Barbie Mattel
 |
| Barbie Mattel |
Ruth
Handler of Mattel created Barbie with her own daughter Barbara in
mind.
She
watched Barbara and her friends play teenage make- believe with paper
dolls and realised that there were no three-dimensional grown-up
dolls available on the market.
While
on a family holiday in Switzerland Ruth Handler found her inspiration
when they came across an adult doll named Lilli who was based on a
German cartoon character.
Barbie's
Debut
In
March 1959 Barbie made her debut at the New York Toy Fair and in one
year over 350,000 were sold.
The
first teenage fashion model doll soon acquired a whole family and a
group of friends, together with dozens of outfits and accessories. In
1961 Barbie's boyfriend Ken was introduced, named after Ruth
Handler's son.
Best
friend Midge came in 1963 but she had to share Barbie's wardrobe as
she did not have one of her own. Little sister Skipper joined them in
1964, together with Midge's boyfriend Allan.
The
first talking Barbie arrived in 1968, operated by the pulling of a
string at the base of the neck which was attached to a record player.
As far as the collector is
concerned Barbie dolls fall into three categories: vintage (dolls and
outfits which are pre-1972), mainline (dolls which have been mass
produced since the early 1970s) and limited edition dolls which have
been specifically created for the adult collector since 1980.
Barbie dolls can be found at car
boot sales, PTA fairs and jumble sales.
This is fine if you want to buy
them to have fun with, but unless they are in mint condition, which
is unlikely, they will not necessarily have any monetary value.
 |
| Barbie Mattel |
'Condition,
condition, condition and that includes packaging.
Finding
them in the condition which makes them valuable can be difficult'.
Children
are major collectors of Barbie and my advise to them is to have fun
when they are just starting.
'Buy
what you enjoy and from that you learn and then you can upgrade your
collection'.
The
vintage models are the hardest to find.
A
highlight in a sale last year was a blonde Barbie Number One Ponytail
doll wearing a black-and-white striped strapless swimsuit which has
an estimate of £1,000-1,500.
If
the doll had been in its original packaging it would realise over
£4,000.
As
Barbie was intended to be played with, it is rare to come across a
very old doll in pristine condition.
 |
| Barbie Mattel |
The outfits are collectable in
their own right and the little booklets which show them are also
popular.
'Roman Holiday' is very rare as
is another early costume, 'Gay Parisienne'.
A 'Senior Prom' dress made from
green and blue net dating from 1963- 1964 is one of the prettiest .
Barbie's allure as being 'of her
era. When buying Barbie a collector is buying the definitive style of
a particular period although this is not necessarily the case with
contemporary Barbies'.
Always a dedicated follower of
fashion, Number One Barbie accurately represented the style of the
times with bouffant hair and heavy eye make-up.
Over the years she moved from the
glamorous post-war fashions inspired by film stars who were dressed
by couturiers to boutique outfits of the Swinging 60s and Psychedelic
70s through to the power dressing of the 80s.
Barbie Collectors Club believes
that for many it is finding a particular doll or outfit that gives
them most satisfaction while others enjoy changing the outfits
around.
 |
| Barbie Mattel |
While nostalgia plays an important
role, Barbie's current popularity with the baby boomer generation of
the 1960s and 1970s is because they have discovered that the toys
they played with as children are now collectable.
When
Barbie first arrived on the scene in 1959 she was originally aimed at
10-12 year-old girls but now that age group are more interested in
boys than dolls. Mattel now gears contemporary dolls to a younger age
group which still have fantasy in mind.
Realising
that there was also an adult market, Mattel introduced Special,
Collector and Limited Edition dolls during the mid-1980s and Barbie
Collectables were launched in Britain in 1995.
These
more fashionable dolls sell for around £70 and are often kept
unopened with a view to future investment value.
Barbie's
40th birthday on 9 March 1999, was Aquamarine Barbie.
Of
the 200,000 dolls made only 200 were available in Britain and they
were sold within one day.
When
establishing which element of Barbie you wish to collect it is
important to do as much research as possible.
With new models produced each
year, as well as different dolls for other countries, you are spoiled
for choice. Remember that nothing is guaranteed to go up in value, so
always buy something you enjoy looking at.
 |
| Barbie Mattel |
'It has got to be a toy that has
many different changes and fairly small so that there are plenty to
collect. It has to be of the moment, it must not be a retrospective
or nostalgic toy'.
It seems that Barbie is likely to
keep her crown for many years to come.
Barbie Mattel top tips
The most collectable dolls are
vintage Barbie, produced between 1959 and 1969, which were all made
in Japan. During the 1970s production was moved to other Far Eastern
countries.
- With the early Barbies, if the earrings have been left in the ears the metal will have corroded and left green marks on her cheeks. It is impossible to remove these marks.
- Check that the hair has not been cut and that she has all her fingers as they may have broken off.
- Watch out for cracks behind the knees of the bendable leg Barbie.
- Clothing must not be 'tired' looking and original Barbie labels are very important.
- The clothes and accessories must belong to Barbie and not another fashion doll.
- NRFB means Never Removed From Box.
- Mint and Complete indicates a collector doll in pristine outfit with all accessories and in mint condition.
- Vintage indicates dolls and outfits which are pre-1972.
No comments:
Post a Comment