A doll that’s had more than 75 different “looks” can be seen in a display that opens Saturday at the State Historical Building in Des Moines. Barbie is the most popular doll in history. She was first sold in 1959, according to Jack Lufkin, who researched Barbie’s history as he prepared to open his “A Few of Our Favorite Things” exhibit at the State Historical Building.Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel toys, marketed Barbie after she noticed that her daughter Barbara liked to dress up paper dolls.In her first decade of existence, Barbie was marketed heavily on television and was one of the first toys kids asked their parents to buy for them.
