The other day, I went to Target (who am I kidding, I practically live there) and saw the end of an isle filled with Barbies. They literally made my heart soar. Obviously, I knew that Barbie dolls still existed, but she had so many different career paths that she didn’t have back in the ’90s. One is a chicken farmer. Yep — Chicken Farmer Barbie is a thing.
Barbie is now also available in different shapes and sizes, which was so great to see. Who knew that she’d come so far in a relatively short time? Barbie was introduced to the world on March 9th, 1959, meaning that our favorite childhood doll will be turning 60 tomorrow (Saturday). In that time, she’s had multiple careers and has been in plenty of different storylines due to children’s imaginations worldwide.
Ruth Handler is credited for creating the doll.
The Mattel co-founder named her after her own daughter, Barbara. Ken, named after Handler’s son, came two years later in 1961.
In case you’re curious, the most popular Barbie ever was one you probably had.
Totally Hair Barbie, who had a long, perfectly crimped mane has been noted as being a bestseller.
Looking back, that should come as no surprise. For most of us, she helped us learn how to braid.
Since Barbie is so important to us, it makes sense that home bakers everywhere would try to incorporate her in special 60th birthday cakes.
You only turn 60 once, so it’s a moment worth celebrating.
But even though these cakes celebrate our best gal pal, you have to admit.
Some of them are a little creepy.
Let me get this straight.
The cake itself is incredibly professional, and a joy to look at.
But, many of them consist of digging deep into her skirt.
Barbie’s birthday isn’t the sole inspiration for these type of cakes.
Any boy or girl out there who’s a fan of the doll may request one for their own birthday.
They’ve even been popular at wedding showers.
Because Barbie is literally the only other lady who’s allowed to wear a white dress at the event.
Especially if it’s made of sugar.
That said, it’s hard to just carve into this cake.
Barbie herself is just blankly staring at you as you dig in.
And some cakes are even less proportional than the original Barbie.
Like, this one kind of looks like she may be sitting pretty on the dance floor.
Granted, no. I can’t do better.
But if you told me to make a Barbie cake, it’d probably just have a picture of Barbie on top.
But it seems to be an actual request at bakeries everywhere.
If not called Barbie cakes, they’re known as Princess cakes, based on the elaborate Cinderella-at-the-ball skirts.
It almost seems like Barbie made this one herself.
Yes, she’s also a baker.
So, who knows how she’d feel about a cake like this, where she’s literally being eaten.
(Again, it’s beautiful. It’s just kind of difficult to seemingly eat the girl who taught young women that they could be an aerobics instructor and an astronaut.)
Some cakes even have sprinkles fall out of them after that first cut.
If this particular cake consisted of just the skirt, and left Barbie’s smiling face out of it, I’d likely eat the entire thing without a second thought.
✨🌈SO EXCITED for Barbie’s birthday this week!! I hope I look like this when I’m 60!✨🙋🏼♀️ #Barbie60 #flourshop pic.twitter.com/Zqo8Zu0jbv
— FLOUR SHOP (@flourshop) March 5, 2019
This one looks like Barbie is hiding something secret in the front of her skirt. Maybe a chandelier, or a disco ball?
Obviously made for a birthday party, this Barbie Cake is very sweet inside and out.
But it also looks like Barbie is busting out of the cake, meaning that you may also be able to serve it at a bachelor party.
Here’s a 60th Anniversary cake that’s completely different.
It seems to honor Barbie’s classy spirit, without any sort of “digging into her skirt” action.
But even so, it’s not as fun as a cake like this. Especially for a kid.
Because kids don’t care about cake flavor.
They care about icing, and the amount of icing they can get in their tiny mouths per forkful.
Admit it. Pretend you’re turning eight, and you see this mound of icing in front of you.
Personally, I’d just die of happiness and cavities right on the spot.
Barbie’s skirt doesn’t even have to be a skirt. Instead, it can just be a mound of edible flowers.
Disney Princesses are also big hits, in case you don’t have a Barbie available.
(But keep in mind, using Ariel to celebrate Barbie’s big day may offend our sweet doll queen.)
If you don’t consider yourself to be much of a baker, there are plenty of other ways to celebrate our girl’s big day.
A lot of people are tweeting their regards to her a few days early.
I want to be the first to wish @Barbie happy 60th birthday (I think the one stored at my mom's is 60). "On March 9, 2019, Barbie turns 60 years old. As the most recognizable doll in the world, more than 58 million Barbies are sold each year in over 150 countries." #Barbie60
— Michele Chabin (@MicheleChabin1) March 7, 2019
Others are making sure to promote the fantastic new dolls that are coming out to celebrate the big occasion.
Based around real women, it’s such an honor to be recognized by such a powerful brand.
Imagining she can be anything is just the beginning. Actually seeing that she can makes all the difference. Meet the latest Barbie Role Models–all extraordinary women we've honored with a doll in their likeness. #MoreRoleModels #Barbie60 pic.twitter.com/hlhD482hOz
— Barbie (@Barbie) March 6, 2019
I will say that even though I never expected these cakes to be so strange, it’s so good to see people bake for the occasion.
Even though you don’t need an excuse to create a colorful cake, it’s almost foolish to observe Barbie’s birthday without one.
This week we begin our 60th Anniversary celebration! Thank you to our friends @MagnoliaBakery, @SusieCakes and @FlourShop for creating one-of-a-kind birthday cakes for the big day! #Barbie60 🍰🎈 pic.twitter.com/52KCqq1yyq
— Barbie (@Barbie) March 4, 2019
