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 35th
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.
