Profile America - Wednesday, March 11th. As hard as it may seem, a symbol of ageless American youth is celebrating her 50th birthday this week - the Barbie doll. While Barbie has often been the target of cultural analysis, there is no arguing with success. It's estimated that every second, two Barbie dolls are sold somewhere in the world. And new versions, complete with accessories, appear regularly. Earlier versions are now much sought after collectibles with big price tags. The appeal of dolls remains strong in spite of the increasingly sophisticated electronic toys which capture most advertising budgets and shelf space in stores. Making dolls and stuffed animals is a $328 million a year business. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov.
Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the "Newsroom" button).
