... A Barbie house that was bigger than me and had a working lift. It was awesome. My mum was quite angry with Santa as she was trying to introduce the joys of Sindy to her daughter. Santa knew better. Who wants Sindy and her boring boyfriend Paul, Ken was far more handsome!
Nearly 17 years ... Read review
Advantages: Anyone can enjoy her, lots of choice Disadvantages: Hard to find, Stupid Shoes always fall off and get lost
...best Christmas present ever. A Barbie house that was bigger than me and had a working lift. It was awesome. My mum was quite angry with Santa as she was trying to introduce the joys of Sindy to her daughter. Santa knew better. Who wants Sindy and her boring boyfriend Paul, Ken was far more handsome!
Nearly 17 years later, I no longer have my Barbie house, but I am still a Barbie Girl at heart. I don’t chew their shoes or plait their ... ...glass display cabinet. See, Barbie is for girls of all ages, only as the girl gets older, the more expensive the Barbies become.
I am talking about collectable Barbies of course, the ones that my young cousins stare wistfully at every time they visit. The ones that are made of porcelain and have underwear and real jewellery.
The Barbie Doll is a worldwide phenomenon, and has become one of the most popular collectables. ... more
When I was six Santa brought me the best Christmas present ever. A Barbie house that was bigger than me and had a working lift. It was awesome. My mum was quite angry with Santa as she was trying to introduce the joys of Sindy to her daughter. Santa knew better. Who wants Sindy and her boring boyfriend Paul, Ken was far more handsome!
Nearly 17 years later, I no longer have my Barbie house, but I am still a Barbie Girl at heart. I don’t chew their shoes or plait their hair anymore either since many of them are in a glass display cabinet. See, Barbie is for girls of all ages, only as the girl gets older, the more expensive the Barbies become.
I am talking about collectable Barbies of course, the ones that my young cousins stare wistfully at every time they visit. The ones that are made of porcelain and have underwear and real jewellery.
The Barbie Doll is a worldwide phenomenon, and has become one of the most popular collectables. I started off collecting the Playline Barbie’s (the ones in the pink boxes that are everywhere) and progressed on to the Collectable Barbies and also the vintage (pre '76) dolls. Ruth and Elliot Handler, the founders of Mattel, have been producing Barbie since February 1959 and there are hundreds of her to choose from.
Of course, the one every vintage collector wants is the 1959 Ponytail Barbie, Barbie #1 as she is also known. She came with a strapless Zebra print bathing suit, a pair of mule shoes, sunglasses and gold hoop earrings.
Part of the fun of collecting this 11 and a half-inch doll and their outfits is all the accessories that come with them. Apart from the shoes. Although designed for Barbie’s rather dainty feet, they never seem to actually fit; even now I tend to leave them in the box. Luckily when on their stands, and if wearing dresses, you don’t always see the feet.
Ken was first introduced in 1961, and was named for Handlers son, as Barbie was for their daughter. Sadly in 2004 Just before Valentines Day, Barbie and Ken decided to call it a day. I have still not fully recovered from their unexpected spilt.
For Barbie Doll Collectors there are 3 different eras: Ponytail (1959 – 1966), Mod, (1967-1972)and the Collectable Era, which is 1973 to the present day. For anyone collecting in this country you either have to develop an EBay habit or buy form abroad. This is because collectable Barbies are not easy to buy brand new from the shops although places like Toy R Us sometimes stock a small range. The only place I have ever seen the REALLY expensive ones are Hamleys in London. (This is were I brought my most expensive Barbie, She was priced at £160, but I was lucky enough to get her in the sale!) Although Mattel have an official Collectors website they will only ship within the USA. Grrr, it can be really hard to get hold of some dolls. Even the Official Collector’s Magazine, Barbie Bazaar, is produced in the US and can be just as difficult to acquire. (I used to get mine from Boarders, but they have stopped stocking it)
In 1980 Mattel started to produce what turned out to be their longest running collectable series “International Dolls” (They are now called Dolls of The World”). Due to their popularity with the general public they decided to create limited edition ones for collectors. This series is easy to get hold of in the UK, even places like Argos sell them and are at the cheaper end of the market, about 30 pounds
Another popular doll are ones designed by, err, designers! Bob Mackie is one of the most asked for. I love the Bob Mackie Dolls as he used to design the clothes for the Judy Garland Show (Please, Mattel and Mr Mackie, please do a Judy Doll…) Other Designers include, Donna Karen, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren.
Part of the thrill of Barbie collecting is the hunt. Many stores in the US and UK have their own Barbie (I have the Hamleys and the Selfridges ones). In America they often do store exclusives and when University Barbie was released in 1997, 19 versions were released in different colours for different universities
Its not just Barbie and Ken to consider of course but her family and friends, and, boy, have there been a lot of them. I tend to stick with the blonde haired ones as to me this is what Barbie is.
She also has lots of Celebrity friends, (the first one being Twiggy) my own favourites are Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens (Bewitched) Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, and Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde 2.
Collecting Barbie should be fun, don’t buy what the market dictates, just buy what you like. I still haven’t made my mind up on the MyScene versions of Barbie and as a collector I prefer the porcelain and Silkstone (A Special Barbie Porcelain) dolls and yes, if they have never been removed from the box they are worth more, but where’s the fun in that! I like to look at what I have and display them for others to enjoy.
Prices for the collectable Barbie’s start at around 25 pounds and then the sky’s the limit! If you are after the vintage ones, expect high prices on places like eBay, although there are still bargains to be had. I am currently saving up for the Elizabeth II Barbie who should set me back about, gulp, £130 (I need a cheaper hobby!) But have not found her anywhere apart from the Official site (www.barbiecollectables.com) so if you see her on your Internet travels give me a shout!
Just look at what Santa started…
About the dolls in the pictures
Picture 1: Barbie #1 This is the first version of the first Barbie ever released. (There were five versions in the end!) Characteristics of #1 and #2 dolls were very similar, with one exception - #1 had drilled holes in her feet to fit on her doll stand. #2 did not. Both dolls were available as a blonde and brunette. Facial characteristics included arched brows, black eye paint, colourless pupils, and bright red lips. All dolls had red nail polish on hands and toes.
Picture 2: Paul Frank Barbie This Barbie dressed in her Paul Frank PJ’s was only available in Paul Frank Stores (including ones in the Uk, Yay!). She also came in a red outfit but I have yet to see one.
Picture 3: Crystal Jubilee Barbie Limited to 20,000 worldwide! She was created for Barbie’s 40th anniversary. The ensemble Barbie wears is made of soft white chiffon, her long, slim gown is lavishly encrusted with over two hundred and fifty dazzling hand-sewn Austrian crystals and Thousands of delicate hand-sewn bugle beads Her elaborate jewellery features a dazzling tiara of sapphire blue and clear crystals, drop crystal earrings with faux pearls, and a necklace with over thirty sapphire crystals in front.
Picture 4: Models Life - Continental Holiday This Barbie is a Silkstone Barbie who even has stockings and suspenders on. The amount of detail is amazing and she is one of my favourites. This came as a gift set and the amount of accessories is overwhelming.
Picture 5: Bob Mackie’s Madame du Barbie This is a Mackie Doll from 1997. Bob Mackie Dolls are among the most popular with Collectors with enough money (sob!)
Advantages: great fun masses of choice Disadvantages: shoes and other small bits get lost easily
...daughter and i are absolutly barbie mad she has barbie wallpaper and barbie bedding she also has nearly every barbie doll that has been available over the last three years.
Every christmas and birthday nearly all her presents end up being barbie dolls,carraiges and castles.
she sits playing with her barbie dolls for hours on end in fact just the other day she had a pretend party in her bedroom and she invited all her barbie dolls the problem with ... ...buy it for her.
Barbie dolls have been around for many years now and are still as popular now as they were when i was little.
There are so many different types of barbie dolls around now and believe me i know because my daughter has so many that her room looks like it is a private house for barbie dolls.
The many different barbie dolls range in price they range from around £10 up to about £25 I will not be able to make a list of them all as there ...
yabbis21 22.04.2006 (23.04.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Barbie
Advantages: A PRETTY DOLL Disadvantages: REAL LIFE IS NOT LIKE THIS
...can get lost in a Barbie world.
As a child I never had Sindy or Barbie dolls in fact I did only have 2 dolls I did not really like dolls I preferred to climb trees damn ditches, make dens.
I am sure you all know what a Barbie doll is, but for those of you that do not, here goes. In the 1950's Ruth Handler noticed her daughter Barbie playing with paper dolls she had cut out the dolls were Adult. So Ruth created the fashion doll Barbie. Mattel produce ... ...from the U.S
The Barbie doll is slim has gorgeous hair big bosoms everything a girl wants to be.She is just under 12 inches/30 cm tall
Barbie has everything a girl wants. She has a sports car and a beach buggy; she has a horse, which has a musical stable. Barbie even has 2 carriages one with a horse one a unicorn. Barbie even has2 carriages one with a horse one with a unicorn
She has a house that you can decorate in style adding a vanity parlour; ...
mumsymary 29.10.2003 (14.12.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Barbie
Advantages: Endless hours of fun,Plenty to choose from. Disadvantages: Nice outfits not sold separately
...what am I talking about, Barbie of course. Barbie dolls have been around for a long as I can remember, that’s because she is older than me Lol.. She was invented by a lady called Ruth Handler way back in 1959, and was given the name Barbie after Ruth’s daughter. The Barbie craze has never died and I’m sure she will still be around when I am gone. I only ever owned one Barbie when as was little, as she was rather expensive toy and ... ...my little granddaughter is into Barbie and has to have all the latest dolls and accessories. My son informed me that the newest one is called Rapunzel Barbie, after the famous film. He told me that her hair grows, which instantly brought back the memory of my Tressie all those years ago. Apparently you can also get the male doll, which is in fact the prince called Stephan and Penelope the dragon, a tower and horse and carriage. As my granddaughter ...
Deni 23.12.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Barbie
Advantages: Adults can love Barbie too! Disadvantages: Can be pricey. Debatable how good a role model they are for young girls/boys
...I am an adult Barbie fan. In fact, I collect Barbies, which I then buy and sell on ebay or other fora for other collectors to enjoy.
Basically, you can look at Barbie in two ways. Either Barbie is a child's toy, or she is an adult collector's item. As a child's toy, I can agree that Barbie may be a doubtful role model for young girls (or boys). Barbie is a hard-bodied plastic doll from Mattel, who is best known for excessive blondeness and being ... ...sure that there are now Barbie families - Happy Families range
- making sure that Barbie comes in a variety of empowering jobs (thus meaning you have to spend more money on accessories)
- now branching out into ranges that are maybe of a more realistic body shape (the ultra-popular My Scene range - personally, I think My Scene is no better)
As a child's toy, Barbie can be very pricey - a basic doll can be about £15 in the shop - unless you shop ...
celticwiccagirl 17.02.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Barbie
Advantages: give endless pleasure to children all over, including mine Disadvantages: give endless chance for comic potential for all critics, including me
Barbie – the role model of little girls for decades. Yes, your little girl can also aspire to be like Barbie. So who is Barbie? How can you be like her? Well, all you need is a perfectly sculptured face, big boobs, a minuscule waist that hardly doesn’t exist, long legs that would suit an Olympic champion high jumper and beautifully conditioned long blonde hair. Simple, eh?
Thankfully, for those non-whites amongst us, Barbie comes in ... ...Barbie is completely different - a perfectly sculptured face, big boobs, a minuscule waist that hardly doesn’t exist, long legs that would suit an Olympic champion high jumper and beautifully conditioned long black hair. Unfortunately, non-white Barbie gets saddled with an embarrassing Disney-esque name like Mulan or Pocahontas, but don’t worry, you get to wear great clothes, have your hair styled in thousands of different ways and you ...
KarenUK 04.11.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Barbie
Advantages: Does what it says Disadvantages: none really
I do not often throw my kids birthday parties, as their birthdays fall just after Christmas, and I have to thrown a party for 2 with me having twins loll. This year I thought I would spoil then and have a party.
As my daughter loves Barbie and my son loves Spiderman, I had to have 2 separate tables and 2 lots of Napkins, plates, cups etc, to cater for them both. If I did not get Barbie my daughter would have been upset, so off I went on a journey to try and find everything Barbie, and my was it hard work.
I found these Barbie napkins it was the mermaidia ones. They came in a pack of 16, which was more than enough, I even have some left for the next time she has a party loll. I paid £3.99 for these pack of 16, expensive I know but it was a last minute thing, and I think I could have got them cheaper off Ebay, but I did not have time ...
kineticspade 15.02.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Barbie Napkins
Advantages: Fun for horse fans Disadvantages: Walks only on hard floors...
My daughter had this Barbie Tawny horse and the co-ordinating Barbie rider on last years christmas list and yes,Santa got them both for her on Christmas day.
After spending about 20 minutes getting them out of the packaging we put in the batteries in the Tawny horse and to my daughters dismay it didnt walk as advertised.We have found that it doesn't like carpets,but walks ok on hard surfaces,so my daughter has to play with her horse now in the kitchen if she wants the legs to actually move at all like they are supposed to.
After plenty of use the hair is now a bit on the messy side so the horse now wears a stylish pony tail to tame the frizz,but still works fine...and my daughter still plays with both the barbie rider and horse after a whole year..
Wans't cheap last year...especially when buying horse and rider,but we've got ...
Advantages: Good for hand-eye coordination and listening skills Disadvantages: lots of little bits to lose.
I first saw an advert for this just before Christmas and decided to buy it for my daughter. Costing around £12 ( we bought it from our local branch of Woolworths), it consists of a plastic carry case which is shaped like a flower and has four different coloured buttons on it as well as a centre part for keeping all the accessories together.
This is very similar to Simon Says but a lot more fun! There are different levels and up to four players for each level.
In level one you have to press one of the four coloured buttons but only if you hear the words 'Barbie Says' first. If you get it right Barbie will reward you with either a ring, hairclip or bracelet and the player with the most accessories at the end of the game is the winner. It is also impossible to cheat as Barbie tells you which player is the winner, invaluable ...
melaniepither 23.07.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Barbie Says
