Barbie's Extended Family Is Way Bigger Than You Realized, Chances Are You've Forgotten Half Of Them

We all remember Barbie of course. She is one of the most iconic toys in the world, and her presence makes any toy store feel familiar.

The thing about Barbie is that because she's been around since 1959, there is a lot of history built up around the character. She's got a bunch of story lines, a big family, and a lot of friends that people have completely forgotten about. Even if you aren't currently collecting 5,000 Barbies, chances are you probably owned some when you were a kid.

You might think you remember all of Barbies siblings, but chances are you'll forget at least two! Let's see how many of these Barbie characters you actually remember.

Do you know Barbie's real name?

Even though we call her 'Barbie,' she does actually have a full name. Her name is actually Barbara Millicent Roberts. Her original packaging called her a "Teenage Fashion Model" but obviously over the years she has had a lot of jobs other than modeling.

Barbie's Dad: George Roberts

While her dad never had a doll made of him, he was mentioned in a Barbie book. He was described an engineer but he never really got developed into a whole character.

Barbie's Mom: Margaret Rawlins Roberts

Like Barbie's dad, Margaret didn't ever get a doll version, but her story was that she was a stay-at-home mom, taking care of Barbie and all her siblings.

But now we'll get into the real dolls...

Skipper Roberts

Skipper was the first sibling to be introduced to the family in 1964. She is Barbie's 14-year-old sister and came in a few varieties the would try out different hair colors. Recently, Skipper has been styled with brown hair and a purple streak. Fun fact, this original doll is selling for $80!

Tutti and Todd Roberts

In 1965, Barbie's twin siblings were brought into the world and they had their own special look. They came with a new body type that was bendier than the other dolls. They were only manufactured until 1971, and they seem to always just pretend like they didn't exist.

Anastasia 'Stacie' Roberts

Stacie's history gets a little bit fuzzy because first of all, people often thought she was Tutti, but she had been discontinued. Then, they put "twin brother of Stacie" on Todd's packaging, so I guess they just wanted to pretend like Tutti never happened.

But Barbie had even more siblings...

Kelly/Shelly Roberts

Kelly was introduced in 1995, but in Europe she is known as Shelly. The toddler-aged doll was discontinued in 2010, and was replaced by Chelsea. I am 99% sure I had this playset when I was a kid...

Chelsea Roberts

She is a little bit older than Kelly, usually described as either five or six years old, but she looks a lot like Kelly otherwise.

Kristine 'Krissy' Roberts

The Roberts family was basically like the original Kardshians because it never ends! Krissy was introduced in a set with Barbie and Ken and is just a baby. She hasn't been made since 2001 though.

So Barbie has had six different siblings, but she also had a few cousins and friends that people have forgotten...

Francie Fairchild

From 1966-1977, Francie was marketed as "Barbie's Modern Cousin" because of her cool mod-era clothing.

Jazzie

She was made in the late 80s, and wasn't given a last name, but she was said to be one of Barbie's cousins.

Barbie also had a few iconic friends over the years

Midge Hadley Sherwood

Barbie's best friend and third character introduced in the line after Barbie and Ken, she has gotten to evolve quite a bit. She actually married Ken's best friend Allan in 1991, and actually had a family. She even had a pregnant doll that was a little bit bizarre.

Christie

In 1968 Christie was introduced with the line of talking dolls and even though her original face was changed in 1978, she was a really important character in the Barbie line.

And of course, there is Ken

Kenneth 'Ken' Carson

Chances are you didn't know Ken had a last name did you? He was the second character added to the line as Barbie's boyfriend. They broke up fairly recently, but have since gotten back together. Apparently Ken's mom is named Edna, and Ken himself is named after his grandfather. At least according to the Barbie lore.

Barbie's long history means that there has been a bunch of changes over the years. Even though it means her family is huge, we wouldn't change it at all!

Which Barbie sibling was your favorite when you were growing up?

Source - Wikipedia