Barbie doll : Barbie dolls ID (II)

Another Barbie dolls Identification:

1963 Fashion Queen Barbie

Molded painted head, blue cellophane band on head, 3 wigs on wig stand, one piece gold and white striped swimsuit and head scarf.

Includes Midge 1962/Barbie 1958 markings on hip of lower back

1963 Midge

Blonde, Brunette or Red flip with bangs hairdo.

1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, straight legs, freckles, two piece swimsuit color coordinated depending on hair color.

Midge 1962/Barbie 1958 markings on hip of lower back.

1965 Barbie(American Girl)

Brunette, Blonde, or Redhead

1965, 1966, 1967 all similar with variations in hair colors, hair length, & lips colors, one piece multicolor striped top and solid teal bottom. 1958 Mattel, Inc. US Patented US Pat Pend, later issues Made in Japan.

1966 Francie Straight leg

1966, 1967, 1968, Blonde or brunette long straight hair with bangs, painted eyelashes, brown eyes, straight legs, 2 piece red & white swimsuit. Made in Japan

1967 Twiggy

1967, 1968 blonde short hair, rooted eyelashes, heavy painted lower lashes and makeup, rooted upper eyelashes, blue eyes, twist waist, bendable legs, yellow striped mini dress, boots. Made in Japan

1968 Twist Stacey

Blonde or Redhead long straight hair tied back into tail with red ribbon, spitcurls at ears and forehead, rooted eyelashes, blue eyes, molded teeth, bendable legs, twist waist, red one piece swimsuit. Made in Japan

1969 Talking Julia

Straight short dark brown hair, rooted eyelashes, brown eyes, bendable knees, pull string in back torso for talker, gold & silver jumpsuit. Made in Mexico

Resources : Barbie & Friend ID guide by Denise Davidson (www.dolls4play.com)

Barbie doll : Barbie dolls ID (I)

This Barbie doll identification guide is intended to be used as a QUICK REFERENCE guide only. It includes a sampling of the many Barbie dolls and family made by Mattel before 1976. The photographs include close up head shots, so you may identify your Barbie doll is and approximately what year she was manufactured.

In most cases, the Barbie doll name, hair colors, eye color, original outfit and country of manufacture are given. This is not include all of the markings available on each Barbie doll, since the year on the back of the doll is the date of patent/copyright registration, NOT the year of manufacture. This is the most confusing issue to anyone trying to identify the year their Barbie doll was made. The following is a list of countries in which dolls were typically manufactured for those years:

* 1959 - 1972 ..Japan

* 1968 - 1970, 1989 - 1990 ..Mexico

* 1970 - 1987 ..Hong Kong

* 1970 - 1987 .. Taiwan

* 1973 - 1978 ..Korea

* 1978 - 1988 ..Philippines

* 1986 to present ..China

* 1986 to present ..Malaysia

* 1992 to present ..Indonesia

Below the identification of some Barbie dolls:

1959 Barbie

Brunette or Blonde Ponytail

White Irises, Pointed eyebrows, Round holes in feet with metal cylinders for posing stand, red lips,black & white striped swimsuit, solid vinyl body, body often fades to white.

Includes Roman Numeral markings on hip of lower back Barbie doll.

1960 Barbie

Brunette or Blonde Ponytail

Blue irises, curved eyebrows, most have brown/rose eyeliner & some have blue eyeliner, red lips, black & white striped swimsuit, solid vinyl body, body often fades to white.

Includes Roman Numeral markings on hip of lower back barbie doll

Resources : Barbie & Friend ID guide by Denise Davidson (www.dolls4play.com)

Barbie dolls Vs Bratz dolls

Barbie doll History

Barbie was launched in 1958 made by Mattel inc, Ruth Handler is regarded as Barbies original creator. The Barbie doll was then named after her daughter Barbara. The Barbie Doll made its debut in 1959 at the American International Toy Fair in New York. For complete story you can read Barbie History

Bratz doll History

Bratz was launched in June 2001, Bratz was created by Carter Bryant an ex-employee of Mattel made by MGA Entertaiment inc. In the first 5 years Bratz went on to sell 2 Billion Bratz Products. A toy analyst in 2006 indicated that Bratz had taken a 40% share of the fashion doll market, leaving Barbie with the other 60%.

Mattel claims that since the Bratz were launched in 2001, Larian has hired away at least 25 of its employees. Mattel first sued doll designer Carter Bryant in 2004, claiming he created the Bratz while working for them. Larian countersued, alleging that the world's largest toymaker copied the Bratz look when it subsequently overhauled Barbie doll

Mattel says all Bratz models infringe by using the original head and face 'sculpt' from drawings found by the jury to belong to Mattel. 'Future damages' weren't sought in the earlier phases of the trial.

Mattel convinced the jury the Bratz name and characters were conceived by a staff designer, Carter Bryant, who took his work to Van Nuys, California-based MGA while still at Mattel.

In September, MGA's majority owner, Isaac Larian, rejected sharing Bratz revenue with Mattel as a way to settle the dispute.

Mattel inc after a four-year legal dispute with MGA Entertainment Inc., touted its win in the case on 3 Dec 2008 after a federal judge banned MGA from making and selling Bratz dolls

U.S. District Judge Stephen Larson allowed MGA to wait until the holiday season ends to remove the toys from store shelves but MGA must immediately stop manufacturing Bratz.

MGA planned to immediately appeal the judge's injunction, Chief Executive Isaac Larian said in a written statement. So we just wait the final decision for this.

No.1 Hot Toys 2008 : Barbie doll

Top toys survey from The National Retail Federation's 2008 said that Rank No.1 on the list of hot toys for holidays was Barbie dolls for girls and video games for boys. Barbie doll tops the National Retail Federation's list of the top gifts parents are buying their daughters this year, as she has since 2004. Barbie doll, the fashion doll introduced in 1959, has remained an icon and the kind of girl young ladies want to dress up and parade around the dream house. She also represents a resurgence in popularity of classic toys. In what could be the worst holiday shopping season for retailers in decades because of financial crisis, there’s one thing that’s still sure to sell: Barbie dolls.

It’s the old standby from Mattel that debuted nearly 50 years ago that has made the top of this year’s top toys for girls list while Hannah Montana and High School Musical of Disney fame rank second and eighth respectively on the top of the toy list this year, so again my favorite Barbie doll still No.1 gift parents are buying for their girls on this Christmas.

50th Birthday of Barbie Dolls

Much more than a doll, Barbie doll continues to be a symbol of cultural relevance, continually evolving with women and girls of all ages. Next year 2009 our favourite doll is celebrating her 50th Birthday party and is doing so in true style. To celebrate the big day, Mattel which makes Barbie dolls, have revealed their fashionable plans for the Barbie doll. Mattel will develop the label with designers Jeremy Scott and Vera Wang complete with a cosmetics range and a glamorous catwalk show at New York fashion week in February .

Vera Wang is creating a wedding gown for the Barbie doll special birthday collection, while Jeremy Scott has designed a high-end capsule wardrobe. The 50th birthday of Barbie doll will celebrate with gorgeous and glamorous party, so don’t miss it.

Happy 50^th Birthday Barbie !!!

How much is my Barbie dolls worth?

You can determine your Barbie dolls value by follow this guide

• Check the condition of your Barbie doll, note any damaged or defect because it’s will decrease their value.
• Find out their history, and related items or accessories like dollhouses, clothes, handbag, glasses etc.
• Mint in Box (MIB) or never removed from box (NRFB) sometimes has higher value, if your doll does not have the box their value can be deduct 50% at minimum.
• Get reference from many site such as book collection guide, local stores, internet
• You can also research doll values at doll shows, live auctions, and at web sites selling dolls

For the Barbie doll condition you also can use C grading system as follow C-1 for very poor Barbie dolls and C-10 for Barbie doll factory fresh, NRFB or MIB with all tags, accessories and original clothing, never played with and without flaws. Most doll collectors are looking for dolls in the C-8 to C-10 range. C-8 is for Barbie doll not mint, but very close--maybe handled a few times, dressed and undressed, but with original hairstyle, all-original fresh face-paint and original clothing, and no flaws!. Deduct value accordingly if your doll is C-7 (your Barbie doll still all-original, but has definitely been played with; not fresh and crisp) or below. This the few guide that you can use for determine the value of your Barbie dolls but sometimes your Barbie dolls collection can be had intangible value because of some reason. Even your Barbie doll don’t have market value, the sentimental worth could make it more valuable to you.

Barbie Games : Barbie and The Magic Pegasus

The story of this Barbie games begins in The Cloud Kingdom, where Barbie as Princess Annika and her family reign. Princess Annika's parents has been turned to stone by the evil wizard Wenlock. To break the spell, Princess Annika goes on a quest to forge a powerful Wand of Light which involves finding three things: a measure of courage, a ring of love, and a gem of ice. Joined by Brietta the Pegasus and her pet Shiver an adorable little polar bear cub, Annika ventures into the Forbidden Forest, flies to mountaintop glaciers, and explores ice caverns to find the items needed to create the Wand of Light.

Same as Barbie Games Rapunzel in this games Annika is periodically stymied by logic puzzles (including mazes, jigsaw puzzles, and matching tiles) the player must solve, but before really getting in to the adventure first you must find Shiver, Barbie's polar bear cub sidekick and practice jumping, flying and ice skating.

The first puzzle is in the Forbidden Forest a dark and scary place. Here the first puzzle is a matching game that is relatively complex. Another puzzle in this chapter is like a computerized jigsaw puzzle.

The most innovative puzzle in this Barbie games appears when Annika needs to traverse the kitchen table of a sleeping giant. Players must think about the colossal food items as tools and recognize that Annika can scramble up giant carrots to cross planks and use stacked bread slices as stairs

Overall, this Barbie games are quite easy and appropriate for children ages 5-6 and perhaps 7.

System requirement :

Pentium®III(or equivalent) 450 MHz or faster; 300 MB hard drive space 24X speed CD-ROM drive; 128 MB RAM; 16-bit color @ 800X600 resolution; DirectX® 9.0 or highter; 32 MB 3D video card with DirectX® 9.0 or higher compatible driver; DirectX®-compatible sound card

Publisher : Vivendi Universal Games

Released : 20 Sept 2005

Barbie Games : Barbie As Rapunzel

The background for this Barbie games is on the Masquerade Ball, time for all of the kingdom's people to get together and celebrate what they are thankful for. The favorite day of the year because of all the beautiful masks, gowns, make-up and decorations. But when an Gothel evil spell has cursed her kingdom and her beloved Prince Stefan with scatter the gems from Price Stefan’s royal crown throughout the castle and garden, the worst of all it’s turn the Prince to stone and hides him deep in the Garden Maze. Instead of Rapunzel being rescued by a prince, in this Barbie games, Rapunzel and her purple dragon friend Penelope rescues the prince charming. Barbie Rapunzel seeks the players' help in redecorating the castle in time for the masquerade ball and find missing magic gems to restore the prince.

Using Magic Paints Box, animated stickers and sparkles, girls will redecorate all of the castle's rooms including the Ball Room, Royal Gardens, Grand Entrance and more through a drag-and-drop interface where various objects and materials are dragged to the place you want them to go.

The evil spell is broken once the castle rooms are transformed, the hidden gems are found and Prince Stefan is brought back to life. Finally, girls help Rapunzel dress for the Masquerade Ball, escorting her to the enchanting event for a "happily ever after."

The 8 magical adventures games in this Barbie games are :

Magical Mosaics - Make a colorful mosaic for the Grand Foyer

Design a Throne - Design new thrones for Rapunzel and Prince Stefan

Rugs of Royalty - Craft an amazing rug design for the dining room

Magical Masquerade - Fashion Rapunzel's mask for the Masquerade Ball

Princess Paintings - Create stunning animated paintings

Flower Fantasy - Produce beautiful flowers and plant them in the Royal Garden

Princess Dress-up - Help Rapunzel dress for the Masquerade Ball

Garden Maze - Guide Rapunzel through the maze to bring the prince back to life

In addition to the active play mode, there's a passive storybook mode. This Barbie games teaches early reading skills to young children.

System Requirements for this Barbie Games : Windows® 98/2000/ME/XP Pentium® 266 MHz or faster; 16X CD-ROM Drive; 175 MB hard drive space; 64 MB RAM; 16 bit color; 640x480 resolution; Windows® compatible sound card; QuickTime® 5.0.2; mouse

Publisher : Vivendi Universal Games

Released : 15 Nov 2002

Barbie doll : Pink, Silver, Gold and Platinum Label

Barbie dolls collectibles have become an international phenomenon. They have been featured in various magazine, newsletter, club and convention for over four decade. Collecting Barbie dolls can be a lot of fun. Barbie doll has developed from a teenage fashion dolls into a trend-setter, fashion adventurer and become the most collectible doll in the world. For maintain their success and base on input from Barbie Collector Advisory Panel, dolls dealers and collector interaction on convention Barbie Collectibles has formally announced the new changes for collectible Barbie dolls. New packaging is on the way as well as as the limited philosophy for the Barbie dolls. And also Mattel has changed the description for Barbie collecting line from “Collectible” to “Collector” Barbie dolls. Another major change will be on the Barbie dolls from “Collector Edition” or “Limited Edition” become four tiered structure which will organize the collecting of the Barbie doll during the release process. This change makes good sense, and will help all collectors be on the "same page" when they purchase a doll. The Barbie Collectibles staff explain “our new label colors are our way of segmenting our collectible dolls and communicating to you where they might be found”

1. The Pink Label
The first tier is Pink. Pink Label Barbie dolls packaging is a box with a clear front trimmed in pink, which makes a nice display for NRFB (never removed from box) dolls.. The Pink Label dolls will not be limited in production numbers. And this can be make the Barbie considered not a special Barbie dolls because can be purchaced at Walmart or Target and does not make the ‘hunt’ for this Barbie dolls as difficult. These suitable for the beginner collector and gives them a chance to start Barbie dolls collecting. The Pink Label will includes Barbie dolls The Princess Collection, 2008 holiday Barbie dolls

2. The Silver Label
The Silver Label Barbie doll is limited to no more than 50,000 pieces created worldwide, and packaged in a silver-trimmed "reveal" package, known as a "new version of the "cake box package," which features a closed box with a beautiful doll photo or other artwork on the cover, ideal for NRFB collectors. The silver tier Barbie dolls includes the Queen of Hearth Barbie, Flintstone Wilma and Betty Barbie dolls

3. The Gold Label
Next, The Gold Label tier is limited to no more than 25,000 pieces created worldwide, so when collecting this dolls you know that there are very few out there and you definetly have something special. Gold Label Barbie dolls come in a "cake box" type package just like the Silver Label Barbie dolls, complete with the acetate layer to protect the dolls and the easel-style display packaging, and with the artistic interpretive photography or other artwork on the gold-trimmed packaging lid and back. Gold Label Barbie dolls includes Ferrari Barbie doll, Campus Sweethearth Barbie dolls. You can find Gold Label Barbie dolls at authorized Barbie doll dealers as well as at fine retailers.

4. The Platinum Label
The last tier is the very limited Platinum Label Barbie dolls. These dolls are produced in editions of less than 1,000 worldwide that why the price can be very expensive like example I love Lucy Ethel Mertz Santa Barbie Platinum label at amazon market the price until $1749, so you can imagine the value of Barbie dolls right now from the price $3 for the first Barbie doll now become more than $ 1000 for some of Platinum label Barbie dolls.

The transition from Collector and Limited editions to the new tier will transition slowly throughout 2004 and by 2005, all Barbie dolls will be classifed using the Pink Label, Silver Label, Gold Label, or Platinum Label designations.

How to collect Barbie dolls

Some idea for determine how to collect Barbie dolls

In recent years Mattel has sold a wide range of Barbie, you have a lot of choices for Barbie dolls but in the other side that can make you confuse to build a wonderful Barbie collection. Here are a few idea you can use for determining your Barbie collection.

1. Collecting Barbie doll by Themes

The first idea is to base your collection on a theme.

Popular theme for Barbie dolls includes

• Movie : Barbie and the Diamond Castle, Batman, James Bond
• Celebrity Barbie : Barbie as I Love Lucy
• Vintage Reproduction
• Historical
• Barbie Holiday
• Barbie Princess
• 
  

2. Collecting Barbie doll by Label

Pink label : Holiday Barbie Dolls 2008

Silver label : Super Girl Barbie Doll

Gold label : Campus Sweethearth Fashion Barbie Doll

Platinum label : I Love Lucy Ethel Mertz Santa

3. Collecting Barbie doll with or without box

Most collector who collect Barbie dolls collect boxed Barbies because a collectible doll that never been removed from it’s box (NRFB) is sometimes more value than a Barbie dolls that has. But you must consider also the display space you’ll save.

4. Collecting Barbie Fashion doll

Actually this is same as idea no 1 but now we only collecting the fashion theme Barbie Dolls. Fashion-themed dolls include dolls made to represent a designer or model like Christian Dior Barbie, Vera Wang, Nolan Miller Barbie, Kimora Lee Simmons.

5. Collecting Barbie by Hair model or color.

We can build our Barbie dolls collection based on something simple such as hair color or hair model. There are Blonde Barbie dolls, Brunnete Barbie dolls, Ponytail Barbie dolls.

These idea only the small idea of possibilities for Barbie dolls collecting. Maybe you have your own a unique way that you collect Barbie dolls.

Barbie Movie : Barbie in a Christmas Carol (2008)

Director : William Lau

Writers : Kevin Van Hook

Released date : 4 November 2008 (USA)

The special Barbie movie for Christmas holiday, in this movie Charles Dickens gets a Barbie makeover in this fashion-forward adaptation of a Christmas Carol. On Christmas Eve, Barbie tells Kelly the story of a girl named Eden Starling, a glamorous singing diva of a theatre in Victorian London who owns a theater and doesn't believe in Christmas, demanding theater star bent on forcing her staff to rehearse on Christmas. Luckily, three helpful spirits visit the diva to show her the true meaning of the season, and just in time! Barbie tells Kelly this story in order to teach her about the spirit of giving. This fun update of a Christmas classic includes a soundtrack of favorite carols.

Barbie Movie : Barbie and The Diamond Castle (2008)

Director : Gino Nichele

Writers : Elana Lesser (screenwriter)

Cliff Rubby (Screenwriter)

Release Date : 9 September 2008 (USA)

Cast : Kelly Sheridan …….. Barbie / Liana (voice)

Melissa Lyons …..... Barbie / Liana (singing song)

Cassidy Ladden …... Teresa / Alexa (voice)

Chantal Strand ……..Stacie (voice)

Maryke Hendrikse …Melody (voice)

Lara Janine ……….. Melody (singing song)

The story in this Barbie movie is about Liana and Alexa, two best friends who shared everything including their love of music. One day their simple lives change when they are given an enchanted mirror. As they clean the mirror and sing, a musical muse named Melody appears in the mirror's surface. Melody tells the girls about the secret of the Diamond Castle, which is the home of all music, and where three musical muses once resided until one evil muse, Lydia, tried to take the castle for herself. Sh

e failed, but turned the other muses to stone. To save their new friend Melody from the mirror, Liana and Alexa embark on a dangerous journey to the hidden Diamond Castle first to get the other muses instruments to free the two other muses and to banish Lydia. That journey will put their friendship to the test. Along their way, Liana and Alexa find two puppies and decide to keep them and they also make new friends including two identical twin brothers Jeremy and Ian, who also have a love of music, through the power of song and with the companionship of two adorable puppies, the girls face their challenges together and learn that friendship is the true treasure.

Barbie Movie : Barbie Mariposa (2008)

Director : Conrad Helten

Writer : Elise Allen (written by)

Release Date : 26 February 2008 (USA)

Cast:

Alistair Abell … Lord Gastrous (voice)

Kathleen Barr … Rayna (voice)

Alessandro Juliani … Prince Carlos (voice)

David Kaye … Royal Guard (voice)

Terry Klassen … Skeezite #1

Erin Mathews … Rayla (voice)

Nicole Oliver … Henna (voice)

Kelly Sheridan … Elina (voice)

Tabitha St. Germain … Willa / Coral / Plutterpixie (voice)

Lee Tockar … Bibble / Skeezite #2

Cathy Weseluck … Zinzie / Dizzle / Fairy Speck (voice)

Chiara Zanni … Mariposa (voice)

In this Barbie movie Elina, heroine of the Fairytopia films tells her friend Bibble the story of Flutterfield, a faraway kingdom populated by fairies with butterfly wings. Flutterfield is protected by the Queen's glimmering magical flower lights, but when the Queen is poisoned by the evil fairy Henna, the special lights begin to go out one by one. These lights protect Flutterfield from the "Skeezites", monsters who eat butterfly fairies, and are connected to the life of Flutterfield's Queen Marabella. Because of that Mariposa, beautiful butterfly fairy who loves to read and dream about the world outside of Flutterfield with some unlikely help from her attitude-laden employers Rayna and Rayla as well as her friend Willa and a little bunny fairy named Zinzie, must bravely confront her own self-doubt as well as the Skeezites and other dangers in order to save Flutterfield and its Queen

Mariposa, translates to 'Butterfly' in Spanish is shown the bearer of a character very different from most of the other butterfly fairies of Flutterfield. While the rest of the land is happy to forget the world outside the last light of Flutterfield, Mariposa loves to imagine the wide world she has not seen

Throughout the journey to find the antidote required to save the Queen, Mariposa displays sensibility and knowledge.When they are faced by Skezites, she comes up with the brilliant plan of carrying flowers over their heads, so that the Skezites smell these instead of the three butterfly fairies.

Mariposa has a very special relationship with Prince Carlos - the Queen's son and heir to the throne - during the movie. They share a number of interests and, in their first meeting, find that they have been reading and enjoying the same book.