X

Barbie's careers though the years

From fashion designer to robotics engineer, how Barbie's resume evolved through nearly 60 years.

Bridget Carey
Bridget Carey is an award-winning reporter who helps you level-up your life -- while having a good time geeking out. Her exclusive CNET videos get you behind the scenes as she covers new trends, experiences and quirky gadgets. Her weekly video show, "One More Thing," explores what's new in the world of Apple and what's to come. She started as a reporter at The Miami Herald with syndicated newspaper columns for product reviews and social media advice. Now she's a mom who also stays on top of toy industry trends and robots. (Kids love robots.)
Bridget Carey
1959-headshot-w-glasses
1 of 52 Mattel

Barbie makes her debut in 1959

Barbie came into the world rocking a stripped bathing suit and looking fabulous. But alas, to keep up this lifestyle she needed to join the working world.

1960-barbie-fashiondesigner
2 of 52 Mattel

Fashion Designer (1960)

Barbie got her first big break as a fashion designer.

1961-flight-attendant
3 of 52 Mattel

Flight Attendant (1961)

In 1961, Barbie became a flight attendant. But she also took on two other jobs that year.

1961-registered-nurse
4 of 52 Mattel

Registered Nurse (1961)

Registered Nurse Barbie in '61 came with a medicine bottle, a hot water bag, diploma -- and a wicked cool cape.

1961-ballerina
5 of 52 Mattel

Ballerina (1961)

Barbie also found time to pursue her dream of becoming a star ballerina.

1962-tennis-player
6 of 52 Mattel

Tennis Player (1962)

Before Billie Jean King faced off against Bobby Riggs, the first battle of the sexes was Barbie vs. Ken.

1963-college-graduate
7 of 52

College Graduate (1963)

Four years after her debut, Barbie earned her degree and became a college graduate. 

1963-career-girl
8 of 52 Mattel

Career Girl (1963)

With her freshly printed college degree, Barbie began fashionably working her way up the corporate ladder.

1965-astronaut
9 of 52 Mattel

Astronaut (1965)

Barbie joined the space race in 1965 as an astronaut -- four years before man walked on the moon! Who says ballerinas can't be rocket scientists? 

1973-surgeon
10 of 52 Mattel

Surgeon (1973)

Surgeon Barbie shows us that you don't need pants to be an awesome doctor.

1975-olympic-skier
11 of 52 Mattel

Olympic Skier (1975)

Barbie competed in her first Winter Olympics as a skier and took home the gold.

1977-fashion-model
12 of 52 Mattel

Fashion Model (1977)

Modeling was a natural fit for Barbie. No Photoshop necessary. 

1984-aerobics-instructor
13 of 52 Mattel

Aerobics Instructor (1984)

Leg warmers. Headband. Scarf belt. Barbie was the ultimate '80s aerobics instructor. 

veterinarian-1985
14 of 52 Mattel

Veterinarian (1985)

Veterinarian Barbie came with a pawsome outfit.

1986-astronaut
15 of 52 Mattel

Astronaut (1986)

Barbie was quite the stellar '80s space cadet. Her fuchsia and silver metallic bodysuit rocked big puffy shoulders, knee-high pink boots -- and she could change into a matching mini-skirt for space dance parties!

1986-barbie-rockers
16 of 52 Mattel

Barbie and the Rockers (1986)

When Jem and the Holograms got popular, Barbie went hard on the hairspray and eyeshadow to form a rival girl band: Barbie and the Rockers. 

1991-air-force-pilot
17 of 52 Mattel

Air Force Pilot (1991)

In the '90s, Barbie cut her air and enlisted in the military. She flew jets as an Air Force pilot.

naval-petty-officer-1991
18 of 52 Mattel

Naval Petty Officer (1991)

Barbie also served in the Navy as a petty officer. 

marine-corps-sergeant-1992
19 of 52 Mattel

Marine Corps Sergeant (1992)

And the following year she became a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. That's one tough doll.

business-executive-1992
20 of 52 Mattel

Business Executive (1992)

In 1992 she shattered the glass ceiling and got a corner office with her all-pink suit. 

1992-rapper
21 of 52 Mattel

Rapper (1992)

1992's Rappin' Rockin' Barbie was so fresh, she even had a working boombox. 

police-officer-1993
22 of 52 Mattel

Police Officer (1993)

The next year Barbie joined the force as a police officer. 

army-medic-1993
23 of 52 Mattel

Army Medic (1993)

Barbie left the force to join the Army and put her medical training to use as a medic.

firefighter-1995
24 of 52 Mattel

Firefighter (1995)

Barbie continued to save the day in 1995 as part of the Barbie Fire Rescue unit.

1996-gymnast
25 of 52 Mattel

Gymnast (1996)

Barbie can't resist the Olympics. She got back in the games in 1996 to become a gold-medal-winning gymnast. 

1997-dentist
26 of 52 Mattel

Dentist (1997)

Barbie started her own dental practice in the late '90s. Rinse. Spit. Good job, here's a little Crest toothpaste sample.

1998-soccer-player
27 of 52 Mattel

Soccer Player (1998)

Barbie gets bendable knees and suddenly becomes a soccer superstar. Go figure.

1998-nascar-driver
28 of 52 Mattel

Nascar Driver (1998)

Years of training with Hot Wheels paid off when Barbie became a Nascar driver in 1998.

1998-major-league-baseball
29 of 52 Mattel

MLB player (1998)

Barbie and friends started a league of their own in '98 when they became the first women to play in Major League Baseball.

1999-wnba-player
30 of 52 Mattel

WNBA (1999)

The WMBA began in 1997, but Barbie didn't join until 1999. Wait... Dallas? I thought she was more of an Los Angeles Sparks gal.

airline-pilot-1999
31 of 52 Mattel

Airline Pilot (1999)

She may have started out as a flight attendant, but in 1999 she became a pilot -- with matching suitcase!

1999-working-woman
32 of 52 Mattel

Working Woman (1999)

The Working Woman Barbie found a way to have it all on the go with her flip phone. 

presidential-candidate-1992
33 of 52 Mattel

Presidential Candidate (2000)

Barbie began her political career in 2000 in her first run for president.

2001olympic-swimmer
34 of 52 Mattel

Olympic Swimmer (2001)

Barbie racked up more gold medals on the US Swim Team. 

2002-art-teacher
35 of 52 Mattel

Art Teacher (2002)

How did she wear such great clothes while teaching art class to toddlers?

2004-presidential-candidate
36 of 52 Mattel

Presidential Candidate (2004)

In 2004, Barbie ran for president once again. This time, she went for the pantsuit.

2005-american-idol
37 of 52 Mattel

American Idol (2005)

After running for president, going into reality TV is a natural next career step. So Barbie auditioned for American Idol.

2008-tv-chef
38 of 52 Mattel

TV Chef (2008)

Barbie was also a TV chef with her own cooking show.

2009-barbie-president
39 of 52 Mattel

President (2008)

Barbie ran for president once again in 2008, but this time she didn't cut her hair.

newborn-baby-doctor-2009
40 of 52 Mattel

Newborn Baby Doctor (2009)

Only Barbie can rock a short skirt in the maternity ward.

2010-news-anchor
41 of 52 Mattel

News Anchor (2010)

Barbie was breaking news and breaking hearts as a TV news anchor.

2010-computer-engineer
42 of 52 Mattel

Computer Engineer (2010)

In 2010, Barbie showed the world her programming skills as a computer software engineer. She worked primarily in binary and had a Bluetooth earpiece that made geek look chic.

barbie-i-can-be-architect
43 of 52 Mattel

Architect (2011)

In 2011 Barbie leaned into her math skills again as an architect.

barbie-i-can-be-fashion-designer
44 of 52 Mattel

Fashion Designer (2012)

Barbie went back to her very first job as a fashion designer -- but this time her sketches were saved on a tablet.

barbie-i-can-be-mars-explorer-accessories-on
45 of 52 Mattel

Mars Explorer (2013)

Barbie became the first woman to walk on Mars in 2013. Looks like she had some fuchsia metallic spacesuit material left over from 1986. 

barbieent
46 of 52 Mattel

Entrepreneur (2014)

Barbie started her own business as an entrepreneur, armed with her iPhone and iPad loaded with bar charts. Get it, girl.

gamedev-barbie1
47 of 52 Mattel

Game Developer (2016)

Barbie went back to the programming world in 2016 as a game developer, blending her creative art side with technology and math. 

2016-presvpcandidate5
48 of 52 Mattel

President and Vice President (2016)

Barbie didn't just run for president in 2016, she also ran for VP. The first all-woman, all-Barbie ticket!

2016-scientist
49 of 52 Mattel

Scientist (2017)

Barbie dived into more STEM jobs. She strapped on her goggles, brushed up on her periodic table of elements, and worked in the lab as a scientist.

space-team-barbie
50 of 52 Mattel

Astronaut and Space Scientist (2017)

Astronaut Barbie teamed up with her rocket scientist friend in this double-doll-pack of space heroism adventures.

palentologist-barbie-2018
51 of 52 Mattel

Palentologist (2018)

Mattel's dino-digging Paleontologist Barbie comes with a headlamp and digging tools. Mattel also made a paleontologist Barbie in 1996. (Whenever Jurassic Park is trending, life finds a way to bring us Paleontologist Barbie.)

Robotics Engineer (2018)
Robotics Engineer (2018)
6:09
52 of 52 Sarah Tew/CNET

Robotics Engineer (2018)

Barbie took her programming to the next level as a robotics engineer. (Artificial intelligence and voice recognition abilities not included.) Watch the video above to learn more.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos