Barbie’s younger sister introduced in 1964 was Skipper. Mattel created Skipper as Barbie’s first family member and initially marketed her as an eight-year-old sister rather than giving Barbie a child of her own.
Skipper’s introduction answered a practical storytelling problem: children wanted Barbie to have a family, but Mattel did not want to make Barbie a mother. The new doll allowed Barbie to play the role of an older sister and babysitter. Early Skipper dolls were noticeably shorter than Barbie and had a distinctly childlike appearance.
Her age and design changed over time. Skipper was later presented as a teenager, including the controversial Growing Up Skipper released in 1975. Other sisters followed, including Stacie and Chelsea, who was previously sold under the name Kelly. Francie is Barbie’s cousin, while Kelly and Stacie are younger sisters from later generations of the Roberts family.