Computer Engineer & Game Developer Barbie

Computer Engineer & Game Developer Barbie 

In 2010 Mattel released the ‘Computer Engineer Barbie’ doll, complete with a storybook which depicted Barbie asking her male work colleagues to fix her computer problems. Following public outcry from critics and consumers, Mattel formally apologised for the book in 2014. 

2016’s Game Developer Barbie was seen by many as a sign of support from Mattel towards women in the gaming industry, due to the timing of its release coinciding with the tail end of the online ‘Gamergate’ era. The Game Developer Barbie improved on many of the critiques of the 2010 Computer Engineer Barbie. Barbie’s laptop shows genuine computer code, and her clothes and footwear appear much more authentic to the field of work.   

A New Addition to our Collection 

Whilst the Game Developer Barbie has been a part of the NVM collection since our beginnings, the Computer Engineer Barbie only recently debuted during our Level Up Pop-Up tour.

Both Barbies have now been brought together as part of our Representation displays within the museum itself, showcasing the dramatic changes in women’s and girls’ representation in videogame culture.

Barbie and Videogames

Whilst these two dolls are some of the only ones to feature videogames as a field of work, they are by no means the entire story of Barbie and gaming. 

Barbie’s first videogame was published in 1984, for the Commodore 64. In the game, Barbie goes on a date with her boyfriend Ken, and play consisted of selecting outfits for Barbie to wear, driving around town in her convertible car, having a long walk on the beach or going out to dinner.

There is a similar storyline in the 1992 Game Boy platformer ‘Barbie: Game Girl’, with Barbie going on a date with Ken but also visiting a shopping mall and even exploring dynamic underwater levels.

Barbie Fashion Designer

Perhaps the most famous of the many Barbie videogames – there are over 50 and counting – is Barbie Fashion Designer, released for PC and Mac in 1996. In this groundbreaking game, players could design and model clothes for Barbie in 3D, and then print out the clothes for use on their dolls in the real world. 

Barbie Fashion Designer was so popular when released that it would end up outselling mainstream gaming competitors like Quake and DOOM, becoming the ninth most popular PC game of 1996. It would go on to become the first commercially successful game made specifically for girls.

Videogame Timeline

Barbie has starred in a significant amount of videogames on various platforms starting all the way back in 1984! While most of Barbie’s outings tended to be released for desktop computers games have been released on a variety of home consoles and handhelds.

• 1984
  • Barbie (Commodore 64)
•  1991
  • Barbie (MS-DOS / NES)
• 1992
  • Barbie: Game Girl (Game Boy)
• 1993
  • Barbie Super Model (Mega Drive / MS-DOS / SNES
• 1994
  • Barbie and Her Magical House (Macintosh / Windows)
  • Unreleased (Planned 1994) – Barbie: Vacation Adventure (Mega Drive / SNES)
• 1996
  • Barbie Storymaker (Windows)
  • Barbie Fashion Designer (Macintosh / Windows)
• 1997
  • Magic Fairy Tales: Barbie as Rapunzel (Macintosh / Windows)
  • Adventures with Barbie: Ocean Discovery (GB Color / Windows)
  • Barbie Magic Hair Styler (Windows)
• 1998
  • Barbie Nail Designer (Windows)
  • Barbie Riding Club
  • Detective Barbie in the Mystery of the Carnival Caper (Windows)
  • Barbie as Sleeping Beauty (Macintosh / Windows)
• 1999
  • Detective Barbie 2: The Vacation Mystery (Windows)
  • Barbie: Race & Ride (PlayStation)
  • Barbie Super Sports
• 2000
  • Barbie as Princess Bride (Macintosh / Windows)
  • Barbie Fashion Pack Games (GB Color)
  • Barbie Generation Girl: Gotta Groove (Windows)
  • Barbie Magic Genie Bottle (Windows)
  • Barbie: Pet Rescue (Windows)
  • Barbie: Magic Genie Adventures (GB Color)
  • Detective Barbie: The Mystery Cruise (PlayStation)
• 2001
  • Barbie: Pet Rescue (GB Color)
  • Barbie Team Gymnastics (Windows)
  • Secret Agent Barbie (Windows)
  • Barbie Explorer (PlayStation)
  • Barbie Beach Vacation (Windows)

• 2002
  • Barbie Beauty Styler (Macintosh / Windows)
  • Secret Agent Barbie: Royal Jewel Mission (GB Advance)
  • Barbie: Groovy Games (GB Advance / PlayStation)
  • Barbie Sparkling Ice Show (Windows)
  • Barbie as Rapunzel: A Creative Adventure (Macintosh / Windows)
•  2003
  • Barbie of Swan Lake: The Enchanted Forest (Windows)
  • Barbie Beauty Boutique (GB Advance)
  • Barbie Horse Adventures: Blue Ribbon Race (GB Advance)
  • Barbie Horse Adventures: Mystery Ride (Windows)
  • Barbie Horse Adventures: Wild Horse Rescue (PS2 / Xbox)
• 2004
  • Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper (GB Advance / Macintosh / Windows)
  • Barbie Mermaid Adventure (Macintosh / Windows)
  • Barbie Fashion Show (Windows)
• 2005
  • Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus (Windows / GB Advance)
• 2006
  • Barbie in The 12 Dancing Princesses (GB Advance / PS2 / Windows)
  • The Barbie Diaries: High School Mystery (GB Advance / Windows)
• 2007
  • Barbie as the Island Princess (GB Avnace / Nintendo DS / PS2 / Wii / Windows)
• 2008
  • Barbie Fashion Show: An Eye for Style (Nintendo DS / Windows)
  • Barbie Horse Adventures: Riding Camp (PS2 / Wii /Windows)
• 2009
  • Barbie and the Three Musketeers (Nintendo DS / Wii / Windows)
• 2010
  • Barbie: Groom and Glam Pups (Nintendo DS / Wii – Released for Nintendo 3DS in 2013)
• 2011
  • Barbie: Jet, Set & Style (Nintendo DS / Wii)
• 2013
  • Barbie Dreamhouse Party (Nintendo 3DS / Nintendo DS / Wii / Wii U / Windows)
• 2014
  • Barbie Magical Fashion (iOS)
• 2015
  • Barbie Superstar! Music Maker (Android / iOS)
  • Barbie & Her Sisters: Puppy Rescue (Nintendo 3DS / PS3 / Wii / Wii U / Windows / Xbox 360)
• 2016
  • Barbie: Dreamtopia – Magical Hair (Android / iOS)
  • Barbie Sparkle Blast (Android / iOS)
• 2018
  • Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures (Android / iOS)