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Business News/ Special Report / Barbie Has Had a Lot of Careers. Here Are the Most Popular.

Barbie Has Had a Lot of Careers. Here Are the Most Popular.

Beth DeCarbo ( with inputs from The Wall Street Journal )

In 2023, Barbie became a movie star. But which professional Barbies have sold the most?

Barbie Has Had a Lot of Careers. Here Are the Most Popular.
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For a fictional doll, Barbie has a long résumé.

For a fictional doll, Barbie has a long résumé.

Since 1960, Mattel’s iconic doll has enjoyed 250 careers, everything from astronaut to zoologist. Her most recent job: real-life Hollywood star. From its premier in July 2023, the “Barbie" movie has grossed over $8.15 billion in domestic ticket sales, according to BoxOffice Mojo, likely making it the year’s highest-grossing movie in North America.

Since 1960, Mattel’s iconic doll has enjoyed 250 careers, everything from astronaut to zoologist. Her most recent job: real-life Hollywood star. From its premier in July 2023, the “Barbie" movie has grossed over $8.15 billion in domestic ticket sales, according to BoxOffice Mojo, likely making it the year’s highest-grossing movie in North America.

According to Mattel, more than 100 Barbie dolls are sold every minute in the world. We asked the company to rank the top-selling careers embodied by Barbie over her 64-year working life. (Some of the overlapping careers have been grouped.)

BallerinaPop starDoctorGymnastAnimal veterinarian/farmerBaker/chefTeacherAstronaut CEO/entrepreneurPresident

Some of Barbie’s career choices put her way ahead of the real world, according to Mattel history. In 1965—long before NASA admitted women to the astronaut corps—the company introduced an astronaut Barbie. In 1973, Barbie became a surgeon. In 1985, a CEO Barbie broke the so-called glass ceiling in the corporate world. And in 1992, Barbie ran for president for the first time.

Although “ballerina" is the most popular career choice in terms of sales, she isn’t the bestselling Barbie overall. According to Mattel, that title belongs to 1992’s Totally Hair Barbie, a doll whose mane of hair reaches her feet.

Beth DeCarbo is a writer in South Carolina. She can be reached at reports@wsj.com.

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