Barbara Millicent Roberts is 50, and she looks great! (Must be plastic surgery.) The brain child of Mattel's co-founder Ruth Handler, Barbara - a.k.a. Barbie - was introduced to the world on March 9, 1959, at the American International Toy Fair in New York City.
An immediate success with girls who had outgrown baby dolls, some 350,000 of the Ponytail Barbie #0850-1 were sold for $3.00 each. Fashion ensembles ranged in price from $1 to $5.
The Ponytail Barbie #1 was the only doll in the line that had foot holes and metal cylinders in the legs to accommodate the original pronged stand. Beginning with #2 Ponytail, the prongs on the stand were replaced with wires that fit around the doll under the arms, and the foot holes and tubing disappeared.
In 1994, Mattel issued a 35th Anniversary Barbie based upon the original, including holes in the feet. There were several small differences, however, such as the lack of the metal tubing found in the legs of the 1959 doll. And for Barbie's 50th this year, Mattel has again reissued the #1 Ponytail Barbie as part of their Vintage Reproduction series.
The original #1 Ponytail Barbie is the "holy grail" among collectors, and has commanded prices of $7000+ for the complete sets - box, doll, stand, zebra-striped swimsuit, shoes, earrings, sunglasses, booklet - in mint condition.
Marking its successful debut, the "Teenage Fashion Model" soon acquired a family, friends, and boyfriend Ken, along with a wardrobe to die for and a plethora of accessories including a 1962 Austin Healy, Barbie's first car. Mint examples of many of these items are always in demand in the secondary markets. Especially sought after are the small accessories, like jewelry, shoes, and purses, which were easily and often lost. For example, some collectors have paid over $100 to replace #1's missing gold-hoop earrings, and several hundreds just for the pronged stand!
According to the Mattel website, Barbie-branded products can be divided into two main groups, Vintage (1959 - 1971) and Modern (1972 - present). The division marks a 1971 redesign when Barbie's eyes were changed so that she looked forwards, not sideways as originally conceived.
Of course, the vintage products are generally the most valuable, and the auction record for a Barbie doll was set in 2006 when a rare red version of the 1965 Midnight Blue fetched 9000 British pounds (~$17,000)!
Interested in delving deeper into the world of this popular collectible? The resources listed below may be of help.
Happy collecting!
Books
"Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her," by Robin Gerber
Link to book
"Barbie Doll Fashion 1975-1979: The Complete History of the Wardrobes of Barbie Doll, Her Friends, and Her Family, Vol.III," by Sarah Sink Eames
Link to book
"Collector's Encyclopedia of Barbie Doll 2008: Identification & Values," by J. Michael Augustyniak
Link to book
"The Ultimate Barbie Doll Book," by Marcie Melillo
Link to book
Websites
The Barbie Collecting Start Page
About.com section devoted to Barbies has articles, pics, value guide, lots of links.
Barbie Collector
Official Mattel site offers showcase of over 600 dolls, free catalog, newsletter, fan club, more.
Doll Reference
"A guide to doll collecting and identifying dolls from 1800 to the 1970's." Special section devoted to Barbie includes photos, markings, and descriptions.
Fashion Doll Guide
Informative site primarily devoted to vintage-era dolls, clothing, accessories. Watch the 1960 television ad!
Vintage Barbie Vinyl Reference Guide
The name says it all! Info and pics of vinyl cases, wallets, lunch boxes, more!
