Barbie Girl

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.

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What would Barbie be, if not on the forefront of style and fashion?  For this reason, it is not surprising that the year 2005 saw the advent of the Fashion Fever Barbie.  Clad in the latest styles, and even hinting at coming runway sensations, this collection of dolls models a large number of accessories in differing styles and materials.  At the heart of the latest Barbie debut are Barbie, Kayla, Drew, and Teresa. As a matter of fact, Fashion fever was Mattel’s replacement of the Fashion Avenue doll collection, which was all the rage in 2004. 

The Fashion Fever dolls and accessories began to be released to the public in late 2004, but they are considered for all intents and purposes to be a 2005 phenomenon. Cleverly, the manufacturers released the new collection in stages, common referred to as “waves.” While the indomitable quartet is at the heart of this new line of Barbies, other dolls have been added during the different waves; in addition to Barbie, Kayla, Drew, and Teresa, there are also Gillian, Courtney, Kurt and Kira.

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Customizing Barbies is a mixture of vision, art, painstaking work, and clever display.  Why some collectors just flip over customized Barbies may be hard to understand until you realize what all goes into the process itself.  For those who turn up their noses at these dolls, the usual rationale is that they are little more than a played with doll, where the adult collectors did a bit of hairstyling, added a new dress, and maybe added some accessories from a different doll.  While in essence this may be correct, it is also a much too simplistic view of the entire process, and should not be mistaken for such.

As a matter of fact, customizing Barbie dolls is serious business!   Just take a look at the steps that are quite often involved.

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Who is Barbie?  Sure, you know that she is considered a cultural icon, that she has shaped fashions just as she has imitated them, and you may also know that she has come under quite a bit of fire in modern times.  How did this doll – which has a figure that defies the laws of gravity and nature – capture the hearts and minds of generations of girls?  How did Barbie manage to have so many accessories created just for her? 

Here is a look at Barbie from the beginning – a brief bio of this cultural icon!

Barbie was first born on March 9, 1959.  Her role in the doll line-up of the time was that of a teenage fashion doll.

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If you collect modern Barbie Dolls, you have thousands of choices.   First you need to learn a bit about the Barbie Collectible business.  In the past Barbie Collectibles were sold as Limited Edition or Collectors Edition product lines.  In 2004 Mattel created a “tier structure” to identify Barbie dolls that will be collectible.  The structure is as follows:

Platinum: Platinum Label Barbie dolls are produced in quantities of less than 1000.

Gold: Gold Label Barbie dolls are produced in quantities of less than 25,000 worldwide.

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Barbie clothes can get expensive.  If you are not a collector who is picky about purchasing Mattel brand items, sewing your Barbie’s clothes can save you a bundle of money.

To make Barbie clothes, you need to first make or buy a pattern, and then you can choose any material you like to make the clothing.  Her wardrobe will grow and you can have more fun dressing up Barbie- your sewing options:

1. Buy patterns for Barbie clothes at a local sewing/hobby shop or online.

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Barbie has not lost her popularity over the years and neither has a little girl’s love for a birthday party.  A great idea or a birthday party is the combination of the two.  A Barbie themed party is an easy and fun way for your daughter and her friends to celebrate.  With these winning ways to plan a Barbie birthday party, you can not go wrong.

Of course pink goes along with a Barbie birthday party, it is her signature color.  Every Barbie birthday party needs plenty of pink decorations.  Using the following ideas you can have a pretty in pink party that is still durable enough for young girls. Everything on the table should keep in the Barbie theme, shades of pink.  The decorations are practical and easy to clean up. 

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