The History of Barbie Doll shoes

The history of the Barbie doll is a story of fashion and fashion is defined not only by a garment, but also by the accessories, most particularly the shoes.  Often enough, a 'look' goes nowhere unless accessorized by the shoes.

Would Imelda Marcos have been such a topic without all those shoes?  Absolutely not!  Would Barbie have been such a hit without the right shoes for each and every outfit? Ansolutely not!

When Barbie dolls first appeared on the American doll market in 1959, she wore a black and white knit striped bathing suit with stylish black heels to complete her sensational look.  At that time, she was placed on a pedestal however, and her shoes had holes that matched a stud in the pedestal to keep her upright.  Versions of Barbie that followed had regular feet and shoes.  The pedestal concept was abandoned.  With that change, it became easier than ever to desin shoes to complete Barbie's fashion statment - the fashion rage began in earnest!

With the massive variety of fashions for Barbie doll, came an endless parade of matching Barbie shoe styles. Casual beach outfits and swim wear could be teemed with a variety of high heels or sandals. An endless fashion array of maryjanes, flip-flops, sneakers, tennis shoes, jellies, wedges, ballet slippers, spikes, platforms, boots, loafers, oxfords and heels appeared for her daytime outfits.  As for evening wear, there was no limit to the heel shapes and heights, color, glitter, straps, gems, ribbons and bows that stylized her shoes to do justice to her beautiful gowns.  Even Barbie's little sisters Kelly and Shelly had their choice of very stylish little girl sandals, slippers and maryjanes.

Barbie and her accessories have always been reflected in the fashions of the time.  A huge part of her appeal to little girls has been the play drama of dressing her like their mothers, their big sisters, and their favorite grownup roll models.  The stylish and fashionable aspect of Barbie's clothing and accessories has been cirtical to her extreme popularity and following.

Since 1959, nearly one billion Barbie doll outfits and more than one billion pairs of Barbie shoes have been produced for her and sold in over 140 countries.  The marketing phenomena of this doll staggers the imagination, so much so that Doll Clothes Superstore, a leading doll clothing supplier,  began providing a wide and excellent variety of shoes for Barbie. They understand the need not only for an excellent variety of styles to keep Barbie at the top of her fashion ladder, but also the importance of solid, durable construction.  Baribe's small angled foot needs a well crafted shoe.  Little hands tug and pull and twist the shoes constantly during play time.

If you are ver in need of finding the 'absolutely right' shoe for your Barbie doll outfits, or even a couple of styles that would suit, log on to Doll Clothes Superstore for a quick and easy 'Baribe shoe fix' for your child's favorite style icon!  You won't be disappointed!