What was the name of the first Barbie doll with a bendable waist?

The first Barbie doll with a bendable waist was Twist ’n Turn Barbie.

Mattel introduced Twist ’n Turn Barbie in 1967 with a waist that could rotate from side to side. The new feature gave children more ways to pose the doll and helped launch Barbie’s Mod-era makeover. The doll also had bendable legs, rooted eyelashes and a younger-looking face, making her visibly different from the original 1959 Barbie.

Collectors often call this version “TNT Barbie,” an abbreviation of Twist ’n Turn. Her name describes the waist mechanism rather than a separate character. Early examples were sold under model number 1160 and commonly wore a two-piece swimsuit with a net cover-up. The body design became popular and was reused for many later Barbie-related dolls.

A common mix-up is confusing a bendable waist with bendable legs. Miss Barbie, released in 1964, is commonly identified as the first Barbie with bendable legs, while Twist ’n Turn Barbie combined bendable legs with the new rotating waist. Therefore, “Twist ’n Turn Barbie” is the canonical answer to this question.