Barbie was created in 1959 by Ruth Handler as an alternative to baby dolls, giving girls the opportunity to imagine their future selves not only as caregivers, but as anything they wanted to be. Over the last 60 years, Barbie has empowered girls to imagine themselves in aspirational roles from a princess to president — but there’s a lot more to the story. In this episode, we learn about the history of Barbie: her invention, the growth of the brand, and some of the controversies along the way.

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