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The Astrology of Barbie
50th Anniversary

No doll has been as well-loved or as despised as the Barbie doll. Created by Ruth Handler in the 1950s, she was first introduced to the world at the International Toy Fair in New York on March 9, 1959 which is considered Barbie's official birthday.

I was unable to find the time of day that Barbie was first introduced, but assuming that she was introduced sometime between 10 am and 3 pm her birthchart shows a tight conjunction between the Sun and the Moon, both in Pisces. Pisces is the sign of the dreamer, the mystic, and the creative imagination and there is no doubt that Barbie captured the imagination of many a young girl in the 1960s, including me.

She also served as the hook upon which to project all of our adolescent fantasies, another key theme of Pisces. MG Lord, author of Barbie's unauthorized biography, wrote ""People project fears and prejudices onto her; when a person talks at length about Barbie, one usually learns more about the speaker than the doll." Ruth Handler herself said, " "I wanted [little girls] to be able to dream their dreams through Barbie." Barbie - the Pisces dreamer and the one who is dreamed. For more on Barbie's feminist roots see this excellent paper.

Born right after the New Moon (the New Moon that day occurred at 6 am - was there an astrologer in the house?), Barbie is a New Moon personality - fresh, original, optimistic, and ready to begin a brand new life. Barbie was the first of a series of adult-looking dolls for children that changed forever the way dolls were seen by parents and children all over the world.

Barbie is often criticized by feminists but Barbie was actually one of the first feminists. Her fiercely independent nature is shown by the square of Mars (aggression) to her Sun, and she never settled down in a relationship with Ken or even with any particular career. Barbie's Mars is in Gemini which likes to try on a lot of different experiences, and Barbie's career history is reflective of this. She began as a fashion model, and quickly advanced to fashion designer. The following year she became a registered nurse, and in 1963 became one of the first female executives. Then she went back to college and was an astronaut long before the moon landing. She was a surgeon in 1973 when American women were still arguing their right to work! She was even in a rock band, Barbie and the Sensations.

In relationships she was a similar free spirit. She never married Ken, and never had children. Venus in her chart is in independent Aries (ruled by Mars, which is strong in her chart) and it is in a harmonious trine to Uranus, the planet of revolutionary behavior and change. She demanded freedom in her relationships and enjoyed a wide circle of friends of all kinds which is what we expect with a Uranus/Venus combination.

Before Barbie, little girls were expected to use their dolls as practice babies for the time when they became mothers. Barbie opened up our eyes to a whole new world of opportunity for women. Barbie is about to experience her Chiron Return, the event that occurs when we are about 50-52 and Chiron returns to its place in the birthchart. This is a time of self-reflection and growing self-awareness, and it occurs at the same time as a transit of Pluto (transformation) to Pluto in her chart.

At the same time, Saturn and Uranus in the sky are activating the New Moon dynamic in Barbie's chart which will have the effect of creating exciting change for her in a way that increases her popularity and the stability (Saturn) of her brand. Mattel is hoping for a renaissance of Barbie at her 50th birthday, and it appears that the stars are aligned for this to occur.