How Much Did the First Barbie Doll Cost in 1959?
By the Price Time Machine team · Updated
The original Barbie price was $3 when Mattel introduced her on March 9, 1959. Adjusted for inflation, that is about $34.98 in September 2026 money, roughly 11.7 times the original price.
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Barbie at a glance
- US launch price
- $3
- In today’s money
- ≈ $34.98March 1959 to September 2026 (CPI-U, BLS)
- US release date
- March 9, 1959
- Where it was invented
- Hawthorne, United StatesCreated by Ruth Handler at Mattel in Hawthorne, California. The first dolls were made in Japan.
- Category
- Toys & childhood
- Price source
- en.wikipedia.org
Today’s price is the US launch price adjusted for US inflation with the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, comparing the launch month with the latest published month. It updates automatically as new figures come out.
$3 for the doll, more for the wardrobe
The doll itself was cheap, but Barbie’s first range of clothes had 22 outfits priced from $1 to $5 each. Selling the accessories, clothes and friends has been a big part of Barbie’s business ever since.
The original Barbie price in today’s money
Inflation means a dollar buys less today than it did in 1959. Using the US Consumer Price Index, the original original Barbie price of $3 works out at about $34.98 in September 2026 money, around 11.7 times the original figure. That is what the same amount of spending power would cost now, not what the Barbie sells for second-hand.
Where was Barbie created?
Ruth Handler created Barbie at Mattel, then based in Hawthorne, California. The first dolls were made in Japan. Barbie was based on a German doll called Bild Lilli, which Handler had bought in Europe, and Mattel bought the rights to Lilli in 1964 for $21,600.
Barbie facts you might not know
- She was named after Ruth Handler’s daughter, Barbara. Her full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts.
- Mattel has sold more than a billion Barbie dolls.
- A mint, boxed 1959 Barbie sold for $3,552.50 on eBay in 2004, more than 1,000 times her original price.
- In 2006 a Barbie set an auction record of £9,000 at Christie’s in London.
Frequently asked questions
How much did the first Barbie cost?
The first Barbie doll cost $3 when she was introduced on March 9, 1959.
How much is $3 from 1959 worth today?
Adjusted for US inflation, Barbie’s $3 launch price is about $34.98 in September 2026 money.
Who invented Barbie?
Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel, created Barbie and named her after her daughter Barbara.
Want to compare the original Barbie price with other launch prices? See what the first mobile phone cost, browse more famous launch prices, or play this question in Price Time Machine.
Sources
Launch prices and dates are checked against the sources below. Today’s price is calculated from official US inflation data and updates automatically when new figures are published.