Barbie’s friend introduced in 1963 was Midge.
Midge Hadley was created by Mattel as Barbie’s original best friend and first appeared in 1963. She was designed with the same general body size as Barbie, allowing the dolls to share clothes and accessories, but she had a softer, fuller face, freckles and hair that was commonly red, blonde or brunette. Her character helped broaden Barbie’s fictional social world beyond Barbie herself.
Midge’s early history includes a boyfriend named Allan, introduced in 1964. In later storylines, Midge and Allan married and became parents in Mattel’s Happy Family line. The pregnant version of Midge became controversial because some parents thought the subject was inappropriate for a children’s doll. Actress Emerald Fennell portrayed this version of Midge in the 2023 live-action Barbie film.
Midge disappeared from the regular line for about two decades before returning in 1988. Modern versions have sometimes presented her simply as Barbie’s unmarried best friend, without the marriage and children associated with earlier storylines. Teresa, Christie and Raquelle are also Barbie characters, but none was the friend first introduced in 1963.