Barbie: The Most Famous Doll in the World

She doesn’t look it, but Barbie is almost 60 years old, and as popular as ever. Mary Portas explores the (mostly) pink and plastic world of the iconic doll

She certainly doesn’t look it, but Barbie is almost 60 years old, and still as popular as ever. In this one-off doc, Mary Portas – expert on all things retail – explores the (mostly) pink and plastic world of the iconic doll, starting at the California HQ of manufacturers Mattel before going to meet a real-life version of Barbie’s fella Ken and visiting the National Barbie Collectors’ Convention in Houston, Texas.

Mary also investigates Barbie’s flipside by asking if she’s to blame for issues to do with body image and a lack of job aspiration in young girls.