By the 1970s, fashion dolls had surpassed baby dolls in popularity. Children loved the hair play possible with fashion dolls. For example, 1971 Barbie with Growin’ Pretty Hair features tresses that can be lengthened or shortened with a gentle tug of her ponytail. Barbie doll’s retractable ponytail embraces the hair play craze and the doll comes with hairpieces and accessories to complete the look.

Quick Curl Barbie capitalized on the popularity of hair play in the 1970s. Basic hair play took on an added dimension when the Quick Curl line of Barbie dolls were released in 1973. Aspiring stylists could practice different hair styles with the Quick Curls’ special hair that contained metal fibers that allowed their hair to easily curl or straighten. The dolls are dressed in a long gingham-checked dress; Quick Curl Barbie in pink, Quick Curl Kelley in green, Quick Curl Francie in yellow and Quick Curl Skipper in blue. Each doll comes with a plastic curler, comb, hair pins and brush.

In 1975, Quick Curl Cara debuted wearing a super-funky, patterned long skirt and long-sleeved matching crop top. She’s one of my favorite dolls and I have a separate blog post on just her here.

In 1976, the Quick Curl dolls got a make-over (who doesn't like a makeover?!) and were now called DELUXE Quick Curl dolls. Each Deluxe Quick Curl doll wears an ankle-length dress with a white fringed shawl, a faux pearl necklace and pilgrim shoes; Deluxe Quick Curl Barbie in blue (see photo of my recent purchase above!), Deluxe Quick Curl Skipper in pink, Deluxe Quick Curl P.J. in red and Deluxe Quick Curl Cara in a yellow. There wasn’t a Deluxe Quick Curl Francie. Also new, the Deluxe Quick Curl dolls came with a long fall-hairpiece with an attached ribbon. Quick Curl dolls were produced until 1978.

1973 Mod Hair Ken, although not a Quick Curl, is the first Ken doll with rooted hair. He also has reusable facial hair stickers that allows Ken to have a mustache, side burns and a beard. I had him as a kid and thought he was kinda creepy. :)

Here’s a breakdown of all of the Quick Curls:
1973 Quick Curl Barbie #4220
1973 Quick Curl Kelley #4221
1973 Quick Curl Francie #4222
1973 Quick Curl Skipper #4223
1975 Quick Curl Cara #7291
1973 Quick Curl Miss America #8697
1973 Kellogg’s Corn Flakes promotional Miss America doll #3194
1976 Deluxe Quick Curl Barbie #9217
1976 Deluxe Quick Curl P.J. #9218
1976 Deluxe Quick Curl Cara #9220
1976 Deluxe Quick Curl Skipper #9428 (exclusive to Europe)

Here's a vintage Quick Curl Barbie commercial from the 70s! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z--ntETyNYo

Click here to find your Quick Curl Barbie on eBay!!

​Stop by my Barbie influencer Amazon storefront  at amazon.com/shop/influencer-e50a405a!

#QuickCurl #QuickCurlBarbie #DeluxeQuickCurlBarbie #70sBarbie #QuickCurlKelley #QuickCurlSkipper #QuickCurlMissAmerica #QuickCurlPJ #QuickCurlCara #QuickCurlFrancie

An influential era in Barbie history was the introduction of iconic Superstar Barbie in 1977. She was ready to do the Hustle under a disco ball at Studio 54, right along with Karen and Tony in Saturday Night Fever! Barbie Signature Principal Designer, Bill Greening, said SuperStar Barbie was a game-changer Barbie doll. Glitzy SuperStar Barbie was Mattel’s first major redesign since the 1967 Twist 'n Turn Barbie. The updated head mold featured a new smiling and decidedly different face. Also new were her bent arms but she kept her twist ’n turn waist and bendable legs. She sported a Farrah Fawcett-inspired hairstyle with a flowing blonde mane parted on her left with pretty sun streaks. The first SuperStar Barbie dolls on the market included a star-shaped SuperStar necklace for the child.

In honor of this doll’s 45th anniversary, a vintage SuperStar Barbie reproduction debuted in 2022 for adult collectors. “Superstar Barbie reflected all of the glitz and glamour of the disco era,” Bill recalls. This reproduction (repro) doll is dressed in a fabulous pink evening gown with a glittering ruffle boa. Sparkling “diamond” jewelry and matching pink heels complete her glamorous look. This doll uses the same Superstar face sculpt that was introduced with the original doll. The SuperStar Barbie face mold stayed in the Barbie line for more than 20 years! 1982 Twirly Curls Barbie, 1978 Pretty Changes Barbie and 1984 DreamTime Barbie are examples with the same face sculpt as SuperStar Barbie. 

The 2022 repro SuperStar Barbie isn’t Mattel’s first, though. For Barbie’s 50th anniversary, in 2009, Mattel produced six reproductions of past popular Barbie dolls for the My Favorite Barbie line: 1959 Original Teenage Fashion Model “Ponytail Barbie,” 1982 Bubble Cut Barbie, 1967 Twist ’n Turn Barbie, 1971 Malibu Barbie, 1977 SuperStar Barbie and 1986 Rockers Barbie. There were several other dolls were created to celebrate Barbie’s 50th birthday but they weren't reproductions.

SuperStar Barbie’s best friend was 1977 SuperStar Christie #9950 who also uses the SuperStar Barbie head mold. She has black hair with copper highlights and wears a yellow version of SuperStar Barbie’s pink satin gown. Mattel produced a beautiful reproduction of SuperStar Christie in 2021, a year before SuperStar Barbie’s repro debuted.

#SuperStarBarbie #SwirlyCurlsBarbie #SuperStarChristie #PrettyChangesBarbie #DreamTimeBarbie #70sBarbies #80sBarbies

Aloha Hawaiian Barbie! She’s the most recent addition to my collection and I’m excited to tell you about her. In 1975, the first edition of Hawaiian Barbie #7470 was released. I discovered there are several versions of this doll so I’ve broken it down for you – it’s a bit confusing! The only Hawaiian friend produced for Barbie in the 70s was 1978 Hawaiian Ken #2960. Here’s more info on Hawaiian Ken: manbehindthedoll.com. In the 90s, a few more Hawaiian dolls were added including Skipper, Midge, Christie and Teresa. Their names were just Hawaii (insert name) vs Hawaiian.

1975 Hawaiian Barbie was the first “exotic” version of Barbie. She was a department store special using the Steffie face sculpt. She has side-parted, long, straight, black rooted hair. Her eyes are brown and her eyebrows are pencil thin. When I was in 9th grade in the late 70s, my mom tweezed my thick Brooke Shields eyebrows to Twiggy thin. It was “in” then but what were we thinking?!

1975 Hawaiian Barbie wears a beautiful outfit, a colorful abstract floral print on a white bikini with a matching long print skirt that ties around the waist. She also comes with a natural grass skirt with an elastic waist, a plastic colorful red/yellow/purple/white plastic lei (another version was just green, thinner and longer), a pink fabric hair flower on the left side of her head, a tan plastic ukulele and a white surfboard with a red sail. I’ve seen this referred to as a sun-sailer and a wind sail but the back of my 1975 box calls it a surfboard with detachable sail. The front of the box has a big sticker that says, “SPECIAL! Unique costume and accessories!”

The second edition Hawaiian Barbie was released in 1976. She was produced in a few new, but similar, outfits. In addition to the white bikini print, she now also came in blue and black prints. As a side note, there were two fashions produced in 1964, “Barbie in Hawaii” and “Ken in Hawaii.”

In 1978, Hawaiian SuperStar Barbie #2289 was brought to the market. She’s distinguishable by her  SuperStar face sculpt and SuperStar body with bent elbows. There are other differences too. Her hair wasn’t stick straight anymore, it is a bit wavy and thicker. The lei is now made from fabric instead of plastic. It’s green and has 3 pink flowers. Some 1978 Hawaiian Barbie dolls came with a green plastic lei instead. Her eye shadow is the popular 70s sky blue. Her sail color changed from red to a yellowish orange. The floral tricot fashion has a somewhat larger print than the 1975 doll and it’s mainly orange whereas the previous was white. There are slightly different variations of this orange fashion on the Hawaiian SuperStar dolls. Her grass skirt is now made with green plastic. I don’t think she came with the ukulele.

The 1982 – 83 Hawaiian Barbie is another version and drops “SuperStar” from her name. Her bikini and wrap skirt are now a maroon and green floral print and she has a cloth flower garland in her hair. Her face mold is back to Steffie’s – yay! And she got her ukulele back.

In 1990, Jazzie Hawaiian Fun Barbie #9294 was introduced. She didn't look like the other Hawaiian dolls. She’s blond in a bikini with a neon green top and no skirt.

There’s a 1994 – 95 Polynesian Barbie from the Passport Dolls of the World series #12700. She’s in a red print bikini top and bottom and a grass skirt. She has an orange and yellow lei around her waist and a white one around her neck. She has an orange flower in her hair, too. Another Polynesian Barbie was added to this line in 2012. She wears a floral lei, colorful bikini and traditional raffia "grass" hula skirt. She also comes with a passport, country stickers, sea turtle friend and a brush.

In 2005, Mattel added a Princess of the Pacific Islands (Pink Label) Barbie to their Dolls of the World line. The Barbie Princess of the Pacific Islands has draped the muu muu, traditional island attire over her shoulders. This doll is decorated with lei of "plumeria," a sweet-scented flower that inhabits the Hawaiian Islands. 
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I have images of all of these Barbies in my Pinterest slide show here: pinterest.com/pin/553379872972821464. I had to scour the Internet and my reference books for information on Hawaiian Barbie over the years, so if you have anything to add – please let me know and I’ll update this post. Thanks dolls!

#HawaiianBarbie #HawaiiBarbie #BarbieCollector #VintageBarbies #ModBarbies #HawaiianFunBarbie #JazzieBarbie #PolynesianBarbie

Hi dolls! Here is some of my collection of Barbies from the 1960s and 1970s. I have blog posts about each one. Just enter their name in the search box to the right. Which are your favorites? Enjoy!

Click here to find your next Mod Barbie doll on eBay!!

#DramaticNewLivingBarbie #DramaticLivingBarbie #Barbie #BarbieDoll #VintageBarbie #ModBarbie #GrowinPrettyHairBarbie #FairHairBarbie #BusyBarbie #StandardBarbie #CanadianBarbie #ItalianBarbie #Sweet16Barbie #QuickCurlBarbie #MissAmericaBarbie #QuickCurlMissAmericaBarbie #FreeMovinBarbie #LiveActionBarbie #TNTBarbie #TwistnTurnBarbie #MarloFlipBarbie #WalkLivelyBarbie #MalibuBarbie #BarbieDoll #BarbieCollector

​I find my Mod Barbies on eBay!

Twist 'n Turn Barbie (#1160), also known as TNT Barbie, debuted in 1967. The 1965 American Girl Barbie doll was the first with bendable legs, but TNT Barbie was the first who could turn at the waist! She was a dynamite addition to the prior static dolls who didn’t twist. A pivoting waist added playtime fun and more pose options. She wore a salmon-colored bikini featuring a groovy net cover-up, and she kept the red fingernail and toenail polish that were a hallmark of earlier Barbie dolls. Check out her 1967 commercial!

In response to rapidly changing styles and ideals of beauty, the Barbie face of 1959 wasn't relevant for the mod fashions dominating the fashion runways. Mattel's designers re-launched Barbie with a brand new look. Now featuring long, rooted eyelashes and a more youthful face, TNT Barbie was given a trendy hairstyle of straight chest-length hair with bangs. TNT Barbie’s new rooted lashes made her eyes as dramatic as those of Twiggy, the famous 60s British model. Mattel also made a Twiggy Barbie doll in 1967, its first doll based on a real person. ​​

The TNT doll's flowing straight locks got a boost in color and, for the first time, her super-shiny hair was given a description. Hair wasn't just blonde, brunette or titian (red). That wasn’t fashion-forward enough for a model! Now her hair came in Sun Kissed (light blonde), Summer Sand (grayish blonde - which I have in my collection, see side photo), Red/Titian (rare), Platinum (rare), Go Go Co Co (brownette), and Chocolate Bon Bon (dark brown).

In an interesting marketing move, Mattel initiated a trade-in promotion for the popular TNT Barbie. Mattel promised children they could exchange any old doll and pay $1.50 to acquire the all-new Twist 'n Turn Barbie. The trade-in dolls (#1162) were identical to regular TNTs, but they sealed in a plastic bag and packaged in a slim pink box.

There's no doubt this was a turning point doll for Mattel. It was a departure from the doll's earlier more staunch, proper look. Pop culture strongly influenced Barbie doll fashions and attitude, which continued throughout Barbie history. The movin' groovin' world of the late '60s, with its mod haircuts, micro-minis, and moon boots, inspired Mattel designers to create a new line of clothes for Barbie and her teenage friends.  
​

• 1967 Twist 'n Turn Barbie #1160
  • NRFB $600 - $875 (blonde + brunette), $1,200 - $1,500 (redhead)
  • Mint/Complete $275 - $375 (blonde + brunette), $450 - $600 (redhead) 
• 1968 Twist 'n Turn Barbie (Trade In) #1160
  • NRFB $475 - $575 (blonde + brunette), $875 - $975 (redhead)
  • Mint/Complete $275 - $375 (blonde + brunette), $450 - $600 (redhead) 

Values from The Complete and Unauthorized Guide to Vintage Barbie Dolls, Hillary Shilkitus James, 2nd Edition, 2011
​​
​Sources: The Best of Barbie, Sharon Korbeck 2001; Barbie Doll Photo Album 1959 to 2009, J. Michael Augustyniak 2010
​
#tntbarbie #tnt #twistnturnbarbie #twistnturn #1967barbie #1968barbie #60sbarbie

​Hi dolls! The newest addition to my Mod Barbie collection is Busy Barbie (#3311) who debuted in 1972; the year maxi dresses, mini skirts, knee socks and patterns happened in a big way!

Her "busy" hands can hold a number of accessories including a phone, record player, color TV, travel case and a soda set of a brown tray with two glasses. Her hands can bend and turn at the wrist, and also grasp and carry. 

While the innovations on this doll were designed to make Barbie more active and powerful, with her gripping hands, she ultimately didn't last long. Production costs were prohibitive, and the doll's joints a bit too fragile to survive a lot of play. Personally, I'm not a fan of the mechanical-looking hands.

Busy Barbie has bendable legs and elbows, a twist-n-turn waist, and painted lashes. She's wearing a blue denim halter top with attached white panties, a patchwork gingham long skirt with a ruffle on the hem, white pilgrim shoes and has a pretty brass barrette in her hair.

Seven Busy Barbie dolls with the holdin' hands feature were released in 1972. There are three talking versions; Talking Busy Barbie #1195, Talking Busy Ken #1196 and Talking Busy Steffie #1186. The four who couldn't talk are Busy Barbie #3311, Busy Ken #3314, Busy Steffie #3312, and Busy Francie #3313. A European Busy Francie was released at the same time, German Busy Francie.

Talking Busy Barbie has short blonde hair and real lashes, not painted lashes like #3311. She wore blue satin hot pants, a red tricot top with a chartreuse belt and knee boots. Talking Busy Steffie said things like, "I dig having my own TV," "The new fashions are wild" and "That music is groovy."  

According to Hillary James, author of The Complete and Unauthorized Guide to Vintage Barbie Dolls (2nd edition,) a Busy Barbie never removed from the box (NRFB) is worth around $475 - $550, mint with no box can garner $275 - $350, and. the average doll, in the range of $175 to $275.

​The latest edition to my Barbie collection! Dressed in a tricot tangerine one-piece swimsuit, the 1977 "Barbie and Her Super Fashion Fireworks" gift set #9805, was a Kresge (Kmart) exclusive. Each pack had four colorful outfits, and with three fashion packs produced, added up to twelve cute outfits. One set included fashions #9552, 9559, 9560 and 9561; a. second set had #9550, 9553, 9556 and 9558., and the third set included #9551, 9554, 9555 and 9557. In 1976, they were called Sweet 16 fashions. 

​She was included in another gift set in 1977, "Barbie doll Plus 3," #9953. Barbie came with three Best Buy fashions, #s 9153, 9160 and 9161.. This was an exclusive set sold at the dime store, Ben Franklin. Who remembers Ben Franklin?! It was the BEST place to score all types of candy!

I'm so excited about the newest Barbie in my collection! I was having a not-so-great week, coming down with pneumonia. To cheer myself up, I looked at Barbies for sale on eBay lol! I came across a beautiful doll that the seller didn't know the name of. I was lucky this Barbie came across my search! I thought she was a perfect Yellowstone Kelley Barbie so I felt I scored, purchasing her for $150. When she arrived, I realized it wasn't Kelley. I blame it on my pneumonia brain, haha! ​

I did some research and discovered that she is a #8587 TNT European Barbie - wow! She was also sold in Canada but the red-haired version was only sold in Europe. I have the red-haired European Barbie (Italy); she looks like a hybrid of Yellowstone Kelley and Malibu Barbie. ​

She has the Stacey head mold, wears a one-piece turquoise swimsuit (the same maillot 1971 Malibu Barbie wears), and bending legs. She was produced in several versions from 1971 - 1976, like this this doll. In 1974, she wore a yellow swimsuit. According to Stefanie Deutsch's book, "Barbie, the First 30 Years," the Barbie I purchased is worth $150 - but this value was given in 2003. I'm hoping she's worth more now! She came in blonde and red hair, the latter being hard-to-find.
​
My doll came dressed in 1975's "A Busy Girl’s Ready-Set-Go Clothes! #7242." According to Mattel, Barbie® doll's bright crayon color mixers included striped tricot halter, long scarf, and knee socks. These pieces accented the woven yellow skirt and jacket with red stitching. The skirt had a yoke at the waist, and the jacket had pocket flaps placed vertically along stitch lines. The bottom was banded. Red woven knickers with an elasticized waist and yellow chunky shoes completed the look.

She KINDA looks like Yellowstone Kelley, right?!

Here she is, Miss America! Naturally, if your career starts as a teenage fashion model, and you're smart and want to make the world a better place - why not showcase those traits in a pageant?! Mattel came out with two different Miss America dolls using Barbie's body and the popular Steffie head mold; 1972 Walk Lively Miss America (#3200) and 1973 Quick Curl Miss America (#8697). You could curl and straighten her hair with the help of a special curling wand, comb and brush. Quick Curl Barbie capitalized on the popularity of hair play in the 70s. 1973 Quick Curl Barbie wears the same fashion as 1972 Walking Miss America but Quick Curl Barbie had painted lashes and Quick Curl hair. Quick Curl Miss America was produced from 1973 to 1979. All Miss America dolls are brunette with the exception of Quick Curl Miss America - the only blonde.

A fun fact... from 1973 on, outfits for Barbie were no longer named. Fashions are now known only by their numbers. Well, that's no fun! Bring back Glimmer Glamour, Intrigue, Movie Groovie, and Stripes are Happening!

Walk Lively Steffie (#1183) is one of three in the Walk Lively series (there was also a Walk Lively Ken and Barbie). The Walk Lively dolls came with a special Walk n' Turn stand which allowed the dolls to move their head and limbs when pushed. Barbie's same-sized friend, Steffie, was introduced in 1972. Steffie used a gorgeous new head mold that would be used for numerous Barbie family dolls over the years.

1972  Brunette Walking Miss America (#3200)

• NRFB $275 - $325 
• Mint/Complete $100 - $150

​1972  Brunette Miss America  - Kellog's Special (#3194)

• NRFB $275 - $325 
• Mint/Complete $100 - $150

1973  Blonde Quick Curl Miss America (#8867)

• NRFB $175 - $225 
• Mint/Complete $75 - $125

1972 Brunette Walk Lively Steffie (#1183)

• NRFB $225 - $300 
• Mint/Complete $75 - $125

Values from The Complete and Unauthorized Guide to Vintage Barbie Dolls, Hillary Shilkitus James, 2nd Edition, 2011
#WalkLivelySteffie #MissAmericaBarbie #QuickCurlBarbie #WalkingMissAmerica #QuickCurlMissAmerica #Steffie

Growin' Pretty Hair Barbie is now with her friends in my collection! I was so excited to win this minty Barbie on eBay for just $95! Isn't she lovely? As a child, the reason I fell in love with Growin’ Pretty Hair Barbie was because I could lengthen or shorten her hair with a little tug! I thought this was ingenious. I also loved my Crissy doll for the same reason – do you remember her?! Growin’ Pretty Hair Barbie #1144 came with cute hairpieces – curls and braids – and accessories to complete her fun look. You could also style her blonde hair yourself with her little hair tools. The 1971 version was blonde with a side part, wore a pink dress and had pink ribbons on her hair accessories. The 1972 Growin' Pretty Hair Barbie wore a peasant / empire dress and the bow on her hairpieces was blue.The latter Barbie is worth more to collectors.

Baby dolls lost their popularity in the early 70s to fashion dolls like Barbie and Dawn. Children loved the hair play options with fashion dolls. Barbie’s retractable ponytail embraced this hair play craze. Aspiring hairstylists loved this Barbie because it provided hours of practice and dozens of hairstyle possibilities. Some children did more than just crimp and curl Barbie’s hair though. Barbie’s life span could be, umm… cut short with a deadly snip of scissors. Uh oh, now a real stylist had to be visited to fix the damage!

It was a great idea for Mattel to sell a Barbie with many hairdo possibilities, rather than the somewhat surrealistic Hair Fair Barbie #4043 issued the same year. Hair Fair wasn’t even a doll! She was a head sold with accompanying wigs and accessories. However, in 1971 Mattel also released Hair Happenin’s Barbie #1174 who had hair options to add to her short, titian (red) hair. This Barbie was different than Barbie with Growin’ Pretty Hair because Hair Happenin’s came with red (titian) mini curls, midi swirls, and a fashion fall. She is considered by collectors as one of the most beautiful , rare and desirable dolls of the Mod Era. She can fetch upwards of $2,000 when Never Removed From Box!

References:
The Best of Barbie: Four Decades of America’s Favorite Doll, Sharon Korbeck (2001)
Barbie: A Rare Beauty, Sandi Holder (2010)
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1971 Growin’ Pretty Hair Barbie - Values: $300 - $375 NRFB; $150 - $225 mint/no box
1972 Growin’ Pretty Hair Barbie - Values: $475 - $550 NRFB; $275 - $350 mint/no box
Values from "Vintage Barbie Dolls" by Hillary Shilkitus James (2011)

Live Action Barbie brings me back to when my mom went to Woodstock. In fact, this Barbie is often referred to as "Woodstock Barbie." I purchased Live Action Christie for just $99 on eBay. Isn't she gorgeous?! I was a little nervous because there was only one fuzzy photo of her on eBay. The seller said she was in very good condition but I'd say she's mint! Her head and hair were wrapped in cellophane and the outfit is perfect and complete. I'd say I scored on this one! 

I've had Live Action P.J. and Live Action Barbie in my collection for a while so they're happy their last sister Christie joined them. Can you say Dance Party?!

Ah, yes. The ever popular question, "How much is my Barbie doll worth"? I once read a Barbie is worth... whatever someone is willing to pay for her!

I'm old school and start my research with Barbie reference books. The book I always reach for first is "Barbie Doll Photo Album - 1959 to 2009 Identification and Values." 

I find it has the best, most professional photographs for easy ID and the Barbie doll values seem comparable to the listings I see on eBay. I'm surprised to see a number of published Barbie ID books to have such out of focus and unprofessional photos. Were they taken with a 70s Polaroid? : )

Another good place to look for #BarbieValues is on eBay. You can "follow" Barbies to find out what they sold for. I set up a daily search so every morning eBay emails me all the new, vintage (wait, is that an oxymoron?!) Barbie listings that meet my criteria. To set up a daily alert, go to eBay.com and in the search bar enter Mod Barbies (or whatever you're looking for). Search results will appear. From there,  in the top right corner, you'll see the word Advanced. Click on it and this is where you enter your search criteria. When done select Search. When your results show, right above the first doll,  select Follow This Search. Then go to My Ebay/Searches You Follow/More Actions/Edit Email Options. Check the box that says, "Email me daily when new items match my search." Voila! It's a fantastic way to start your day with the latest Barbies you covet up for auction!

The Internet posts a plethora of Barbie values as well. A good site is What is it Worth. Earliest Barbies from the late 50s and early 60s are the most valuable, and have shown the greatest value increases over the past 10 years, says a new index launched by justCollecting. 

Most valuable Barbies in the justCollecting Barbie Index
1. Barbie #1 Brunette (1959): $9,000
2. Barbie #1 Blonde (1959): $8,250
3. Barbie #2 Brunette (1959): $8,000 
4. Barbie #2 Blonde (1959): $7,500
5. Roman Holiday Outfit (1959): $5,000

I learn a lot about Mod Barbies and values in Facebook groups such as Groovy Barbie, Crazy for Mod and Barbie & Friends Fashion Doll Guide. Group members share photos and stories, and post Mod Barbies for sale from their personal collections. It's a great forum to discuss our beloved obsession. Um... I mean hobby. : )

Where do you go to find Barbie values? I'd love to hear from you!

xo, Lynne

In 1970, Mattel introduced the first fully posable Barbie doll, Dramatic New Living Barbie. She could tilt her head, bend her knees and elbows, pose her ankles, rotate her wrists, swing her arms and swivel at her waist. She could even do the splits! She was available in blonde, titian red or brunette hair (see below) and wore a beautiful gold and silver metallic one-piece suit with an orange fishnet cover-up. In 1971 "New" was dropped from her name and was shortened to "Dramatic Living Barbie." She was packaged in a new box and came in a polka-dotted swimsuit with a matching wrap. Another difference between the two is that the 1970 doll had side glance eyes whereas the 1971 doll had centered eyes. 
​
Dramatic New Living Barbie's advertisement touted that she "twists left and right and bends at the waist like a willow." Huh? Bends like a tree? No matter, I had hours of fun with these two! She has pretty, extra-long lashes (no falsies here!).

These dolls aren't super-popular with collectors unless it's a Living Barbie produced in Japan rather than Taiwan. I tried reading the stamps on the bums from my collection but my old eyes cannot decipher the small imprint! 

I watched an eBay bid for a Dramatic Living Barbie (1969) today and it sold for $184 NRFB, and another mint/no box 1970 Dramatic Living Barbie which went for $89 - both great deals for the winners!

1970 Dramatic New Living Barbie - Values: $260 NRFB; $120 mint/no box
1970 Dramatic New Living Skipper - Values: $110 NRFB; $60 mint/no box

Values from "Vintage Barbie Dolls" by Hillary Shilkitus James (2011)

Hi Dolls!

I'm just starting out with my Mod Barbie blog and decided to share photos of Barbies in my personal collection and a bit of their history. This post features Twist 'N Turn Barbie #1160. She got a new look in 1969; a new hairstyle, the "Marlo" flip style... a shoulder length flip, inspired by the hit TV show "That Girl" which aired from 1966 to 1971. I remember it being one of my grandma and my favorite TV shows - along with Laugh In! This Barbie is often referred to as TNT Flip or TNT Marlo. She wore a new diamond-print one-piece swimsuit with a yellow collar. Values: $525 - $600 NRFB; $285 - $375 mint/no box; $175 - $300 average

She's wearing Loop Scoop #1454 (1970). This sleeveless, yellow cotton dress features a skirt with colorful rows of braids below the dropped waist. The dress has built-in panties and comes with yellow chunky shoes. This outfit in mint condition is worth $125.

I also have the 2007 Red White 'n Warm Vintage Barbie Reproduction doll which features the TNT Barbie doll with a flip hairstyle. It is a Gold Label Collectible Barbie doll (limited to 11,100 dolls worldwide) from the Vintage Barbie Reproduction Collection. She's wearing a reproduction of the Mod ensemble, Red White 'n Warm #1491 (1969 - 70). It includes a white vinyl coat with faux fur, a fur trimmed hat and white boots w/ gold ankle chains. Underneath it is a sleeveless color block dress in orange and hot pink. The original outfit in mint condition is worth $250.

Barbie's fashions in 1969 were super mod minis, midis and maxis in bright colors and crazy prints. Barbie's wardrobe also fit her friends Christie, Julia and Stacey. 1969 brought Barbie 36 new outfits and 16 that were repeated from 1968.

Values from "Vintage Barbie Dolls" by Hillary Shilkitus James (2011)

It sure can be confusing figuring out Barbie’s genealogy! So I pulled together a list from various sources to come up with a quick cheat sheet of how the Barbie family and friends are related to one another. And if you’re particularly interested in a particular doll, check out the individual tabs under “Barbie & Friends” (coming soon)! Their stories are a work in progress for me but, as I discover more, I will continually add to these pages.

* The year denotes when the doll was created.

Barbie Millicent Roberts (1959) – The first Barbie doll was described as a “Teen Age Fashion Model” and her parents’ names are George and Margaret Roberts. Barbie grew up in fictional Willows, Wisconsin. (I love this little fun fact since I also grew up in Wisconsin!)

Midge Hadley Sherwood (1963) – She was Barbie’s best friend and the third character introduced to the Barbie line, following Barbie and Ken. She was paired with Allan Sherwood, Ken’s best friend, when Allan was introduced in 1964.

Skipper Roberts (1964) – Skipper was the first character added to the line as part of Barbie doll’s family. Skipper is Barbie’s younger sister. Skipper’s best friend’s name was Skooter (1965) and Skipper’s boyfriend was Ricky (1965).

Tutti and Todd Roberts (1965) – Younger twin sister and brother to Barbie and Skipper. Tutti and Todd had a female friend named Chris (1967).

Francie Fairchild (1966) – Francie is Barbie’s cousin. In the March 1966 issue of Barbie Magazine, Francie was the daughter of Claude and Lily Fairchild. Some believe that the Francie doll may have been based on the character “Gidget,” whose real name was Frances Lawrence (sometimes called Francie). Francie was such a smash hit that she led the way for Barbie’s makeover and MOD debut in 1967.

Casey (1967) – The second doll in Francie’s size, Casey, was issued as “Francie’s Fun Friend.”

Twiggy (1967) – Twiggy was based on the famous fashion model, Lesley Hornby Lawson, of the Mod era. Twiggy resembled Casey but with heavier painted-on makeup. The Twiggy doll was made through 1968, and Casey through 1970.

Stacey (1968) – Stacey was Barbie’s “British chum,” part of the new group of Talking dolls in 1968. She was later issued as a Twist ‘N Turn version. These are the only two types of Stacey dolls ever made.

Christie (1968) – Christie was Barbie’s first African-American friend.

P.J. (1969) – P.J. was a friend of Barbie’s and initially marketed as “New ‘N Groovy Talking P.J.” To date, Mattel has declared that the initials P.J. don’t stand for anything, that it is simply the character’s name.

Julia (1969) – She was based on Diahann Carroll’s character from the TV show Julia.

Jamie (1970) – Walking Jamie was a Sears exclusive doll.

Steffie (1972) – She was available as Busy Steffie, Talking Busy Steffie, and Walk Lively Steffie. Though the character was discontinued after only a year, she is notable in that none of the three Steffie dolls featured the same eye color/hair color combination.