Collectible Facts about Ponytail Barbie
Are you the proud owner of a Ponytail Barbie? If you have come by a doll either as a gift, or simply because you had the good fortune of receiving one as a gift, you are probably wondering exactly what kind of Ponytail Barbie you might have added to your collection. Serious collectors have a number of pointers they employ to accurately date their dolls, and to also ascertain what the value of any given doll may be.
Here are some collectible facts about your Ponytail Barbie. Unless you have received a reproduction, you most likely will have received one of six possible variations of this coveted doll.
Take a good look at the fine print on the package. Does it read something like this: Barbie/©1958, 1993/Mattel? If you answer with a resounding yes, then you have sadly received a remake – or reproduction – of an original Ponytail Barbie.
A number one Ponytail Barbie is fairly easy to recognize; the doll should have the highly arched eyebrows that were so fashionable back in the late 1950s, bright white irises, and a filled in (not hollow) body. The doll’s hair should be blonde or brunette. In addition to the foregoing, the skin color of this doll is a fashionable pale white. The legs will have tubing inside, and there may very well be very subtle holes in the doll’s feet. An accessory you will always find on a number one Ponytail Barbie is her black and white striped swimsuit. If you have the good fortune of actually having received the doll together with its original packaging, take a look at the fine print on the package. If it reads “Barbie™/Pats.Pend./©MCMLVIII†you are home free, and it is confirmed that you have a number one.
A number two Ponytail Barbie is a slight variant of the number one; the one determining factor is that her legs do not contain the tubing, and that her feet are devoid of any holes.
If this still does not adequately describe your Ponytail Barbie, take another look at her eyes. Are her irises blue? Are her eyebrows not arched, but instead delicately curved? If so, the odds are fairly good that you are looking at a number three Ponytail Barbie.
A number four Ponytail Barbie may be instantly recognized by her tanned skin and blue eyeliner. Barbie has now entered the time frame when tanning became a national obsession, and Barbie was no exception from the craze. In addition to the foregoing, the material used for these dolls was able to retain the original color better, and hence the body color would not have the washed out appearance its predecessors sometimes showcased.
At this point in the collectible fact game it gets a bit dicey. You might be looking at a number five Ponytail Barbie if the doll’s body is hollow. If you have the packaging, take a look at the fine print. If it reads “Barbie® /Pats.Pend./©MCMLVIIIâ€, this will confirm that you are looking at a number five doll. It is also important to note that the number five model is the first Ponytail Barbie to have titian red hair!
A number six Ponytail Barbie is differentiated by being a doll that has a hollow body, wears a red swimsuit, and might also have red hair.
Do you ever wonder what your dolls might be worth?
A confirmed number one Ponytail Barbie – depending of course on the shape it is in and whether or not it was ever removed from its original box – with blonde hair has sold for as much as $7,500, while a brunette has sold for $8,500!
A number three doll may be sold anywhere from $1,200 to $1,500.
A confirmed number four, Ponytail Barbie may be worth as much as $1,000!
If you have a number five doll with red hair, this doll may be worth $800. If you have a number five doll with blonde or brunette hair, you might still have a collectible worth about $700.
Last but not least, a number six doll may be worth anywhere from $550 to $600.
So go ahead and give your dolls a once over. You might be surprised to see what valuable collectibles you have sitting on your shelves!
