A Brief Overview of Barbie's Publishing History

Discover Barbie's vast legacy through books, comics, and series! From fashion icon to multimedia sensation, explore the timeless charm of this iconic franchise.

on Aug 01, 2023

A Brief Overview of Barbie's Publishing History | Frontlist

It's impressive how Barbie has become a franchise that covers a wide range of products. Starting as a fashion doll in 1959, it now includes non-doll toys like fashion plates, video games, games, television shows, and even a live-action film premiering this month.

From the beginning, books and comics have been a part of the Barbie brand strategy, with over 400 published since the early 1990s. Mattel, the company that owns Barbie, turned to books and magazines to boost sales during the ’80s, ’90s, and early ’00s.
Let's look at some of the Barbie books, comic books, and series that have contributed to the brand's legacy.

Barbie's debut book

In January 1962, the first book featuring Barbie as the main character was published. The book titled "Here's Barbie" by Bette Lu Lawrence and Cynthia Maybee started the series, which went on until 1965. The series comprised 12 books, including a cookbook, a mystery, and a romance.

The story is set in Willows, Wisconsin, where Barbie and her family live. She attends Willows High School and is joined by her love interest, Ken, along with her best friend Midge. The extended Barbie world gradually unfolds, and we get to know more characters, including the first Black Barbie, Christie, who was introduced in 1968. Barbie has a passion for fashion and travels to destinations like New York City and Hawaii. She even works as a candy striper. The final story of the series is particularly intriguing as it portrays the downside of the career novel publishing trend for teenagers.

BARBIE IN COMICS

During the 1960s, comics experienced a booming era known as the silver age. Given that the target audience for the Barbie chapter books were children and tweens between the ages of 3 and 12, it's not surprising that Barbie became a natural candidate for comic adaptations. The comics were specifically designed for girls, and the initial five-issue series focused on the budding romantic relationship between Barbie and Ken. This storyline fits in perfectly with the prevailing trend towards romance comics for that particular age group.

The Barbie book series initially featured a realistic depiction of the character, as much as an illustration can be considered "realistic." However, the Barbie and Ken comics portrayed the characters as dolls and made them appear much older than they did in the books. In this series, the couple travels to Europe, becomes glamorous stage performers, plays tennis, and dances extensively.

It wasn't until 1991 that Barbie made her return to the world of comics, this time under the Marvel banner. The Barbie series ran for 63 issues until 1996, and Marvel also published a series called Barbie: Fashion, which featured the fashion icon. This series had 53 issues and ran from January 1991 to 1995.

Barbie didn't disappear from the comic world after these two series concluded. There was a short two-issue series called Barbie: Halloween in October 1993 that showcased Barbie's preparation for the holiday, and Marvel also gave Barbie a single issue in October 1995 where she bonded with her younger sister, Baby Sister Kelly.