Since 1959, Barbie® has stood for limitless possibilities. Introduced as “The Original Teenage Fashion Model,” she gathered a resume that now spans more than 250 careers, reflecting widening opportunities for women and inviting girls to dream past the expected. This set of 10 designs dresses her for a range of those iconic roles, paying tribute to more than 65 years of reinvention. Art director Ethel Kessler worked closely with Mattel on the selection. “I had no idea the breadth of the Barbie doll's career journey,” she says. The team approached it “with a spirit of fun,” using the brand's bright shades — predominantly Barbie Pink — and a rarely used format: no wider than a standard vertical commemorative, but a third taller, so the outfits can be seen properly.
Mattel's introduction of Barbie was groundbreaking in its moment: a new vision of womanhood, offered just as careers were opening to women. Serious design, zero solemnity.
PERFECT FOR: birthday cards and party invitations, gifts for Barbie collectors, pop-culture displays, journal pages, and a framed set for a daughter's room that will outlast the trend cycle.
