Barbie

       Barbie dolls, friends and family dolls have been produced by Mattel since 1959. What can I possibly say about the Barbie doll that hasn't been said before? Probably nothing. The Barbie doll is the most famous, popular and enduring fashion doll ever produced. She is sold in more countries and in larger numbers than any other doll in history. She has a long and complex story, and I couldn't possibly list all the dolls, fashions, accessories or variations produced. Luckily, there have been more books published on the Barbie doll than any other doll, not to mention magazines and websites that contain information about her.
       It is commonly accepted that the Barbie doll was created after Ruth Handler of Mattel discovered a German doll called Lilli. Lilli was an adult novelty doll produced by a German newspaper in the likeness of one of its cartoon characters. The Barbie doll was named after the Handler's daughter while the Barbie doll's boyfriend, Ken, was named after their son.
       Despite recent media attention to the Barbie dolls 'new' face and body, the truth is that dozens of different doll faces have carried the Barbie name and, over the years, equally as many different body types have been used. The original dolls were sold on non-twisting bodies with straight non-bending legs and arms. Her face was unsmiling, and in some opinions, quite severe. In 1965, the doll was issued with bendable legs and in 1966, she was given a twisting waist and a new softer facial sculpt. 1977 saw the introduction of the Superstar Barbie, with her wide toothy smile and permanently bent arms. This face mould would continue

The Barbie doll has a multitude of friends and family dolls. The first of these was her boyfriend Ken in 1961, who has also endured through the years. Girlfriend Midge was next in 1963 (Midge has done a bit of a disappearing act over the years, but still surfaces occasionally!), followed by Barbie's little sister Skipper (now all grown up) and Ken's buddy Allan (who has sadly disappeared from Barbie and Ken's world) in 1964. The success of these dolls opened a floodgate of friends, siblings and cousins that continues today.

Identification:

All Barbie dolls (indeed all Mattel dolls) are clearly marked and should be easily identified. While there are many different variations in body markings, all the dolls will be marked with the word 'Mattel' and a date. There may also be a dolls name, patent information and/or a country of

production. Body markings usually appear on or near the dolls buttocks. It is important to note that the date on the body is NOT the year the doll is made. It is the year the body type was copyrighted.
Until 1965, there were no markings on the dolls heads. From 1965 the heads will carry a copyright date, 'Mattel Inc' and country of origin markings. These markings can be inside the head rim, outside the head rim or just under the hairline.
Mattel made many dolls that were not part of the Barbie doll line. These dolls may have similar markings to the Barbie doll line dolls.

Accessories:

       The Barbie doll has had more accessories than any reasonable girl could expect! Everything from fashion accessories (bags, shoes, hats, etc.), through to cars, houses, furniture, boats, planes, horses and other pets.
       Early Barbie doll clothing is of the highest quality. Many fine fabrics were used to produce miniatures of the most popular fashions of the day. Some outfits featured tiny buttons and working zips. One piece of most of the early fashions will carry a woven tag, identifying it as part of the Barbie range. During the 1970's the quality of fashions hit rock bottom. Cheaper fabrics were used, and the designs were uninspiring. A lot of the fashions from this period are not tagged and can be difficult to identify. Identification tags re-appeared with the Superstar era and continue today. The recent Fashion Avenue line of clothes have seen a return to higher quality clothing and accessories. Overall, the Barbie dolls wardrobe is an accurate record of fashion fads through the years.

     Restoration:

Some of the vintage dolls suffer from Green Disease (see restoration page). Uneven facial and body fading is common with some older dolls. Some of the dolls of the 80's are prone to blue/green spot (see restoration page).

Reference:

The official Barbie doll sites www.barbie.com & www.barbiecollectibles.com.

       I personally think that the best identification guides are as follow:
       For dolls from 1959 to 1995 The Ultimate Barbie Doll Book by Marcie Melillo (Krause Publications). This book features a head and box picture of every US doll release. There is a written description of the doll and accessories and other relevant information about the doll.
       For European and Canadian doll issues Barbie, The First Thirty Years 1959 through 1989 An Identification and Value Guide by Stephanie Deutsch (Collector Books) has photos of most dolls. Accompanying information is limited.
       For all sorts of Barbie doll information, including some rare prototype dolls The Collectors Encyclopaedia of Barbie Dolls and Collectibles by Sibyl DeWein and Joan Ashabraner (Collector Books) is a good resource.
       Barbie Fashions Vol. I 1959-1967 and Vol. II 1968-1974 by Sarah Sink Eames (Collector Books) picture all of Barbie's outfits for the periods covered.
       A great resource for Skipper and her friends is Skipper Barbie Dolls Little Sister Identification and Value Guide by Scott Arend/Karla Holzerlander/Trina Kent (Collector Books).
       And if you can't find your Mattel doll in any of these books try Thirty Years of Mattel Fashion Dolls Identification and Value Guide 1967 through 1997 by J Michael Augustyniak (Collector Books).
       There are also many other great books on Barbie dolls and accessories - too many to list!
       Barbie Bazaar Magazine (Murat Caviale Inc) is available from some newsagents or by subscription.   www.barbiebazaar.com
       For a fantastic reference on Ken and other male dolls try Keeping Ken - www.manbehindthedoll.com

There are also many other websites that feature Barbie dolls and online doll dealers.