The room was decorated with balloons, and there was cake, ice cream and sugar-free punch. The crowd sang “Happy Birthday.“ The birthday boy, who turned 25, seemed to take the excitement in stride, looking and stretching but mostly just lying on his bed. Persnickity—or Snick to his friends—is a cat, an orange tabby deep into his nine lives.

Barbie, the iconic fashion doll with the top-heavy figure and high-heel arches, turns 50 tomorrow, with no need for Botox and no threat of hot flashes. Mattel has kicked off global events to celebrate the middle-age status of the much-beloved and often controversial 11½-inch doll that has held the imagination of generations since 1959.

Mattel sold 300,000 Barbie dolls in 1959, her inaugural year.
Barbie is from Willows, Wis., and attended Willows High School.
Barbie has four sisters: Skipper (1964), Stacie (1992), Kelly (1995) and Krissy (1995).
The first Barbie with the blond or brunette ponytail and black-and-white striped bathing suit sold for $3. A mint-condition 1959 Barbie is worth an estimated $27,450 today.

Richmond celebrates the 200th birthday of its favorite son.