Barbie will soon be 60 -- and is still going strong
She is turning 60 this year and still doesn't have a single wrinkle.
going strong, 活力依旧；持续获得成功
wrinkle, n.皱纹
Blonde or brunette, slender or curvy, black or white, princess or president, Barbie is a forever favorite for young girls, even if she has caused controversy over the years.
controversy, n.争议
brunette, a.深褐色头发的
slender, a.苗条的，修长的
Around the world, Barbie is as universally known as Coca-Cola or McDonald's, said Nathan Baynard, director of global brand marketing for Barbie. In all, more than one billion Barbie dolls have been sold since she made her debut at the American Toy Fair in New York on March 9,1959.
in all, 总计
debut, n.首次亮相，初次登台
She was invented by Ruth Handler, the co-founder of Mattel, who was inspired by her own children to create the doll. "Her daughter Barbara was limited in the choices of her toys -- the only ones were baby dolls," Baynard recounted. "The only role she could imagine through that play was caregiverm mother," whereas Handler's son "could imagine being an astronaut, cowboy, pilot, surgeon."
recount, v.讲述，描述
Barbie is, of course, a shortened version of Barbara. The doll was supposed to teach girls "that they had choices, that they could be anything. In 1959, it was a radical idea!" Baynard said.
radical, a.前卫的，激进的，彻底的
Since the blonde beatuty first hit stores, and after a torrent of complaints over what was seen as unrealistic proportions, Mattel has made many changes -- introducing multiple body types and dozens of skin tones. In 1965, four years before Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon, Barbie became an astronaut. In 1968, the first black Barbie doll, a friend named Christie, hit store shelves.
hit, v.打击；抵达；在...登场亮相
a torrent of, 潮水般的，大量的
proportion, n.比例；身材
tone, 色调，深浅