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How much did Barbie cost in 1959?
$3: Retail Price of Barbie in 1959.
How much was a Barbie in 1950?
$3Barbie Millicent Roberts was named after Handler's daughter. The doll was said to be from Willows, Wisconsin and held a prominent career as a teenage fashion model. She could be purchased for $3, with add-ons ranging from $1–$5. Originally, the first doll was available in brunette or blonde.
How much did the first Barbie doll sell for?
$3.00Barbie's official birthday is March 9, 1959, the day she was unveiled to the toy industry during New York Toy Fair. Barbie first appeared in her iconic black-and-white striped swimsuit. Barbie was joined by Ken in 1961. The first Barbie doll was sold for $3.00.
How many Barbies have been made since 1959?
one billion dollsSince 1959, over one billion dolls in the Barbie family have been sold around the world and Barbie is now a bona fide global icon.
How much was a Barbie in 1960?
$3The doll cost $3 when it was first released in 1959, Original Barbie now costs thousands of dollars. According to Mashable, the highest auctioned price of an original 1959 Barbie is $27,450.
How much did a Barbie doll cost in 1970?
The doll cost $3 and sported a ponytail, thick black eyeliner with a touch of blue shadow, arched eyebrows, red nail polish, a stylish black and white bathing suit, gold hoop earrings, open-toed slide sandals and white cat eye sunglasses. In the first year, 300,000 Barbie dolls were sold.
What is the rarest Barbie?
Twelve years ago (yes, it's been that long since 2010, yikes), Barbie released the Athena doll as part of the Goddess Series. Not only is this a Gold Label edition, but only 5,300 dolls were made, making this a rare collectible item.
What is the most expensive Barbie ever made?
Released in 1996, the Pink Splendor Barbie is the most expensive retail Barbie ever, originally priced at a whopping $900. If you're inclined to buy this collector's item now, though, you can find her on Amazon for just $339!
What is the black Barbie's name?
Many consider Christie to be the first “Black Barbie.” Christie was part of a series of talking dolls. By pulling a string on her back, the doll said things like, “Hi! I'm Christie!” and “Let's go shopping with Barbie.” Christie's hair was black. (The Christie doll pictured has red hair because it has faded over time.)
What did Barbie look like in 1959?
In March 1959, a doll named "Barbie" launched onto the American toy market, sporting a black-and-white striped bathing suit, pouty red lips and a sassy blonde pony tail. The leggy, 11-inch plastic figure—full name: Barbara Millicent Roberts—was the first mass-produced toy doll in the U.S. with adult features.
When did Barbie get a belly button?
2000. Jewel Girl Barbie sported “natural-looking makeup, a more athletic physique, a bendable, flexible waist” and Barbie's first belly button!
When was the first black Barbie?
The original Black Barbie made her debut in 1980. Though beloved friends of Barbie – like Christie and Francie -were introduced over the preceding decades, this was the first black fashion doll to be hailed as Barbie herself.
How much did Barbie dolls cost in 1959?
Barbie dolls from 1959 often range from $3,000 to $7,000. A 1959 Barbie doll is identifiable by its cat-eye-style black eyeliner, heavily arched eyebrows, pale vinyl body, red closed mouth and painted or stenciled face. These Barbies feature blonde or brunette flocked hair with curly bangs and a heavy plastic body.
How to find the value of a 1959 Barbie doll?
How Do You Find the Value of a 1959 Barbie Doll? To determine the value of a 1959 Barbie doll, find out whether it is a #1 or #2 doll from that year. #1 Barbie dolls are generally worth more than #2 dolls, although condition affects the value.
What color are Barbie dolls?
These Barbies feature blonde or brunette flocked hair with curly bangs and a heavy plastic body. All 1959 Barbie dolls have red fingernails and lack iris colors. They come wearing a striped, black-and-white sleeveless swimsuit in synthetic fabric, as well as black plastic shoes, metal hoop earrings and white plastic sunglasses.
What is the model number on a 1959 Barbie doll?
All 1959 Barbie dolls feature the model number 850 and have "JAPAN" stamped on the right heel. Their boxes are marked "Barbie™ Pats. Pend. ©MCMLVIII by Mattel, Inc.". ADVERTISEMENT.
Do all Barbie dolls have holes?
All #2 Barbie dolls lack these holes, featuring solid plastic legs instead. Additionally, #2 Barbie dolls have ponytails, whereas #1 dolls do not. In all other respects, #1 and #2 Barbie dolls are identical. All 1959 Barbie dolls feature the model number 850 and have "JAPAN" stamped on the right heel.
When was the first Barbie made?
Since the first Barbie, named Barbie Millicent Roberts, was introduced to the world in 1959, new editions have been unveiled with each subsequent decade, wrought with added accessories and changes that reflected the times in which the dolls were produced. Before her late-1950s debut, America hadn’t seen anything quite like the Barbie doll.
How much did Barbie sell for?
The doll featured emerald-cut Australian pink diamonds and three carats of glittering white diamonds. The Barbie was sold for $302,500 at an auction organized to raise money for Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
What color eyes did Barbie dolls have?
The #3 model still only came as blonde or brunette, but now had blue eyes with either blue or brown eyeliner. The doll still wore the original black and white zebra bathing suit, but offered the option of wearing either gold hoops or pearl stud earrings. She also featured white sunglasses with blue lenses and black open toe heels. Some even displayed braided ponytails.
How much is a vintage Barbie doll worth?
Today, the price of a mint condition Barbie from this era can run close to $25,000.
What is the most popular doll?
The Barbie doll is of the most popular and recognizable dolls ever created, and not just among young girls. This doll is highly sought after by collectors, especially well-preserved, vintage Barbie dolls. Since the first Barbie, named Barbie Millicent Roberts, was introduced to the world in 1959, new editions have been unveiled with each subsequent ...
What is the difference between the Barbie doll #4 and the Barbie doll #4?
The main difference of this doll compared to its earlier counterparts is that #4 was the first to be made with a vinyl that retained color and reduced fading. The doll was still only available in blonde or brunette, but now had a hard curl at the end the ponytail. Some had factory-braided ponytails as well.
How many careers does Barbie have?
Barbie has undoubtedly transformed the modern toy industry with a variety of dolls that feature over 180 different careers. A number of variations of collectible Barbies are highly sought-after and collected by individuals across the globe today.
When was Barbie's cousin introduced?
Barbie’s “modern” cousin Francie was introduced in 1966. The doll, 11 ¾ inches tall with a slimmer, rather “boyish” figure, could wear the “mod” styles of the late 1960s. Francie’s blond or brown hair was straight with a bottom flip and her wardrobe, in addition to more traditional styles, consisted of bell-bottom outfits and psychedelic colors. The doll had real eyelashes and came in a straight-legged version (stock #1140) and one with bendable legs (stock #1130).
What was Ruth's first Barbie doll?
When traveling in Germany in 1956, Ruth found an “adult” novelty doll called Bild Lilli that would later serve as the model for a teenage doll. Bild Lilli was redesigned into Barbie, named after Ruth and Elliot Handler’s daughter, Barbara. The first Barbie Doll was introduced at the American International Toy Fair in New York on March 9, 1959.
What color were American Girl Barbie dolls?
In 1965, Barbie got a new look; a “Dutch boy” hairstyle and bendable legs but no earrings. American Girl Barbie had many hair colors in shades of blonde, red, brown and brunette. She also had a large variety of lipstick colors; many of them in shades of reds, pinks, oranges and corals. Over time, some of these lip colors faded to a butter-yellow color. American Girl Barbie dolls (stock #1070) were sold in swimsuits that had striped bodices and aqua-turquoise jersey bottoms. Mattel also released American Girl Midge dolls with bendable legs (stock #1080).
What is the name of the American girl doll with bendable legs?
American Girl Barbie. Teri Silver. Miss Barbie (stock #1060) was a sleep-eyed doll with bendable legs and a molded, plastic hairstyle. Dressed in a pink swimsuit and orange plastic headband, Miss Barbie Doll had a swim cap, three wigs and a pair of open-toed shoes. The doll’s eyes closed when she was laid flat.
What is the hairdo on Barbie?
In 1961, along with manufacturing the Ponytail models, Mattel introduced Barbie with a short, bouffant hairdo called the “bubblecut” (stock #850). The doll (with the same stock number as the Ponytails) was sold wearing a red or blue jersey-type swimsuit with pearl earrings.
How tall was the Barbie doll?
Barbie Doll (stock #850), called “Ponytail” because of her hairstyle, was 11 ½ inches tall with blonde or brunette hair. She had copper tubing in her feet that fit onto a round, plastic stand. Priced at $3.00 in 1959, Barbie wore a black and white zebra-striped swimsuit, gold-hoop earrings, white sunglasses with blue lenses and a pair of black open-toed shoes. The Number One Ponytail Barbie has sharp, “v-shaped” painted eyebrows, bright red lips and nails, curly bangs and a curl at the end of her ponytail. Her hand-painted black eyes have white irises and thick black eyeliner. This doll is a rare, valuable and expensive find to collectors.
What color was the ponytail in 1964?
Also known as a “Swirl Ponytail,” Barbie’s hair came in a range of colors including platinum blonde, white ginger, titian, brunette and a variety of shades in between.
When was the first Barbie doll made?
First Barbie doll made her debut on March 9, 1959, at the American International Toy Fair in New York. In this first model, Barbie was marketed as a “Teen-age Fashion Model” with zebra striped swimsuit, signature topknot ponytail (with hair available in both blond and brunette colors, with blondes outnumbering brunettes by 3:1 ratio), ...
Who invented the Barbie doll?
The history of modern toy industry changed forever when Ruth Handler, wife of a co-founder of the Mattel toy company, came to an idea in 1956 to stop the trend of the infant-like toys that were popular in the 1st half of the 1900s in the United States.
What doll was Mattel selling in 1959?
A year later Mattel brought entire ordeal to the close by purchasing the copyright and patents for the Bild-Lilli doll. Original Barbie doll (also known as “Barbie #1” or “1959 Barbie doll”) is today regarded as a valuable collector's item.
Where did Ruth Handler get her dolls?
She purchased three adult-like dolls from Germany, specifically from the Bild Lilli line that perfectly matched her vision.
How tall is the Barbie doll?
Her size was in the standard 1/6 scale of the adult human body, approximately 11 and a half inches tall. Designs of clothes were created by the Mattel fashion designer Charlotte Johnson, and the manufacturing was done in Japan where clothes pieces were hand-stitched by Japanese homeworkers. Even though the Mattel leadership had their doubts ...
Who made the Lili doll?
This doll was first produced and sold by the German magazine Build in 1955 and was based on a design from the popular comic book drawn by artist Reinhard Beuthin. The doll was a very close visual match to the comic book adventures of the blonde bombshell Lili who was a capable working girl and always ready to use her beauty to use men ...
Is the Barbie doll sold to adults?
The doll itself was initially marketed and sold to adults, but it very quickly became obvious that young girls liked it very much and wanted to spend a lot of time with her and the various outfits that could be purchased for the doll.
How tall was Barbie?
Eleven inches tall, with a waterfall of blond hair, Barbie was the first mass-produced toy doll in the United States with adult features. The woman behind Barbie was Ruth Handler, who co-founded Mattel, Inc. with her husband in 1945.
What are the measurements of a real Barbie?
Her tiny waist and enormous breasts–it was estimated that if she were a real woman, her measurements would be 36-18-38–led many to claim that Barbie provided little girls with an unrealistic and harmful example and fostered negative body image.
What is Barbie's doll name?
Barbie’s appearance was modeled on a doll named Lilli, based on a German comic strip character. Originally marketed as a racy gag gift to adult men in tobacco shops, the Lilli doll later became extremely popular with children. Mattel bought the rights to Lilli and made its own version, which Handler named after her daughter, Barbara.
What were the jobs of Barbie?
She has had a series of different jobs, from airline stewardess, doctor, pilot and astronaut to Olympic athlete and even U.S. presidential candidate.
Who was Barbie's best friend?
Barbie’s best friend, Midge, came out in 1963; her little sister, Skipper, debuted the following year. Over the years, Barbie generated huge sales—and a lot of controversy. On the positive side, many women saw Barbie as providing an alternative to traditional 1950s gender roles.
How much did the first Barbie doll sell for?
In its first year, 300,000 Barbie dolls were sold. The first Barbie doll sold for $3.00, but a mint condition #1 doll can fetch more than $25,000 today. 2.
Who was the first celebrity to be a Barbie?
First Celebrity Barbie. The first celebrity Barbie, Twiggy the supermodel. In 1967, Supermodel Twiggy was the first celebrity to join the Barbie family. Cher, Audrey Hepburn, Diana Ross and JK Rowling—to name a few—would later join the ranks of celebrities made into Barbies.
What was Bob Mackie's first Barbie?
Featuring his trademark style, Mackie’s first Barbie was The Bob Mackie Gold Barbie, which featured 5,000 hand-sewn golden sequin accents. Mackie helped start the collectible Barbie craze.
What was Barbie's doll named?
Barbie’s appearance was modeled after a doll named the Bild Lilli, which had been inspired by a German comic-strip character.
When did Barbie and Ken break up?
pinterest-pin-it. A Mattel Ken Doll ad in 2011, after Ken and Barbie's seven year long breakup. Jin Lee/Bloomberg/Getty Images. In the midst of a rash of high-profile celebrity breakups, in 2004 Barbie and Ken made news of their own when they decided they were better off as friends.
How many skin tones are there in Barbie?
Mattel. In 2016 Barbie Fashionistas were introduced to the world. They came in four body types, seven skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles, addressing longtime criticism that the dolls did not accurately reflect the diversity of the modern woman. 16.
How many careers did Barbie have?
Mattel. Over the span of her existence, Barbie has had over 200 careers. She broke the plastic ceiling when she went to the moon in 1965, four years before Neil Armstrong. Since then, she has been everything from a doctor to a paleontologist to a rock star to a computer engineer.
When was the Barbie doll invented?
On March 9, 1959 , the world of toys was taken by storm in New York City with the introduction of the Barbie Doll by toy manufacturer Mattel at the American International Toy Fair.
What kind of hair did Barbie have?
At first, Barbie was marketed with either blonde or brown hair as a “teen-age fashion model” wearing a zebra pattern swimsuit. From her birth on, the plastic icon has generated tons of criticism of the unrealistic body image imposed on young girls.
What book did Barbie make Barbie incompetent with?
In 2014, Mattel once again faced criticism with the publication of the book I Can Be a Computer Engineer in which Barbie was made to appear incompetent with computers and needing of men to help her.
What race were Barbies?
Today, more representative Hispanic and African-American dolls are offered. Controversy did not end with measurements and race.
