Barbie Barbie is a best-selling fashion doll launched in 1959 and produced by Mattel, Inc. American businesswoman Ruth Handler (1916-2002) is regarded as the creator of Barbie, and the doll's design was inspired by a German doll called “Bild Lilli.” Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for nearly 50 years, and the subject of numerous controversies and lawsuits, often involving parody of the doll and her lifestyle. Barbie and her accessories are manufactured to approximately 1:6 scale and each doll stands about 11 1/2-inches tall.