I clearly remember my first Barbie – nearly forty years ago! She was the first “grown up” looking toy I had ever had – by comparison to her companions in my toy chest being Raggedy Ann and my old Teddy, amongst others, she was terribly glamorous, with her tall slim figure and coy side-ways glancing eyes (this was before the Mattel company changed her look to show forward looking eyes). I simply loved dressing her up and had a large collection of dolls and accessories even till my early twenties, after which it sort of fell apart.

Originally introduced in 1959, Barbie was based on the design for a German doll, Bild Lilli. Ruth Handler, who created Barbie, named her after her daughter Barbara.

Today this icon of the toy world has sold more than a billion models with three

Barbies being sold every second.

Over the years, she has appeared in various incarnations (Astronaut, Doctor, Air-flight Attendant, the list goes on) which are as numerous as her various famed accessories and branded goods.

She has survived critical backlash (for promoting an unhealthy body image amongst young girls as well as portraying a “shallow” role model) and parody (Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” song springs to mind). The most recent crisis is the recall of many of her accessories due to high lead content.

In hindsight I do ask myself – was she really a healthy role model? But there is no doubt that she provided many happy hours of enjoyment.