It would be great if we all could age as well as Barbie, because as she turns 51 today she looks just as good as she did when she was born back in 1959. In light of her celebration, we'll be kind enough to not point out that Barbie was the original queen of plastic surgery, though we're pretty sure Lisa Rinna and the Octo-Mom are working really hard to earn that crown. We also don't want to spoil the mystery of how Barbie has survived all these years without serious ankle and neck problems.
But Barbie is more than just a pretty face. She has worked her way into our pop culture beyond just her straight-to-DVD movies that show off her many, many skills and hobbies and her ability to constantly change her fashion style. We would like to show our appreciation for Barbie's 51 years in the business with a little look back at her most memorable pop culture appearances.
"Toy Story 2" and "Toy Story 3"
In a movie made about the secret lives of toys, we're a little surprised it took until the second film in the "Toy Story" franchise for Barbie to make her debut. Clearly her acting abilities made a big impression on the director and producers, because the trailer for "Toy Story 3" shows that not only has she returned but her role has been really beefed up!
"Barbie Girl" by Aqua
Okay, so maybe lyrics like "You can brush my hair/Undress me anywhere" didn't show Barbie in the best light, but the song "Barbie Girl" by Danish-Norwegian pop group Aqua ended up being one of the biggest songs of the late '90s. To this day, 13 years after the song's release, we still find "Come on Barbie, let's go Barbie!" getting stuck in our heads.
"Life-Size"
Before Tyra Banks started taking over the world with "America's Next Top Model" and "The Tyra Banks Show," she starred in a made-for-TV Disney movie alongside a very young Lindsay Lohan called "Life-Size." The 2000 movie, though not specifically about Barbie, is about a girl (Lindsay) who tries to bring her dead mother back to life, but accidentally brings her doll (Tyra) to life instead. This helped lead Tyra to her next big movie, "Coyote Ugly," and prove herself somewhat as an actress and not just a model.
Malibu Stacy on "The Simpsons"
The doll "Malibu Stacy" was a long-running joke on the Fox animated TV show "The Simpsons," but her role came to a head in 1994 when the network ran "Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy." The episode spoofed a crisis Barbie faced in the early '90s when Mattel (her manager) started promoting a "Teen Talk Barbie" that didn't say the most feminist-friendly things. In the episode, Lisa Simpson creates the doll "Lisa Lionheart" to be a better influence on girls. Unfortunately, sales on "Lisa Lionheart" bombed because "Malibu Stacy With A New Hat" was released the same week.
"Saturday Night Live: Barbie's Dreamhouse"
Remember back when it was Britney Spears, not Miley Cyrus or Taylor Swift, who was queen of the pop world? Well at around that time, in 2002, Britney hosted "SNL" and played the role of Barbie's "daughter" Skipper in one memorable skit, titled "Inside Barbie's Dreamhouse." We don't want to ruin the surprise, so you can watch it yourself, but we're sure Barbie was glad this little scandal never saw the light of day, though we don't see Skipper around much these days.
What are your favorite Barbie moments?
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