Grew Up In Front Of Our Eyes 21 Pics Of The Evolution Of The Olsen Twins

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen started her careers as baby babies and have grown into major Girl Bosses! The Olsen twins have come a long way since their humble beginning as Michelle Tanner, the youngest of the Tanner children. For an older generation, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were the cute girls from Full House, full of spunk and family-friendly appeal. For the newer generation, the ladies are powerhouse design duo for The Row and Elizabeth and James.

The twins may be sitting on an enormous fortune, but they say they have always been hard workers. “We were always hard workers as kids,” Mary-Kate tells WWD. “It's just the way we are, the way we were raised. Our work ethic was everything, and that never left us. We like to work hard, and we like to try to do everything 100 percent. In fact, it's actually almost impossible for us not to. Sometimes you succeed and sometimes not so much, but it's learning.” And even as a kid, Ashley looked at herself as a businesswoman.“I always looked at myself, even as a kid, as a businesswoman,” Ashley said with Mary-Kate adding, “With what we were doing in business when we were younger, I don't think it ever felt like we were actresses - because we spent so much more of our time not in front of the cameras, building a brand.”The twins are as close as ever as they rule the fashion world. Check out the evolution of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

21 Mary-Kate & Ashley: Fraternal Twin Actresses

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are actually fraternal twins, even though the duo appeared almost identical as children. According to ABCNews, there are a few ways to tell the girls apart. Ashley is an inch shorter than Mary-Kate and has a small faint freckle above her upper lip, while Mary-Kate has slighter wider eyes and thinner lips and is two minutes younger than her sister.

The twins started acting when they weren't even a year old, at just 9 months old, as Michelle Tanner, the youngest of Danny Tanner who had just become a widower at the beginning of the series.

Full House would go on to run from 1987 until 1995 during ABC's very popular TV show block, T.G.I.F. (Thank God It's Friday).

The twins become one of the most popular parts of the show. Even though they almost didn't make it after John Stamos wanted them fired. "The Olsen twins cried a lot. It was very difficult to get the shot. So that actually is 100 percent accurate. I said, 'Get those kids… ' [gestures to get rid of them] and they brought in a couple of unattractive red-headed kids. We tried that for a while and that didn't work. 'Alright, get the Olsen twins back.' That's the story," he said according to TVLine. Well, imagine they had been officially fired.

20 Michelle Tanner Debut

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen would take turns playing Michelle Tanner during the shows run from 1987 to 1995. TV shows have always used twins for baby parts due to child labor laws. Mary-Kate would often play Michelle a little more than Ashley did until MK got an eye infection and couldn't perform. The girl's on-set teacher, Adria Later ( and often mother figure) explains how the girls needed to be coached at times. "When we did the series the first year, Ashley was very much afraid to come on the set and her sister, Mary Kate, did most of the scenes went up to her and said, 'This is your day,' and I took her away from the mother and dressed her in the classroom. We took her out there and she did the whole show, and blew everybody's mind," she told The Washington Post.

When it was time to cast the tiny tots in 1987, 20 babies auditioned for the part when producers noticed the 6-month-old blondes, according to the Washington Post. Executive producer Jeff Franklin says the twins particularly stood out. "There was a spark there," Franklin recalled. "They were more open to strangers. They were smiling all the time." Michelle would go on to make the phrases "You got it, dude" or "No way, Jose," extremely popular.

19 Self Made Millionaire Twins

The twins went from getting paid from $2,400 an episode in season one of Full House to $25,000 a few seasons later while on Full House, but the would eventually become millionaires before they were 10 with their entertainment company Dualstar. "They were the lynchpin of the show and I was aghast when I saw what they were making," their former manager Robert Thorne said according to CBSNews.

When the show ended in 1995, the girls were each making $150,000 per episode. And that's when he decided to start a company with the girls.

They would star in their own movies for tweens, an untapped demographic according to Thorne. It was just the right spot for the young actresses with a lot of notoriety and family-friendly appeal.

When Dualstar, Thorne made the girls executive producers at just 7 years old. "Well, they and I cast, hire directors, hire writers and oversee everything they're doing," says Thorne. "And there's no element that we don't do. Everything is controlled by us." The twins would gain control of their company when they turned 18. According to Wikipedia, the company fell into dormancy in 2007 and it was later revived in 2013 for a set of fragrances.

18 You Got It Dude Duet

Did you know that the twins have a secret code that only they know and they still communicate with each other via gestures to this day. No one was aware of their secret communication until the ladies were seen showing off their new design collection for The Row during New York Fashion Week in 2018. The ladies stuck closely together, but after the presentation ended Mary-Kate and Ashley cradled and then hugged each other and then one sister squeezed the other's hand a few times.

The ladies later walked away together whispering to each other with coffee cups in hand. The interaction was caught on video and at the time people thought their hand movements were “weird” and “awkward,” according to Vanity Fair. But what people didn't know was that their movements were not weird at all. Mary Kate actually explained what goes into their small gestures in an old interview. “We have this little thing when we love each other where we'll squeeze each other like three times. Then I'll squeeze her hand back four times. Like, 'I love you, too.'” It's not that uncommon for twins or even siblings to have their own language to talk to each other.

17 Dualstar Video Duo

The twins parents and manager would go on to start the ultra-lucrative company Dualstar, for them which would make them the youngest self-made millionaires. The company would produce, straight to video movies starring the twins, along with producing TV shows, magazines, and video games. The business would later expand into apparel and other goods like shows, books, fragrances, makeup, dolls and more. “We couldn't see over the top of the table,” Ashley joked while chatting with Women's Wear Daily about her early success. “We've been exposed to so much,” said Ashley.

“We were very fortunate to have parents and people around us who wanted us to be part of the creative meetings and the business meetings, and we would just sit and listen and be sponges. At that time in your life, you really are a sponge… "

"… And we've learned so much from people we've been exposed to in our lives - interesting people from different walks of life, different CEO's. The list goes on and on. Mary-Kate and I have always taken advantage of our time with those people and walked away learning a thing or two.” The company made the girls millionaires at a very young age and make the entire world take notice of the Full House twins.

16 Double, Double, Toil and Trouble Twins

The Olsen Twins were the queens of straight to video movies. They basically made the model for children's movies that never made it to the big screen. When the twins landed their first movie with "It Takes Two” also starring Kirstie Alley and Steve Guttenberg the movie made a tiny $19 million at the box office. The twins made almost two million from that movie, but something happened when the movie went to video. It made an additional $75 million in home-video sales, making it one of Warner's bestsellers in the family category according to Fortune.

That's almost 4 times more than in theaters. Dualstar tapped into the children's market like no one else had. The girls would go on to star in Billboard Dad, Double, Double, Toil, and Trouble, Getting There: Sweet 16 and Licensed to Drive, Holiday in the Sun, How the West Was Fun, Our Lips Are Sealed, Passport to Paris, and When in Rome, among others. And did you know that a few celebs starred alongside the twins like Megan Fox, Theo Rossi, Troian Bellisario, Michael Cera, Jared Padalecki, Cloris Leachman, Eugene Levy, Dr. Drew and of course little sister, Elizabeth Olsen who has gone on to have major movie success with the Avengers franchise, Captain America, and Godzilla.

15 Tweens Take Walmart

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen ventured into Walmart during their tween years. The ladies former stylist, Judy Swartz, who met them when they were nine explained how the girls ended up with their first fashion line in Walmart.“I was hired to style them when they were nine-years-old, for one of their straight-to-video movies. I got the job through a director I'd just worked for; I met them after Full House was over.” She would later go on to help them launch their fashion line.

“Kids would watch their TV shows and movies and would try to emulate what they were wearing. It took me about three years to talk [the Olsens'] management into doing a clothing line for them… "

"… Finally, we got with a licensing agent, The Beanstalk Group, they took us to Walmart, and we tested the product in 1999. When the line launched, I think it sold out within a week. It grew from one sportswear rack to three, and then I brought in other categories in 2001: sunglasses, purses, shoes, pajamas, and intimates. Then, we went global: Germany, the U.K., Australia… it just boomed overnight,” she told Refinery29. And imagine this was just the beginning of their fashion empire.

14 It Takes Two: Mary-Kate & Ashley

It Takes Two was the girl's first film and they were handed their company Dualstar on their 18th birthday. “Thank God our parents wanted us to be involved,” Ashley told Newsweek. “Running a fashion company, it's just as important to understand numbers as it is to have a design point of view,” Mary-Kate says. In 2003 the ladies were placed on the list of 100 most powerful women by The Hollywood Reporter according to CBSNews.

"I mean, we definitely do everything for our company," Ashley said. "In that sense, we feel powerful. But you go home, and no. You have kids running around the house. We have our little sister, our big brother. And a dog." The ladies were placed on the cover of People with children who inherited millions, but the says they worked all their lives for their money. " We were put against kids who have inherited a whole bunch of money and we earned it. It's not like it just was given to us. And we've worked very hard for everything we have," Ashley said with Mary-Kate adding, "We've worked for 16 years," according to CBS. The twins have been working so long it's probably difficult for them to relax and have fun.

13 Little Kid Actors No More

Mary-Kate and Ashley were all set to turn 18, head to NYU and star in New York Minute. Everything was looking up and the New York Minute bombed, it was their first feature film in years. The movie made just $6 million in 3000 theaters. Their first major failure in years. According to Entertainment Weekly, the movie was part of a long list of recent teens movies, like, ”Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen,” ”The Prince & Me,” and ”13 Going on 30.”

But it was also possible that the twins got lost in a sea of other up and coming actresses like Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff at the time. ”We're concentrating on school and getting through that.”

Ashley told EW at the time of the movie's release. It would be her last on-screen role. And Michael Wood, VP of Teenage Research Unlimited agreed the ladies should take a break. ”They need to take a break. They're going to NYU, they're starting to define themselves as individuals, they've now got different hair color. This transition is not going to be an easy one for them, and time is gonna be their best friend.” Mary-Kate and Ashley started NYU in the fall of 2004.

12 Coordinating Twin Mates

The ladies inherited Dualstar and headed to NYU, leaving Hollywood behind. “Mary-Kate and I moved to New York to go to NYU, and we put everything else kind of on hold because we wanted to just go to school and experience education without working at the same time,” said Ashley said to WWD. “While doing that, we started conceptualizing The Row. We started one item at a time, and took it to L.A. because the machines we wanted to use [to create the pieces] weren't available in New York.” And the ladies didn't want anyone to know they were behind the line at first according to WWD, “We sold it at first with no label,” said Mary-Kate.

“Only certain people knew it was us behind it. We didn't do any press. Our idea - because we had been in the branding industry for a very long time - was 'If the product's good, it will sell.'”

The Row would become a huge success despite its steep prices and soon would come to more price friendly Elizabeth and James label. “It was when the contemporary category was very small, and now we have several partners who help us with Elizabeth and James,” said Ashley. “We still do everything with The Row ourselves.”

11 No Longer Twinning

The girls separate themselves again with different colored hair and have a few beauty secrets up their sleeves. Ashley loves to do other people's makeup and even cut her friend's hair for her.

“I think I'm pretty good at doing other people's makeup. I think after getting my makeup done for so many years I'm pretty good at that. My friend actually also made me cut her hair the other day and that didn't look too bad either. She had long hair, too. It was down to here [salutes to her belly button] and I cut it up to here [points to just below her shoulder]. She made me do it, but it looks great. I made it a blunt, A-line haircut. And then we had a professional come in after and clean it up a bit! But it was pretty good on its own”

Ashley told Elle. But Mary-Kate's reveal was a little funnier. Not sure if she was joking but she said, “You know, the truth is I feel like I just learned how to brush my hair like last week!” The duo is known for their messy hair look. Is it that far-fetched that MK isn't too fond of hair tools, or maybe they both like the low-maintenance look.

10 Sister, Sister Split With School

The sisters would soon split up while attending NYU. First to drop out was Mary-Kate. The twins were accepted into the Gallatin School of Individualized Study, an NYU division that allows students to shape their own curriculums. But by 2005, Mary-Kate needed a break. “Mary-Kate Olsen has taken an approved leave of absence from New York University to focus on her increasing responsibilities as co-president of Dualstar Entertainment Group and to pursue personal interests,” her rep, Michael Pagnotta said at the time according to People.

Mary-Kate had entered a substance issues facility the summer before and it was thought she was seeking further help for an medical condition, her Rep was asked if her decision to leave had to do with her mental state.

“No, it doesn't, and this is the most important thing. She's not reentering any kind of treatment facility or anything like that.”

Many said it had to do with her split from her boyfriend at the time Greek shipping heir Stavros Niarchos. Ashley would follow her sister soon after. The ladies had even purchased a $7.3 million penthouse in the West Village, but they never moved in and ended up renting it out for $35,000 a month.

9 Mary-Kate & Ashley: Boho Babes

In 2006 Mary-Kate and Ashley debuted their first luxury brand, The Row. It was their search for the perfect t-shirt that sparked their new venture. “It was a project for a great T-shirt that we thought maybe we would do for The ONE Campaign [the global organization fighting extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa],” Mary-Kate told Interview Magazine. They scrapped the project and kept the shirt. “We didn't end up doing that, but we loved the fabric and got the best fit that we could create,” Ashley said. The ladies knew their T-shirt was growing into a collection when a few pieces started to come together, “It was a T-shirt, and then a tank top, and then a dress-” Ashley said. And it took off from there. And the rest is Fashion history.

The following year the ladies created Elizabeth and James (named after their siblings). “We like to say that Elizabeth and James is the new luxury,” explains Mary-Kate in an interview with The Edit. “It's the idea that you can still have fashion, great fabrics and great fits at a lower price point.” They would go on to win the Women's Wear Designer for the Year For The Row by the CFDA in 2012 and continue winning awards for their designs.

8 Twinning Again

Mary-Kate and Ashley have tried a few different styles over the years, with MK being more adventurous, but both ladies always seem to end back with blond hair with a messy hair. Their longtime stylist, Mark Townsend explains his process with the twins, who were wearing bedhead before it was cool.

“They really have changed direction in their careers in quite a way. They are so focused on fashion and design that a lot of times, their hair takes almost a backseat. I don't see them as often so they're not really getting regular trims… "

"… And I'm going to be honest, I've learned more from them about hair than I could ever teach them. They've really become true wash-and-go clients. It's as little maintenance as possible with cuts and color. They never want to look like they've been too done up. Mary Kate has a rule now that I can only use five hairpins or less to create an updo because she feels like if it takes more than five, then it's too done, we've tried too hard. Except for Met Gala. That's the day I'm allowed to do anything,” told HelloGiggles. They ladies like a no fuss look and it shows.

7 The Coffee Style Twins

The twins headed to college at NYU and their NYC style emerged and so did their love of layers did not go unnoticed. And their stylist, Judy Schwartz told Refinery29 that she actually started the Olsens over draped look. “The layers came from me. It's how I dress. It comes from my days of dressing rock stars. I'm pretty petite myself, and I just have always worn big, oversized things to cover myself up. I still do. I might wear a tight pair of jeans, but I've got a big baggy sweater on, and 50 layering pieces. I'm not surprised that layering moved forward with [Mary-Kate and Ashley's] aesthetics because it was such a big part of their style growing up.” They still wear tons of layers to their day.

And Judy added that the ladies learned their famous monochromatic look while working on-set. “Management… always wanted the girls to dress the same yet different,” she says but their personalities had to come through.

“Mary-Kate's character needed to be 'funkier' and Ashley needed to be more 'classic'. I always had racks of clothes, and they definitely had their say if they liked something or not. From the very beginning, they weren't like dolls; they always had opinions.”

6 Fashion House Duo Quits Acting

The ladies would fully quit acting in 2012. The ladies last acting project together was 2004's New York Minute which bombed. Mary-Kate would go on to star in a few TV Shows like Weeds and in the movie Beastly, but the ladies decided to quit acting for good in 2012. "I was reading scripts, and ultimately I just said to the people who are representing me, 'I need to do things 100 percent. I don't feel like I can give you 100 percent of my time. There's a lot of compromise in the entertainment industry. I can't sit in this room and audition for this part, '" Ashley told Allure. With Mary-Kate adding that she felt she needed more control over her projects. "I am not great at not being able to control the end product."

John Stamos has attempted to woe the ladies back on to Fuller House, but they declined due to their businesses, The Row and Elizabeth and James among other companies. The twins recently won Accessories Designer of the Year award at the 2018 CFDA Fashion Awards! The ladies have shied away from acting for years now and they still make millions. They appear to love fashion better than acting and it shows.

5 No Way Jose To Fuller House

Mary-Kate and Ashley are over their acting careers and declined to return to the show despite many offers. They have a fashion empire to tend to. "Although Ashley and Mary-Kate will not be a part of Fuller House, I know how much Full House has meant to them and they are still very much considered family," executive producer Robert L. Boyett said in 2015 according to E!.

"It has been exciting to see how they have built their professional careers, and I support their choice to focus on their fashion brands and various business endeavors. I appreciate their support and good wishes towards Fuller House."

Neither one of the ladies made any cameos for the series and there will be no more invitations to the twins. "Personally, I've given up asking them," show creator Jeff Franklin told TVLine. "The door is open, but I'm not going to be calling them anymore to invite them. They just don't seem interested in coming. It's been three years of invitations, so they know the door is open. It's up to them to decide if they want to come to play or not.” The ladies no longer want to be in front of the camera and it's obvious.

4 Slapped With Lawsuit  

The twins have had a lot of success, but that didn't save the ladies from lawsuits. In 2015 Dualstar was slapped with a lawsuit after interns complained of heavy long work hours, overtime and no pay or college credit. “I was doing the work of three interns,” Shahista Lalani, former design intern for The Row told Page Six according to People. “I was talking to her all day, all night. E-mails at nighttime for the next day, like 10 p.m. at night.” There was a lot of crying according to the intern. “You're like an employee, except you're not getting paid. They're kind of mean to you. Other interns have cried. I'd see a lot of kids crying doing coffee runs, photocopying stuff.”

The case was eventually settled for $140,000 in 2017. But with 185 members in the lawsuit each would get just a little over $500 for their troubles.

At the time Dualstar released a statement to People, “As an initial matter, Dualstar is an organization that is committed to treating all individuals fairly and in accordance with all applicable laws. The allegations in the complaint filed against Dualstar are groundless, and Dualstar will vigorously defend itself against plaintiff's claims in court, not before the media. Dualstar is confident that once the true facts of this case are revealed, the lawsuit will be dismissed in its entirety.” 

3 Mary-Kate & Ashley's Sisterly Love

Fuller House wanted Michelle Tanner back on the show so much that the idea of having the Mary-Kate and Ashley's little sister, Elizabeth Olsen take on the role. But she wanted nothing to do with the topic. "That was weird because it was also like, 'Leave me out of this. This has nothing to do with me,'" Elizabeth said according to Today.com. "I had to answer questions about it immediately after. I was doing press, and I was like, 'I don't know what anyone's talking about. Stop talking to me about this.' I've heard it's a hit.… It's very successful.” But Elizabeth wanted nothing to do with it.

She rarely talks about her famous family but she does say her sisters have given her advice when dealing with the press. “I was not caring what I was saying [in interviews] because I'd assumed no one would read it,” Elizabeth said according to W Magazine. “That's when we'd have conversations. [Mary-Kate and Ashley] would say, 'You know, even if you don't think anyone's going to read this article, someone might pull the quote later for [something else].' It's all part of how you hope someone interprets you, and how they frame who you are and the work you do. They're very tight-lipped-notoriously so.”

2 Mary-Kate's Married Life

Ashley Olsen is single, while Mary-Kate is married to French banker Olivier Sarkozy, the half-brother of Nicolas Sarkozy, former President of France. The duo tied the knot in 2015. “I think we're lucky [working hard] comes quite naturally for us. We don't need so much time to sit and think and ponder. But then I have a husband, two step-kids and a life; I have to go home and cook dinner. I ride horses on the weekends. You find the thing that helps you relax and if you don't have it, look for it. Or you get burned out and then you're not productive,” Mary-Kate told Net-a-Porter's The Edit Magazine.

The couple married in a $6.25 million NYC townhouse.

Sarkozy's ex-wife, Charlotte, didn't always care for the couple's relationship due to their 17 year age gap. “That's not right. It's grotesque,” said according to DailyMail. An insider added, “Charlotte certainly won't want her kids to be around Mary-Kate, who has a history of wild-partying and booze binges.” Ashley was last linked to art dealer Richard Sachs from 2016 to 2017. They had a 28 year age gap. But the ladies especially Ash have always dated older men. Mary-Kate's husband is in his late 40s.

1 Mary-Kate & Ashley All Grown Up

The twins appearance has changed since the ladies were little girls. They may be fraternal twins which would explain why the ladies look so different, but lately, its been rumored that Mary-Kate may have altered her face with surgery and Twitter was not nice as usual according to Life & Style, "The Olsen twins faces really look bad. Idk what bad botox or plastic surgery they did, but their faces look horrible," one fan wrote on Twitter, while another tweeted, "The Olsen twins look sick. That must suck to get plastic surgery then look in the mirror & see how it ruined you instead of [making] you better."

But a Miami doctor, Dr. Rian Maercks, says smoking might be aging the former child actress. “I would say that technically the majority of the changes we see could be due to accelerated aging associated with nicotine products tobacco or other environmental factors, as she is a known smoker," he told Life & Style. "The most significant factors are eyebrow ptosis (the dropping of the brow), and atrophy of the periorbital (area around the eyes) and perioral area (the area around the mouth)." He added that makeup and lighting also affect how the face looks."It also appears that her bizygomatic width is increased (horizontal distance between high cheekbones). That only attracts attention to the temporal hollowing and lower facial aging changes." They do look quite different these days.

References: WWD, ABCNews, TVLine, Wash Post, CBSNews, Wikipedia, Vanity Fair, Refinery29, Newsweek, CBSNews, Entertainment Weekly, WWD, Elle, People, Interview Magazine, The Edit, HelloGiggles, Refinery29, Allure, E!, TVLine, People., Today, W Magazine, The Edit, DailyMail, Life & Style