Barbie is one of the world's most famous toys and surprisingly, one of the world's largest car collectors.
- Austin-Healey 3000 MkII (1962)
- Country Camper (1970)
- Chevrolette Corvette or Star Vette (1976)
- Ferrari 328 GTS (1987)
- The Volkswagen New Beetle (2000)
- Barbie’s Ford Escape SUV (2002)
Barbara Millicent Roberts, better known as Barbie, was first introduced to the world in March 1959. Today, the Mattel fashion doll sells 100 dolls every minute, with a total of 58 million sold annually.
If you haven’t heard, live-action Barbie is coming to the big screen with Australia’s own Margot Robbie as the icon herself, and Ryan Gosling starring as Ken. Fan or not it’s going to be big!
Image: Supplied by Mattel
Who am I kidding?! It already is – with Barbiecore – a design reeking of nostalgia and hot pink hues, simplicity and fun, infiltrating fashion and interior design.
While Barbiecore may not be dominating the car industry (yet), Barbie’s impressive car collection, accumulated over six decades has left its own mark, even today. Here are six of her best rides.
Do note that as many of these products are quite old, Mattel has stated that they are unfortunately no longer available for purchase.
Austin-Healey 3000 MkII (1962)
Image: Supplied by Mattel
Barbie came to life in 1959, born in the fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin. She was 11.5-inches tall and fully developed and ready for her first set of wheels.
Luckily, she didn’t have to wait long because in 1962 (also the year she scored her first Dream House), she was driving, none other than the Austin-Healey 3000 MkII.
The car had no top (questionable for such a snow-prone environment) and could be purchased in six colour combinations: yellow with blue interior, orange with blue interior, pink with white interior, pink with blue interior, green with cream interior, and red with white interior.
Let’s just hope she had undercover parking.
Country Camper (1970)
Image: Supplied by Mattel
Barbie had a lot of campers over the years and they are all iconic in their own way. I owned two different versions when I was growing up and now my kids have one too (albeit with just a few more features).
But perhaps the greatest was the original, Barbie’s 1970 Country Camper. The very 70s vibe camper came in shades of yellow and orange with some flower power decals appearing on top of a rainbow because ‘peace and love.’
It even had its own theme song, set to country music (as all great campers should).
Chevrolette Corvette or Star Vette (1976)
Image: Supplied by Mattel
The “dream machine for Barbie and her friends” as the original box says, is definitely made to stand out. Depending on where you lived in the world, the colours of Barbie’s super cool Corvette varied but in Australia and the US, it was usually a purple/pink exterior and white interior (with the star decals of course).
Fast, slick and definite star power – this was one ride you didn’t forget.
Ferrari 328 GTS (1987)
Image: Supplied by Mattel
1987 saw the release of Barbie’s first Ferrari, with the prancing horse logo and everything.
Branded as the “Red-Hot Barbie Ferrari”, the car definitely lived up to its name (I know, I had one *hair flick).
The original TV commercial sees Barbie drive past Ken, his head turning as she passes by. While eventually giving him a lift, she stays in the driver’s seat in the ultimate Barbie move…Love it.
Throughout the remainder of the 80s and 90s, Barbie found herself driving loads of dune buggies, a Jeep Wrangler, beach cruisers, sports cars and convertibles. Then to celebrate a milestone birthday Mattel and Volkswagen collaborated to create…
The Volkswagen New Beetle (2000)
Yep, for Barbie’s big 5-0, Volkswagen created a customised new Beetle convertible, fully equipped with rhinestones, sparkling pink paint and motorized vanity in the boot – and this was life-sized!
The toy version though was still cool – coming in a range of colours from grey, blue and purple to pink, the cars had a sunroof and were decorated with flower stickers.
While Barbie enjoyed some super cool rides, her many two-seaters, convertibles, and beach buggies for her Malibu drives with Midge and her other girlfriends, she was also about practicality (and family).
Barbie’s Ford Escape SUV (2002)
Barbie’s Ford SUV was released in 2002 and boy was it a family car. With GPS, seatbelts and a luggage rack, Barbie was ready for school drop-offs and holidays alike in this model.
I’d say Barbie settled into family life after this but in 2004 she invested in a Ferrari F1 limited-edition remote-control car…so maybe not.
Keyword: Barbie's six best and most iconic cars