Yesterday, March 7, 2009, Barbie of Barbie Doll fame turned 50 years old.  My wife remembers wanting one desperately, even though she was already 11 years old at the time.  The Baby Boomers made Barbie something special indeed.

Barbie sales are still going strong around the world, and particularly lighting up in emerging economies like China.  How has a doll been this big so long?   BECAUSE Barbie is not just a doll.  Barbie is a KILLER BRAND and has been for 50 years.  I would not count her out for the future either.  This is what great brands do.  They create a life of their own.

Every little girl dreams of growing up into a woman with a figure and a glamorous life.  That is the differentiating expectation that Barbie has continuously offered little girls, “dreams of a glamorous exciting future as a woman.”   And I believe the brand crafted this with all of the clothes, lifestyle accessories, etc.  Had an entire fantasy world never been created for Barbie, had she had about six outfits, she would never have emerged as a Killer Brand.  It was Barbie and the multiple world’s created around her that have sustained this tiny feminine icon.

Happy Birthday Barbie.

Frank