Barbie turns 60! Here's what the iconic doll looked like in 1959Jan 2 (AZINS) Barbie, America’s most famous doll, turns 60 this year. In the past six decades, the plastic figurine has been hailed as a role model while also facing her fair share of controversies.

On March 9, 1959, Barbie was unveiled for the first time at the American Toy Fair in New York City. She was created by L.A.-based entrepreneur and toy giant Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler, who named her after her daughter, Barbara. The first year of its release, 300,000 Barbie dolls were sold at $3.00.

The doll was supposed to teach girls "that they had choices, that they could be anything. In 1959, it was a radical idea!" says Nathan Baynard, director of global brand marketing for Barbie.

Barbie’s dolled up debut was met with doubt, as she was one of the first dolls with adult features. Modeled after Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor among other 1950s stars, Barbie was dressed in black and white stripped swimsuit and her hair was pulled up in her signature ponytail. She retailed for just $3.

As the times evolved, Barbie has had over 180 careers, becoming a nurse in 1961, and an astronaut during the space race. During the 1990s, she was a baby doctor, a firefighter and a pilot. And in the past few years she’s been a director, a scientist, a game developer and the president.

But Barbie has also been criticized, most notably for her unrealistic body proportions. In the 1960s, one Barbie model came with a dieting book that said “Don’t Eat.” And in the early 1990s, one of Teen Talk Barbie’s programmed phrases was “Math class is tough.”

Mattel has made strides to make her more inclusive. Barbie has represented more than 40 different nationalities. Since 2016, Barbie dolls are now available in three different body types, seven skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles.