Barbie

She's been a fashion model, astronaut, doctor, athlete, and more. With Barbie, you can be just about anything you imagine!

For more than six decades, Barbie has changed with the times (haven't we all) while remaining instantly recognizable. The clothes, careers, friends, houses, cars, and hairstyles may have changed, but there's always another story to invent.

Barbie was introduced by Mattel in 1959. Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler got the idea after watching her daughter Barbara play with paper dolls. Most dolls at the time were babies or children, but Handler had a different idea - why not make a doll that let kids imagine being grown up? The original Barbie was a teenage fashion model, complete with a black-and-white striped swimsuit and ponytail.

That idea turned out to have almost unlimited possibilities. Barbie has been a fashion model, astronaut, doctor, teacher, athlete, and just about anything else you can imagine. Change the clothes, change the accessories, change the setting, and suddenly there's a completely different story to play. Mattel says Barbie has represented more than 250 careers over the years.

My sisters had Barbies, and they easily played with their Barbies as much as me and my brothers did with our GI Joes. And Barbie seemed to have a lot more accessories than were available for our GI Joes, so they had a lot more stuff to play with.

There are more Barbies and Barbie accessories than you can possibly keep track of. There's Malibu Barbie, Holiday Barbie, collector Barbies, celebrity Barbies, and an entire collection inspired by Barbie The Movie. Add Ken, Skipper, the Barbie Dreamhouse, cars, campers, closets full of clothes, and countless accessories, and Barbie becomes less a single toy than an entire world of toys.

That's also what makes Barbie a pretty easy Christmas gift. You don't necessarily have to buy another doll - there's almost always another outfit, accessory, vehicle, playset, or character that can be added to the collection.

Barbie has changed a lot since 1959, but the basic idea really hasn't. Pick a Barbie. Pick an outfit. Decide what she's going to be today, and have fun!