Minnesota Woman Spent 35 Glorious Years Designing “Barbie”

I remember shopping for new Barbie clothes as if I was shopping for my own clothes.  I'm sure that's exactly how millions of other kids felt as well.  So it's really intriguing to put a face to the woman that designed those clothes. And with the "Barbie" movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling out this week it makes it all that much more exciting!

It was back in 1963 when a Minneapolis woman, Carol Spencer, accepted a design position with Mattel.  Then spent 35 years designing all those outfits you dressed all your Barbie dolls in. MPR News recently spoke with Spencer at length.

She attended Washburn High School and then The Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Spencer lives in Los Angeles now and retired from Mattel in 1998.  But she still holds Barbie close to her heart.  She has about a thousand of the dolls at her house.

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With the new "Barbie" movie out this week, you have to wonder is she will go see it, right?  When asked by MPR News, she said,

"I am seeing it on the 19th with the local Barbie club and some of my neighbors who love Barbie … we’re gonna party!"

Of course she's going to see it.  And who knew there was a Barbie club?  Feel free to pull some of those old Barbie outfits out of storage and really look close.  Now you know who came up with the ideas and designs behind them all.

Showtimes here for where to see the Barbie movie in the St. Cloud area.