambourine.
Nicks, 75, confessed she felt "overwhelmed" when Mattel approached her with the idea of creating a doll in her likeness. However, the beloved songstress ultimately gave Barbie her seal of approval, stating, "When I look at her, I see my 27-year-old self. I am her, and she is me."
Barbie mania reached fever pitch in summer 2023 when the live-action movie hit the big screen in July.
At the time of writing, the film has earned more than $1.4 billion (£1.1bn) globally, despite controversial bans in Kuwait, Algeria, and, most recently, Lebanon.
Barbie's phenomenal performance means that Greta Gerwig is the first female director in history to helm a movie that's made more than $1 billion (£790m) at the box office. Gerwig is shown here, with leading lady Margot Robbie on the left.
The Barbie blockbuster originally boasted a $100 million (£79m) production budget, though this later soared to $145 million (£114m) over the course of filming.
One significant expense was the extravagant wardrobe, with costumes, hair, and make-up for the star-studded cast totalling $7 million (£5.5m). As Barbie, Margot Robbie wore multiple stylish outfits throughout the movie, each accompanied by a corresponding wig that cost between $30,000 (£24k) and $50,000 (£39k) a piece.
Salaries also accounted for a large chunk of the spend, with Robbie and her co-star Ryan Gosling (pictured together) taking home a juicy $12.5 million (£10 million) each for their lead roles as Barbie and Ken.
On top of the hefty production costs, Barbie also had an eye-watering $150 million (£118m) marketing budget.
The extensive marketing campaign included pink billboards displaying the film's release date in cities around the world, as well as hundreds of licensing tie-ins ranging from clothes and accessories to food and cosmetics.
Film critic Ali Plumb said the film's campaign has been everywhere because Mattel is selling more than just a movie. He told BBC Newsbeat: "What you're seeing isn't just a promotion for the film. It's for the Barbie brand, for everything pink, and for the colour. So you might think, hang on, this marketing is all over the place. And it's doing so well, I'm seeing it everywhere."
Barbie received eight Oscar nominations, including the coveted Best Picture. It went on to score one Academy Award on the night, with the ballad What Was I Made For? by Billie Eilish and FINNEAS winning Best Original Song.
However, controversy arose when it appeared that the Academy Awards had snubbed the two women behind the movie's success. Greta Gerwig did not receive a Best Director nod, while the leading lady, Margot Robbie, was not nominated for Best Actress.
Ryan Gosling, who was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Ken, recently addressed the snub, stating: "There is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film."
It's worth noting that while Gerwig and Robbie were not nominated for Best Director and Best Actress, respectively, they were given nods for their work on the project. Gerwig received a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for the film, while Robbie was recognised by the Academy for her work as an executive producer. But this isn't the only headline-hitting snub to surround brand Barbie in recent times...
In 2023, the iconic doll managed to land a spot on Forbes' annual roundup of the world's most powerful women.
The list showcases 100 influential women from around the globe, ranging from music icons like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift to political leaders such as Kamala Harris and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Barbie secured the 100th position, making history as the first-ever fictional female to earn a spot on the list—a move recognised by Forbes as "unconventional".
However, Barbie's inclusion sparked controversy, leading to questions about the absence of Greta Gerwig (pictured), the woman behind the wildly successful Barbie movie. Forbes writer Maggie McGrath defended the choice, asserting that the doll had "expanded beyond a symbol of female empowerment to become an avatar for the necessity of fighting to recapture power that’s been taken away."
McGrath added that Barbie had "inspired girls and their mothers for generations, but this was the year women needed her most."
Barbie marked Mattel's first major foray into the film industry, following decades of focusing on toy manufacturing and marketing. However, following the success of the blockbuster, the toymaker is plotting its very own cinematic universe to rival the likes of Marvel and DC.
Mattel has plans to make at least 14 more films based on beloved toy franchises. These include Polly Pocket, Barney, Hot Wheels, Uno, and Major Matt Mason, with stars including Tom Hanks and Lilly Collins reportedly lined up for the projects.
Not all of these silver-screen adaptations will cater exclusively to family audiences, and Mattel is hatching plans to turn its Magic 8 Ball toy into a PG-13 horror movie.
In addition to the smash-hit live-action saga, 42 animated Barbie films have been produced over the years, starting with 2001's Barbie in the Nutcracker.
Financial information for six of these movies – Barbie of Swan Lake, Barbie Fairytopia, Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus, Barbie & Chelsea: The Lost Birthday, Barbie: Skipper and the Big Babysitting Adventure, and Barbie: Epic Road Trip – is unknown.
However, estimates suggest that the remaining 36 films have earned a combined sum of $695 million (£545m) thanks to the sales of box office tickets, DVDs, and associated dolls and merchandise.
The most successful animated movie appears to be 2002’s Barbie as Rapunzel (pictured), which earned $200 million (£157m) thanks to sales of DVDs and related merchandise.
According to Mattel, 2001’s Barbie in the Nutcracker follows closely in second place, making upwards of $150 million (£118m).
An all-new animated movie, Barbie + Stacie to the Rescue, is set to be released later this year.
In addition to the films, Mattel has also released three animated TV shows – Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures, Barbie: It Takes Two, and Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse – in collaboration with Netflix.
While its revenue and viewership figures are currently unknown, Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse (pictured) broke into Netflix’s top 10 trending TV shows in the US in 2023.
The Barbie brand first expanded into the world of video games back in 1984 with the release of Barbie (pictured) on the Commodore 64 computer.
The simulator game, in which players were tasked with dressing Barbie for a series of dates with Ken, was praised for its graphics and audio design, which were widely considered advanced for the era.
Since then, over 70 Barbie-themed video games have been released across various platforms, including PC, Nintendo, PlayStation, and mobile devices.
While the total revenue generated from the Barbie video games is unknown, the most successful offering appears to have been 1996's Barbie Fashion Designer.
The PC game was one of that year's bestsellers, and it's credited with smashing the stereotype that playing video games was just for boys. It sold almost 400,000 units in 1996, generating a cool $14 million (£11m) in revenue.
The Barbie video games aren't solely focused on fashion, with genres ranging from action and adventure to mystery-busting and puzzle-solving. A recent game, the artistic Barbie Color Creations (pictured), was released on mobile in June 2023.
Though its revenue figures are unknown, the game has already had over 100,000 downloads at the time of writing. Free to download, it features optional in-app purchases that range in price from $2.99 (£2.30) to $39.99 (£31).
More than 400 Barbie-themed books have been published to date, with every film in the animated franchise getting its own eponymous book adaptation.
While the revenue generated by the various Barbie books is unknown, it’s undoubtedly another massive money-spinner for Mattel.
The most recent Barbie tome to hit shelves was You Can Be a Ballerina/You Can Be a Gymnast, published by Penguin Random House this year.
And it's not only books Mattel has ventured into.
Several Barbie magazines have hit the shelves over the decades, including the collector's magazine Barbie Bazaar, which ran for almost two decades between 1988 and 2006.
Today, young fans can purchase the monthly Barbie Magazine (pictured), which comes with on-brand gifts and accessories in each issue. While the magazine is available in stores, it can also be ordered online from Newsstand at $12 (£9.40) an issue.
According to Mattel, Barbie has a "powerful social media presence", with millions of followers across various platforms.
The Instagram account @BarbieStyle, for example, was launched in 2014. At the time of writing, it has 2.8 million followers and is reportedly one of the fastest-growing fashion accounts on the platform. Meanwhile, the core @Barbie account currently has 3.6 million followers.
Mattel reports that the Barbie YouTube channel has over 20 million subscribers, with viewers around the world having so far watched an incredible 23 billion minutes of content.
These impressive figures reportedly make Barbie the number one girls’ brand on the video-sharing platform, and presumably help to make the company more money thanks to advertising revenue.
And it's not just Mattel creating the content: the toy giant has revealed that over 18 billion minutes of Barbie-themed user-generated content are shared each year.
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