Barbie is in her mid-60s & still going strong, but she's not an antique yet. Pull back the pink curtain & discover the history of a cultural touchstone.

Back in 1994, when she turned 35, there were books, articles and academic studies aplenty that took on the semiotics of bosomy Barbie. They invoked her forerunner, Bild Lilli, a German doll based ...

Barbie has been criticised by feminists. Mattel founder Ruth Handler based the doll’s physique on a German adult-themed Lilli doll, something that was typically gifted to men at bachelor parties.