Barbie: a lady of 44 years adored by collectors
From the first of 1959 and very rare ones dressed by famous designers, Barbie collectors is a widespread phenomenon. Here’s how to navigate.
Who would have imagined that this doll, created in 1959 by the imagination of Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel, would now become an area subject to collecting?
As is known, in fact, Barbie is now a real phenomenon of religion and morality, over the years have followed the fashion of women’s clothing, hairstyles, makeup, and even played before looking down and side, then front and easy, the way in which the company believed the ideal woman.
First, fatal blonde, Barbie now, with Generation girls, is in all respects like a girl today and, with the series Cultures and Princesses of the world, even multi-ethnic!
There are those who collect Barbie doll almost from when she was born, but Mattel, which has become aware that the collecting of dolls was getting lucky in the nineties, so widespread, encouraged him, around since 1999, bringing to life the site and creating various special editions celebrating the mythical first Barbie ’59, wearing just a swimsuit in black and white stripes, with blacks sandals with high heels, sunglasses, lashes curled and combed with the ponytail that Barbie will make history in the sixties.
How can extricate itself from the more than 120 models are created each year who will now, for the first time, approach to this form of collecting and distinguish which pieces are worth collecting?
The first basic distinction is between Barbie contained in the “pink box”, ie those typically intended for a game, and those specially created to be collected. With the latter opens the eyes of a neophyte vast and exciting world: there are genuine porcelain Barbie, Barbie dressed by designers and big designers like Bob Mackie, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior …
Barbie collectors are in fact divided in series of the most interesting series of Hollywood Legends such as are reproductions of Marilyn Monroe, in different versions, and Audrey Hepbourn; series The fashion in which you can find Barbie dressed with the famous Chanel suit, and the more recently born in the nineties, Barbie Designers series, which include the famous creations of theatrical costume designer Bob Mackie and Byron Lars African-American.
Legends of Hollywood in the series are also counted versions of Ken, Barbie’s companion, which incorporates the features of Frank Sinatra and Elvis. Pop culture and entertainment series, finally, are unique in that depict characters that are part of American life, for example from the world of television.
There is also a series of Holiday Barbie, made from 1989 to 1999, which devotes particular attention to clothing and is designed for Christmas.
Among the porcelain Barbie particularly those listed are autographed by Ruth Handler, on the leg, whose value is around € 200.
Barbie Designers series are notable for the refinement of their clothing but also for the peculiarity of their physical features: Bob Mackie’s creations are highly sought after by collectors, their price can in fact exceed the 400 €. The designer was the first in recent times, to represent Barbie with the mouth closed, not smiling. In the case of Mackie’s creations there is always a sketch autographed by the designer.
Designers always for the series, the works of Byron Lars, limited in number, are almost impossible to find in the Italian market, even more than those of Mackie. Lars was the first to introduce the Barbie, but serial and color, from which, in some cases, it is the Caucasian version, that is white, whereas normally the reverse is true.
A separate category, it deserves to be cited for their originality, are the so-called “Barbie custumizzate” or “custom” some artists new to makeup and clothes of the normal Barbie not originally intended for the collection and make it their own creation. Normally, the doll is not only embellished, for example with a brighter lip gloss, but also enhanced: these artists, for example, commissioned a goldsmith jewelry miniature and replace them with already existing ones.
Those who love Barbie custumizzano the use of unusual models, such as Barbie or color with non-European facial features, even the creations of Bob Mackie are widely used for customization.
Beyond the diatribes of the finest collectors, the value of a Barbie is determined by:
O To condition of the doll, which should not be unkempt or dirty or have lost the original color of the skin. If possible it should not have been used to play;
· The condition of the box, which must be original and intact;
· The variations in mass production: they have always bought value over time (such as a color variant of a Barbie normally produced in the Caucasian version) sometimes may have been also determined by manufacturing errors, but we must beware of fakes!
· The number of membership: if it is limited and numbered as the listing grows.
A general classification, in principle, of Barbie, will help newcomers to clarify one’s ideas. The terminology belongs to the world of fashion:
· Barbie Vintage: ’50s-’60s, heavily made-up, with hair in a ponytail.
· Barbie Mod: 70s-80s, with light make-up, almost adolescent.
· Barbie Eighties: Do not have a name that the overall rankings. Among these were produced by Barbie collection.
Barbie · nineties: are the most their contemporaries.
To help collectors, of ancient date or not, orient, are for sale in the U.S. market more difficult to find on the Italian, guides for the right price, in particular those produced by 1972, beyond which a Barbie is considered “contemporary.”
As mentioned, it is difficult to find guides to the Italian collector: all are originally American editions and translations are not usually well done. It ‘s a plain English, so it is best to translate them yourself. These guides offer detailed descriptions of the different periods of Barbie and help in recognizing false.
The false divide into two categories: the Barbie dolls that resemble, but are not manufactured by Mattel, they can not use the name of Barbie and the fake real, that is created with intentions “malicious” Barbie sold as intact but in fact touched, such as in hair, Barbie with a head belonging to a period more sophisticated, such as Vintage, mounted on a body most recent example of the Mod period
A curiosity: the Italian Barbie come to market much later that the U.S. market, and occasionally some small series, are selling in the U.S. and do not arrive at all on the Italian market. Whoever is interested in these parts is good to keep an eye on the overseas market.