A budget-friendly Barbie Beach House

What would you do if you, or a little girl you know, would like the Barbie Dream House but are dealing with sticker shock?
After all the "sale" price as listed in the Meijer flier this week is $110.

Take a look instead at the Beach House! There is a huge difference in price, but the houses are very similar. The Beach House has staircase instead of elevator, and four rooms instead of six.

Here's the picture of the Target ad this week:

Most Kenya dolls are cute, but I'll pass on the fashion doll

There's been some buzz about the return of Kenya doll to the market. According to Huffington Post, she was a popular African-American doll in the 1990s and the pictures I've seen of the original and baby dolls are quite cute.
The complaint I have is in the fashion doll cast.
The Fashion Kenya was listed for $20 and Mini Kenya listed for $5 in the Family Dollar ad this week.
I was really surprised at the unappealing look of the fashion doll as compared to the quality and appearance of Barbie. Even the African-American Barbie or the Christie friend of Barbie dolls look better than Kenya.
Furthermore, Barbie's So in Style line is far superior in styling and appearance, and sells for a lower cost, than the Fashion Kenyas.

How to organize your doll fashions

I have experimented with a couple of different ways to keep my doll accessories and fashions easy to find. This mostly involves see-through plastic tubs and zippy bags.
When I created my craft room with a Barbie theme this year, one of the details I included was purchasing glass jars - specifically Ikea spice jars - to both store all the doll shoes and add some Barbie bling to the decor as the jars are on display on two shelves.
But Christina has a fabulous piece at FashionDollFoto where she explains how she keeps her fashionista attire easy to find and ready to go for the next photograhy shoot.

The amazing Barbie How To board on Pinterest

Do you want some DIY and frugal tips for your Barbie dolls?
Go to the Barbie How To board on Pinterest, launched by Michele Primel-Tunstall. She invited me to be a group member so now you'll see some of my DIY hacks as well.

A little bit about Barbie history and my doll collection

 

I was invited by one of the women's clubs in Monroe, Mich., to  give a program about my Barbie dolls. Here's the speech I gave today (Sept. 10, 2012):

Hi, my name is Paula Wethington. And I’m a grown-up girl who collects Barbie dolls.

I brought some show and tell items today. But for my presentation, I’ll talk a little bit about the history of Barbie. Then I’ll talk about my collection, tell you about some of the newly issued dolls, and open up the conversation for your stories.

The reference books I brought today have a lot of details about Barbie’s history. But the background is that during the 1950s, pre-teen girls had few amusements and toys to choose from. One of their favorite pastimes involved paper dolls, and teenage or adult characters were particularly popular as children modeled what their futures might hold.

At the time, Ruth Handler was a partner in the Mattel toy company. During one of her travels in Europe, Ruth saw a doll that was sold with different outfits and had been a popular bachelor party gag gift. She took three of them home. She suggested the Mattel designers design a similar doll, and also sell fashions to dress the dolls. In other words, she wanted to adapt the idea of paper dolls to a three-dimensional toy.

It took about 3 years to design and create Barbie. The European doll provided the idea, but it wasn’t meant to be redressed in different fashions. In order to keep the production costs down for a never-before-tried concept, Mattel decided to have the dolls manufactured in Japan.

Barbie was introduced to the toy industry at the 1959 American International Toy Fair. It’s probably not surprising some people thought Barbie was too grown up in appearance! But with the help of advertising on the popular children’s television show “Mickey Mouse Club,” Barbie became an instant hit. Stores had problems keeping the dolls in stock for the first year or so.

That’s the well-known origin story. Here are some other details that tend to be overlooked:

One big difference between the original Barbie and today’s dolls is that Barbara Millicent Roberts was originally cast as a high school fashion model. Specifically, she was seen as age 16 to 18. This helped explain both her huge wardrobe and the “queen of the prom” references. But since the late 1960s, Barbie has been depicted as a college student or young career woman.

Another difference is the expected age range of the doll owner. A good comparison today would be the American Girls demographic. But now, Barbie and friends are available with a variety of features and details, with the intended audiences of individual dolls ranging from preschool through adult. Mattel’s research has found that age 2 is often when girls receive their first Barbie.

Mattel also had a lot of trial and error in the early manufacturing of the dolls. For example, the first design of a doll stand with holes in Barbie’s feet proved to be too costly in the manufacture process. The coloring on the first three years of dolls faded out or could be splotchy. Some of the vinyl used in the 1961 production line, as Mattel changed techniques, quickly took on an oily appearance. Another problem that has been documented is that metal earrings can turn the ears of 1960s-era dolls green. There is no easy fix for green ears, as the recommended repair can actually damage the doll if you are not careful.

But in comparison to what you see on the toy shelf today, the earliest outfits were made of the best available materials and with exquisite detail. Barbie’s first clothing designer was actually a former art school instructor named Charlotte Johnson.

According to a reprint of the first doll catalog, first Barbie doll was sold for $3, a two-piece suit with two blouses cost $3.50, and a wedding dress costs $5. Some of the well-known vintage outfits were made in relatively small numbers, given the difficulty in manufacturing the pieces. Others proved to become very fragile with age, such as that first wedding gown.

When I did some poking around as to the cost of living during that time, I realized that the 1959 doll cost the equivalent of about $30 today. The two-piece suit was the equivalent of $35. The wedding gown set was the equivalent of about $50. 

It was a stroke of genius for Mattel to authorize sewing patterns designed for Barbie and Ken, as I’m sure that helped ease the sticker shock of a doll purchase. The result was that any mom or grandma who had a sewing machine, as many women did in the 1960s, could make adorable outfits for Barbie and her friends for very little cost. More than one girl in those years, I’m sure, was surprised to open a Christmas box containing handmade doll clothes instead of the designer fashions she might have seen in the store.

What would an actual 1959 Barbie cost today? One was listed on eBay last weekend for more than $6,000. No, I don’t plan to get one!

If you like the vintage look, but don’t want to spend that much money, a re-issue from Barbie’s 35^th anniversary could be found on eBay last weekend for a very affordable $25.

How has one toy continued to capture the imagination of little girls for more than 50 years? The reason is Barbie was repeatedly updated to reflect the changing fashions, hairstyles, hobbies and interests of young women. The first shift happened when the classic ponytail and bubblecut era of 1959 to 1966 gave way to the Mod era of 1967 to 1971. If you were a little girl at that time, you might also remember the “trade in” campaign during the late 1960s in which $1.50 and an older style Barbie would get you the redesigned Twist-N-Turn Barbie.

Another relaunch happened in 1971, when Malibu Barbie was introduced as a budget-friendly doll with a carefree California summer lifestyle. Her fashions reflected the times with patriotic details, prairie skirts and flower prints.

Superstar Barbie was a hit when she was introduced in 1977. In addition to being one of the most popular dolls in genre, she brought glamour and glitz back to Barbie land. This was the disco era, and one could easily imagine Barbie in the spotlight. The Superstar face has been used for many Barbie dolls since.

1980 was a historic year for Mattel in regards to cultural diversity. Francie, Julia and Christie were early African-American dolls; and Stacey from 1968 was cast as a friend from Great Britain. But 1980 was the first year both a black doll and also a Latina doll were given the name of Barbie. 1980 also marked the start of the Dolls of the World series. The international dolls are now the second-longest running series after the swimsuit line, featuring countries such as Argentina, Poland and Kenya.

Actually, some of the most talked-about dolls these days aren’t meant for little girls. They are meant for older teens and adult collectors who enjoy the fashion, details and artistry of the designer series and celebrity replicas. 

If you’ve heard that the Holiday Barbie series is highly collectible, blame that on the first edition in 1988. It was a trial run, and so not very many dolls were made. You can expect to pay about $300 if you want one of the 1988 holiday dolls now. It is still a popular series at retail, but don’t expect much value on the resale market for the later releases. For example, the 2006 Happy Holidays Barbie, which I do own, was listed for only about $35 on eBay last weekend.

I would actually date the start of the collector doll series to 1990, when fashion designer Bob Mackie provided the inspiration for a Barbie in a gold dress. There have been many other designer dolls since.

Going beyond the Barbie in the box, there also is a genre of collectors who redress or repaint the dolls or set up themed displays. It is true that Mattel has produced special edition dolls for charity auctions and doll conventions. But many “one of a kind” or unique dolls are the results of collectors, fashion designers or artists just having fun.

I’m one of the collectors who likes to have fun with my dolls.

I had four or five Barbies when I was a girl in the 1970s. I also had the Sunshine Family and several Dawn dolls. But I’m the oldest of seven children, and the only toy from my childhood that has survived to this day is my dollhouse. That’s a story all to its own, and I brought a scrapbook with pictures if you’d like to look at it.

The doll that started my adult Barbie collection was Dolls of the World German Barbie in 1995. I thought it would be fun to find the international dolls that represented my family lines. I thought I would stop at those six or seven international dolls. That idea didn’t last long.

To be fair, I was looking for a new hobby at the time and Barbie was an easy choice. Even if Mattel suddenly decided to stop making Barbie dolls, which was not likely, there was a huge inventory on the second-hand market. I could always find a new-to-me doll.

My husband was amused at this interest. He now knew what to buy me for birthday and Christmas gifts!

I currently own about 150 dolls. The international dolls are left in their original outfits, and displayed on shelves in the bedroom. The rest of my dolls, most of which come from the play line “pink box” series, are kept in my craft room which has a Barbie theme. I don’t know if I have more Barbie dolls than anyone else in Monroe. (Turns out ... one of the guests at the meeting has 200 dolls, mostly vintage! I also mentioned a doll collector that most of the women knew but whom was unable to attend. She has about 75 dolls.)

I started Barbie collecting at a good time. The dolls I liked were affordable, but not so popular that they sold out. During the late 1990s, there were also toy and doll dealer shows around Ohio and Michigan where I could look for older releases. I joined a doll club in Akron, Ohio, subscribed to Barbie Bazaar magazine, and met other collectors across the country via the Internet.

The tradition that some of you know about involving a Barbie doll on my newsroom desk started before I came to Monroe. In 1997, I was working at the News Herald in Port Clinton, Ohio. Because Lake Erie was so close, I thought it would be fun to set out a Barbie with a beach outfit on my desk that summer. This soon expanded into some elaborate doll displays.

So on the second day I was at The Monroe Evening News, I put a doll on my desk. I don’t remember which outfit I dressed her in, but I do remember that was a Midge doll. The reaction from one of my new co-workers was pretty hilarious. Over time, people learned to watch for what I’d do next.

I come up with those ideas by looking around toy stores and craft shows for dolls, clothes and accessories that I can turn into displays. For example, I have a firefighter doll arrangement that works well for a Sept. 11 memorial. I have taken a G.I. Joe outfit and put that on a Barbie for Veteran’s Day. I made a replica of my daughter’s Girl Scout uniform for Skipper and set that doll out when her troop had honor guard assignments. 

During the Custer centennial events two years ago, I took a black Victorian dress that I had bought at a local craft show, and dressed up a doll to depict Libbie Custer.

My favorite creation so far is a depiction of Miss Michigan 2011 Elizabeth Wertenberger. This idea started when I saw a Target exclusive Barbie who looked like Elizabeth! I knew I could assemble pageant attire from accessories and outfits I owned or would find on the Internet. Yes, that doll was my desk display when Elizabeth competed at Miss America in January.

What can you look for from Barbie this fall?

If you like the holiday Barbies, there will be 3 this year. Most stores will have both the blonde and African-American dolls, but Kmart is reported to have an exclusive brunette. The 2012 holiday doll wears a red dress and costs about $40.

The campaign fashion for Barbie for President 2012 is a pink suit. The blonde doll can be found on toy shelves all over Monroe, but Mattel also made President dolls that are Asian, Hispanic and African-American. I haven’t found the variations locally, but you may be able to find them online. This is a very affordable doll for only $14.

If you are interested in the University Barbie, also known as the cheerleader series, then go to BarbieCollector.com and see what’s new for this year. Unfortunately, none of the colleges my family cheers for are in the current series! But the dolls are beautiful and cost about $25 each.

So let’s hear some of your stories. Who was your favorite Barbie doll, and what’s the story that goes with her?

…

Bibliography:

“Barbie: All Dolled Up” by Jennie D’Amato. 2009. Running Press Book Publishers.

“Identifying Barbie Dolls” by Janine Fennick. 1998. Chartwell Books.

“The Story of Barbie” by Kitturah B. Westenhouser. 1994. Collector Books.

“Barbie: A Visual Guide to the Ultimate Fashion Doll.” 2000. Dorling Kindersley.

Sold out Barbie I Can Be President variations?

I've been waiting for the Barbie I Can Be President to hit the toy shelves, but the only doll I've seen in Monroe is the blonde girl.

I knew Mattel had released four variations on the doll, and I like to get the "non blonde" when I have a choice. Finally, I went to BarbieCollector.com and see this?

Ugh.

Looks like if I want the doll, I need to get the blonde I see on the toy shelves.

The dollhouse renovation

Check out my dollhouse redo. You'll be amazed how well it turned out, given what I had to start with!

Barbie's First Dream House was a studio apartment

I knew this detail, as my sisters had actually inherited a 1960s era dream house. What was left of the house was recently thrown out because mildew had creeped into the cardboard.

But you may still enjoy this piece:

Barbie's First Dream House was a tiny studio apartment made of cardboard.

But is it really unusual to have 200 dolls?

A link is making the rounds on Twitter about a Barbie collection on display at a museum in Arkansas.
It's a nice enough article and worthy of a read.
But read this snippet:

The Barbie dolls on display come from the Strojeck family of North Little Rock. What began as a present to his young daughters in 1988 of the first Happy Holidays Barbie, has turned into a full Barbie collection. The Strojecks own close to 200 dolls, 15 completed series, a plethora of vintage dolls, and several dollhouses.

Hmm. Is it really so unusual to own 200 dolls?
The last time I counted my dolls, I had about 150 and my husband guesses it's close to 200 now.

Pink and Green Mama explains how to organize the doll clothes

Do you want ideas on how to organize the doll clothes, shoes and accessories?

Pink and Green Mama has a tactic that takes a bit of time to set up, but it will be easy to keep up! Go see Getting Organized: Doll Clothes for the American Girl show and tell; and Getting Organized: Storing Barbie Doll Clothing for the fashion doll show and tell.

How to annoy your co-workers with just one Barbie doll

This just for fun post requires an explanation.

I live near Detroit and most of my co-workers are avid Detroit Tigers fans.

They have learned over the years that I root for Cleveland sports teams.

To make that point on a week in which Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians played each other in Major League Baseball, I posted this doll display at my desk.

Ooh, it's been quite a while since I've heard so many snarky comments about a doll display.

My comeback line is that if they can find me a Detroit Tigers doll outfit, I will happily play along and put that one on display sometime.

So far, we haven't found one.

This Cleveland Indians outfit came from a craft show in northeast Ohio about five years ago, and cost me only $1. It was one of several doll outfits I bought that day. Yes, one of the others was a Cleveland Browns dress.

It'll be traded out for a pageant doll soon enough. My pageant friends are in state competitions next week.

Finding furniture and accessories at the second-hand store

I'm documenting my dollhouse renovation on my main blog, Monroe on a Budget, because I'm explaining my frugal hacks along the way.

Do check out the latest episode in which I show how $4.50 worth of Barbie furniture and accessories are filling in some missing details in my dollhouse renovation!

What did I start with? This pile:

Dollhouse inspiration from A Girl and a Glue Gun

Would you like some DIY dollhouse inspiration?

A Girl and a Glue Gun has a show and tell of how she made a playscale 1:6 dollhouse for Barbie and friends to enjoy. She's using some of the same techniques I'm using on my dollhouse, but, all I have so far are some sneak peeks!

Dolls magazine report on 2012 Dolls of the World

The Dolls of the World series is my favorite one of the Barbie line. This is what brought me into Barbie collecting in 1995.

Dolls magazine has a report, Globally Gorgeous: Mattel expands Dolls of the World Barbie line, listing the 10 dolls that are in the international run for 2012 and the new features we are seeing this year.

My new fav: Fashion Designer Barbie!

This is a doll that the Project Runway fans will love, but I suspect my crafty and frugal friends will enjoy her too!

Fashion Designer Barbie is one of the newest dolls on the shelf. Barbie announced this doll in January, and I found her this week at Meijer in Monroe, Mich.

Barbie is "cool" again with the older girls

Mattel had quite a struggle for a time with how to market Barbie to its original demographic: older girls who had moved past baby dolls but still like to play.

But according to industry reports, it's cool again to be a Barbie fan in the age 8-11 bracket. IOL has this report: Barbie bounces back.

Must-see blog: Inside the Barbie Craft Room

I'm the kind of person who creates diorama scenes for my Barbies. Although I don't have anything elaborate now, I have a Barbie-sized dollhouse waiting for a redo.

But first, I'm going to look at the wonderful archives at Inside the Barbie Craft Room!

Barbie's Dream Closet - what fun

Racked has the photos and the dish on the Barbie's Dream Closet display as part of New York Fashion Week.

Barbie Basics swimsuit edition on Target shelves

I've seen the Barbie Basics swimsuit edition dolls and accessory packs at Target in Monroe MI.

These are fabulous dolls in what is already a wonderful series. The one I'll buy first is the African-American doll in the yellow swimsuit!

CNN interviews Stacey McBride-Irby about her doll creations

Stacey McBride-Irby, who designed the So In Style doll line for Barbie, is featured in a Q&A on CNN about her dollmaking career and her new business, the One World Doll Project.

Barbie Design Dress Studio seen on toy shelf

Barbie Design Dress Studio is a cute pink box toy.

If the little girl in your life tries it out and likes the idea of being a fashion designer, then perhaps you could introduce her to sewing or crochet techniques. I've read some articles over the years about fashion designers who became inspired by creating Barbie fashions when they were children or teens

I saw this Jan. 21 at Wal-Mart in Monroe.

Valentine Chelsea dolls at Target

I now own two of the three Valentine Chelsea Target exclusive dolls. I haven't decided if I want the third one or not. These were found at Target in Monroe MI.

Barbie TV anchor props seen on toy shelf

The journalist in me is geeking out over this Barbie role-play set. I think the little girls who play dressup would like it. It's about $16.

I didn't buy one today. I kept thinking that I could get a doll or a couple of dresses for the same amount of money and what would I do with this?

But maybe I will get one anyway.

I do have an African-American TV Anchor Barbie doll and I really do shoot video from time to time at work (my Youtube channel is monroeonabudget and I have shot some of the pieces at the monroenews account).

Here's the front of the box as seen at Wal-Mart in Monroe, Mich., on Jan. 21.

Did you notice that there's a press pass included with the camera and microphone? Nice touch.

Here's the back of the box:

Cookie and Claire explains how to tame Rapunzel's hair

This piece by Cookie and Claire is about detangling the hair on a little girl's Rapunzel doll ... but I think there's a lesson on that detangler spray bottle for Barbie fans as well!