Barbie Doll Collecting Isn't Child's Play!

She has been a doctor, a teacher, a ballerina, and more. She has a wardrobe any woman would kill for, and a fabulous boyfriend named Ken. Is there anyone on this planet who has never heard of Barbie--the smiling fashion doll with the perfect body and smile? It was the year 1959 when the first Barbie doll was introduced at New York's Toy Fair. Not long after, little girls across the nation began scrambling to own one. The first Barbie was decked out in a black and white striped bathing suit. Her blonde hair swept back into a perky pony tail, she was the doll that revolutionized the toy industry. Always fashion forward, she wore the latest trends in clothing popular with teenage girls. Once the 1980s rolled around, Barbie became more than a pastime for kids. The adults who had been children when Barbie was introduced were now in their twenties and thirties. These adults, nostalgic for their childhood, became serious collectors of Barbie, the iconic fashion doll.

Blue Rhapsody Barbie, a porcelain Barbie created in the year 1986, is widely recognized as the first collectible Barbie doll. In 1988, Happy Holidays Barbie was introduced. Although it was not issued as a collectible, its quantity of 300,000 dolls quickly sold out. Thus began the craze for Barbie collecting that continues to this day.

During the 1990s, famous fashion designers such as Bob Mackie, Vera Wang, Nolan Miller, and Christian Dior began creating fashions for Barbie. Bob Mackie's particular designs enthralled Barbie collectors who clamored for Mackie's original creations for the Mattel fashion doll. Mackie also designed a new face for Barbie, creating her signature closed-lipped smile and dramatic makeup. In 1997 Mattel offered the The Official Barbie Collector's ClubSM. Devoted Barbie collectors had the opportunity to join the club and receive special offers on collectible Barbies and Barbie fashions.