Actresses-turned-fashion-designers Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have celebrated their 40th birthday – but how much do you know about the iconic twins?
There might be a saying that ‘life begins at 40’ but if that’s the case, who knows what is in store for Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who have already lived incredible lives in their first 40 years on this planet.
The twins first came to national attention at the age of just nine months, when they first appeared as Michelle Tanner on the comedy show Full House in 1987.
They stayed with that show until it ended in 1995, then became successful in a range of tween and teen shows and movies afterwards.
But, at a time when they could have gone onto make more movies and TV shows, the pair decided to change career and follow their shared passion for fashion. And, wouldn’t you know it, they became hugely successful at that as well.
But how much do you know about Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen? Here are some facts you might not know about them.
They are fraternal twins
Mary-Kate and Ashley – Ashley is two minutes older than Mary-Kate – are fraternal twins. Fraternal means that they aren’t identical – to get science-y, it means they developed from separate eggs in the womb. This might surprise some people as the twins do look very alike, and they shared the role of Michelle on Full House until they were eight years old. Mary-Kate is also taller than Ashley, but only by an inch.
Indeed, when they were growing up, the twins made the decision to have different hairstyles, so that people could tell them apart more easily.
They are the youngest self-made millionaires
As mentioned, fame came early to the Olsen twins, and with it came money. Not only were they in Full House, from a relatively young age they also starred together – as different characters – in movies and had merchandising produced. By the age of 10, they were collectively classed as millionaires – the youngest to reach that milestone by making their own money.
They set up a production company aged 6
As mentioned, the twins – or their parents and/or those advising them – were savvy with their money and image. To this end, in 1993 they set up their own production company, Dualstar, which produced their films and videos, such as Double, Double, Toil and Trouble. In the 90s, they had an agreement with ABC to produce several TV movies.
In addition, Dualstar produced the second-best selling kids VHS tapes – kids, ask your parents – of the 1990s, behind only the behemoth that is the Walt Disney Company.
The twins became co-presidents of the company on their 18th birthday in 2004, and help drive it to further success.
In later years, the company followed the twins’ lead and pivoted towards fashion.
They were the first twins to be awarded a Hollywood Star
In 2004, aged just 18, Mary-Kate and Ashley were awarded a star on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame. They were awarded a joint star – of course – and became the first twins to receive the honour.
They don’t shop online
While they are fashion icons, Mary-Kate and Ashley don’t shop for clothes online. In an interview with Vogue some years ago, Mary-Kate said they have never bought anything online, despite growing up in the digital age.
There are good reasons behind this refusal – the pair prefer to see, touch, feel and experience things IRL. It may be traditional, but shopping is an experience – and those aren’t things you can do no matter how many 360-degree views of a dress you can get.
