Launched at the American Toy Fair on March 9, 1959, Barbie was an 11.5-inch-tall teenage doll made for children that quickly became one of the all-time bestselling and most widely collected toys. Heavily promoted on TV, over a billion Barbies have been sold. Collectors prize early numbered Barbie dolls from 1959 and the 1960s, as well as a wide range of rarities and collectible special editions, such as vintage Barbie dolls with bendable legs or red hair. Fashion dolls, or dolls that resemble women instead of babies or children, originated in Renaissance France as a three-dimensional way for tailors and dressmakers to see and replicate the fashions worn in the royal court. Parisienne fashion dolls, with their high-end clothing, were particularly popular collectibles among women in the 19th century. But fashion dolls were not produced in the United States until the mid-1950s when the Alexander Doll Company introduced its decidedly womanly Cissy doll in 1955. Unlike the original European fashion dolls, American fashion dolls were sold as toys for girls. Cissy was quickly followed by vinyl fashion dolls like Ideal's Revlon doll and Deluxe Reading's Candy. Barbie was the vision of Ruth Handler, whose husband, Elliot, was the "el" in Mattel and whose daughter, Barbara, gave the doll its name. The inspiration for Barbie’s facial features and impossible hourglass figure was Bild Lilli, a doll Handler picked up in 1956 while vacationing in Europe. Bild Lilli, which is a collectible in its own right, started out in 1952 as a sexy novelty toy for German men that was based on a cartoon about a gold-digging libertine. Teen and preteen girls—like Handler's 15-year-old daughter—were drawn to Lilli, who had pouty lips, reminiscent of the lips found on bisque and porcelain dolls in Europe. Mattel metallurgist Kohei Suzuki gave Barbie more natural-looking lips, although her eyes and nose were kept almost identical to those of her forebear. The other critical difference between Bild Lilli and Barbie was the concept of accessories. Beyond Barbie’s standard black-and-white zebra-striped swimsuit, in 1959, little girls in the United States could choose 22 other ensembles, ranging from a collarless Chanel-style jacket with matching sheath skirt to a satin-and-tulle bridal gown. Clothing designer Charlotte Johnson was hired away from her teaching post at Chouinard Art School in Los Angeles to complete this critical task. Most of the outfits offered in 1959 were still available in 1960, making the three vintage Barbie fashions that were discontinued that year (Easter Parade, Gay Parisienne, and Roman Holiday) extremely collectible today. Of the six new outfits added in 1960, Friday Night Date was one of the best, thanks to its charming blue corduroy jumper with felt appliqués, pair of soda glasses with cotton standing in for actual fizz, and a black serving tray bearing the Barbie logo. The year 1961 introduced the world to Ken, Barbie’s boyfriend named after Barbara Handler’s brother. In addition to Barbies with ponytails, dolls with bubble-cut 'dos were also offered. Barbie’s ever-increasing line of outfits suggested that this woman did more than go to fancy parties and beach barbecues—she was an American Airlines stewardess, a nurse, and even a professional ballerina. Barbie’s best friend Midge was added in 1963. Though Midge’s facial features were different from Barbie’s, her body style was the same so that accessories could be mixed and matched between the two dolls. The following year, Midge got her own boyfriend, Alan, and Barbie was given a kid sister, Skipper. Mattel even sold a pet poodle, which itself could be dressed in a variety of fun getups. During the middle of the 1960s, dolls in the Barbie line gained bendable limbs so they could be posed, but the major facelift came in 1967. Rooted eyelashes replaced the doll’s plastic ones, and Twist 'N Turn Barbies were offered for just $1.50 plus the trade-in of an old doll, which is why many of the original vintage dolls are so hard to find and expensive, thus prized by collectors. Twist 'N Turn style Barbies have a commemorative “1966” stamp on the doll’s bottom, but that doesn't necessarily mean the doll is that old. 1967 was also the year that Barbie and her increasing number of friends went mod. The Bermuda Holidays outfits predate Goldie Hawn’s go-go dancer costumes on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In." 1967 is important to Barbie collectors for two other reasons: It was the year an African-American doll, Francie, joined Barbie and her friends, and it was the last year the doll was manufactured in Japan. From 1968 onward, Barbie dolls were produced in Mexico, Taiwan, and Korea. After white customers rejected "Colored Francie"—who had been based on a white Francie doll originally marketed as Barbie's cousin—in 1968, Mattel introduced another black fashion doll named Christie, who was made using the Midge mold. A year later, Mattel produced an African-American doll named Julia, based on Diahann Carroll titular nurse character in the TV show "Julia." But it would be another decade before Mattel would offer a black-skinned version of the doll named Barbie. In the '60s, other doll manufacturers attempted to put out vinyl fashion dolls that could tap into Barbie's enormous market, but Tammy, Jody, Crissy, and even Pedigree's Sindy were ultimately fashion flops. Hasbro took a different approach—how would you sell a Barbie-like doll to boys? By producing a 12-inch male doll in soldier garb and calling it an "action figure." Thus, G.I. Joe was born in 1964 and quickly became a toy-aisle success. G.I. Joe got smaller and less-Barbie-like as the decades passed, and in 1982, G.I. Joes became 3 ¾-inch posable figures to compete with Kenner's "Star Wars" action figures. Inspired by the MTV popularity of Madonna and Cyndi Lauper, in the mid-1980s, Hasbro introduced Barbie's second greatest threat, a set of 12.5-inch neon-haired rocker-girl dolls known as Jem and the Holograms. Jem and friends, which were also advertised through an animated TV show, hit the toy market just months after Mattel introduced its Barbie and the Rockers line in time for Christmas 1985. Rocker Barbie had a hot pink hair extension and came with a full-size cassette featuring the songs “The Rockers Theme,” “Dressin’ Up,” “Born With a Mike,” and “Stretchin’ It.” Barbie's band included a female African American doll named Dee Dee, a female Asia American doll named Dana, and a male Latin American doll named Derek. A playset called the Hot Rockin' Stage came with a toy stage, microphones, and instruments. While Jem was incredibly successful, Rocker Barbie sold in even greater numbers, breaking records for Mattel. Another highly collectible vintage Barbie is Malibu Barbie, which debuted in 1971. Instead of using the traditional Barbie-face mold, Malibu Barbie had the face of Barbie's friend Stacey. With her aqua blue bathing suit, lavender sunglasses, and yellow towel, this vintage Barbie represented the "California Girl" look. Superstar Barbie, introduced in 1977, was the first Barbie doll to feature a teeth-baring smile. She is characterized by long, wavy blond hair and comes with an evening gown and ruffled boa. This doll was reissued in January 2009.