Portal:Toys/Selected article/3

Midge Hadley is a fictional doll character in the Barbie line of toys by Mattel that was first released in 1963. Midge was created, along with Skipper, to counteract criticism that claimed Barbie was a sex symbol. She was marketed as Barbie's best friend. No Midge dolls were sold for the rest of the vintage years after the 1960s. She was re-introduced in 1988 as part of the play line, though two vintage reproduction dolls were made specifically for collectors in 1993 and 1998. The dolls sold in this time period usually had red hair, often with freckles, and her eye color was usually blue or green. Also in the period, Wedding Day Midge was sold, with the groom being Allan Sherwood. Allan had been marketed as Midge's boyfriend in the vintage years. In the most recent fictional Barbie storyline, often written on the backs of the dolls' boxes, Midge and Allan have three children, two who are named Ryan and Nikki and one who is not named. This was known as the Happy Family line, and was the subject of controversy when Midge was sold "pregnant" with Nikki as a newborn baby. Some parents disliked the "pregnant" Midge toy because they believed that Midge was too young to have children.