Barbie
Barbie :
In 1958, Barbie Millicent Roberts was born - 11 1/2 inches tall and weighing 11 ounces. She debuted as a teenage model in a black and white striped swimsuit that came with sunglasses, high-heeled shoes, and gold-coloured hoop earrings. Her body was shapely with a movable head, arms and legs. Barbie was the first doll in America with an adult body.
Part of Barbie's appeal was the fact that she was different than any other doll on the market (in the 1950's, the large majority of toys for little girls were baby dolls). Dolls such as Betsy Wetsy and Chatty Cathy were designed to teach girls the skills required for being a mother, whereas Barbie offered a more beautiful, glamorous and fashionable future for them!
Barbies and their outfits changed with the fashions of the times, they've even recently changed their body shapes slightly in response to pressure from groups claiming Barbie's unrealistic proportions were partly to blame for the increase of teenage anorexia.
In the last few years, Mattel even produced versions of Barbie in a line of 'good jobs' (doctor, teacher, vet) in order to be a little more P.C. and perhaps try to shed Barbie's 'bimbo' image. Barbie is still seriously out of proportion though and is still just as fashionable, changeable and glamourous.
Barbie is incredibly popular today and is probably the best known doll in the world.
Larah Wylde
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Barbie doll My Scene Kennedy BNIB with accessories
£7.99
Barbie > Contemporary Children's
Barbie doll My Scene Westley BNIB with accessories
£7.99
Barbie > Contemporary Children's
BARBIE INTERACTIVE PRINCESS GENEVIEVE LET'S DANCE DOLL
£29.99
Barbie > Contemporary Children's
Barbie Dolls
£5.00
Barbie > Contemporary Children's
BARBIE SHELLY DOLL, CLOTHES & ACCESSORIES
£3.32
Barbie > Contemporary Children's
..BARBIE DOLL..BLAINE DOLL..BOXED..CALAFORNIA BOY
£4.95
Barbie > Vintage (Pre-1976)
Original 1966 mickey mouse barbie doll original clothes
£15.00
Barbie > Vintage (Pre-1976)- View all items on eBay
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Also remembered...
Mork and Mindy dolls were part of the merchandising from the TV show Mork and Mindy starring the great Robin Williams.
Mindy had the red shirt and blue jeans and Mork was in his famous red outfit with the silver triangle on his chest. Mork also sported a silver back pack that when you pulled the cord would say all of the famous 'Mork-isms'.
...and do you remember these?
- James Bond Lotus Esprit
- Knitting Jenny
- Kellogg's collectables
- Charlie's Angels Dolls
- Care Bear Cousins
- 255 Computer Command
- Mighty Max
- Boris the Spider
- Tub Town
- Slush Puppy Drink Machine
Comments
The greatest girls toy of all time, and its still thriving today, its all small girls want, Barbies, they are miniture dolls and you can buy houses, furniture, dresses and a whole family for Barbie aswel, there are so many things available and has been the number one selling christmas gift for girls for many years now.
Rach 16-Dec-2004, 03:49:33 PM
Much of my childhood was spent playing with Barbies, and I had different kinds of dolls including Tropical Barbie, Dream Glow Barbie, Barbie and the Rockers, California Dream Barbie, Skipper...yet I really had no Ken except for one brief moment when I got him for Christmas or my birthday when I was 7 or 8, but he didn't even last for a week when I forced him to do the splits!
MLP 13-Mar-2005, 11:34:50 PM
Loved playing with my Barbies! I recent rescued from the neighbors trash a circa 1978ish A Frame Dream House. It is in 3 pieces and is yellow,white and reddish-orange. I don't know anything about it it was after my Barbie days were over that it came out... No furniture but all the windows are there and doors. I was so excited that I found it. My 3 year old was too only she didn't realize exactly what it was til the next day! LOL!
andrea 03-Apr-2005, 06:40:32 AM
what can I say? Barbie was my life! I still have all my original barbies and their original clothes. I am now 29 and I would'nt trade them for the world
Megan 20-Apr-2005, 03:16:12 AM
Ooh, I had SO many barbie dolls, Ken dolls, Stacy dolls, even an aladin and Jasmin doll! I used 2 sit there playin with them EVERY DAY 4 HOURS!! Iz it me or Do all the betta barbie dolls cum out just as we're gettin older??
Nicky 01-Aug-2005, 12:38:01 PM
i had a three storier barbie house wen i was about 6 and cant find any more like it can any one eles
leanna ward 04-Jan-2006, 07:52:01 PM
i might upset someone here but i was more of a sindy doll fan myself . the first one i got was the sindy ballerina the first fully poseable body you would hear a terrible clicking noise if you tried to pose her legs .! she came with a posing stand not the barre one
chelle 16-Mar-2006, 01:13:01 AM
I loved Barbie when i was little. I used to play with her for ages and ages and she always used to get up to naughty things with Ken! Did anyone know that Barbie now comes with proper eyelashes - not just drawn on ones?!
Robsy 16-Mar-2006, 05:25:11 PM
I had nearly every thing barbie and sindy. Houses, cars, campers, shops, cafes. I had at least forty dolls plus kens and pauls. When I was naugty I had a toy taken away, for what seemed forever. My brother loosened a piece of floor board (we had to lift up the carpet) and i hid my best dolls in there. Just in case mum ever took the best ones away. He had one in his room too.
DYR 07-Jun-2006, 07:28:01 AM
i had 2 dolls when i was little one was of pocahontas and one was i don't know who she was but i called her muffin my mum was alway mufin cring in the wood then poca would cum to the resues sometimes i'd put an old sock over her legs and she'd be a mermaid then i cut all her hair off she was never the same then i cried
laura 07-Jun-2006, 07:37:20 AM
I loved Barbie. My 10th b-day was Barbie and that was B4 Barbie was available in plates, hats & table cloths. So my mom did the scratch thing which was taking the pics & rubbing the back of them onto the table cloths and she put stickers on the party hats. I still have the letter my mom wrote to Mattel asking why that stuff wasn't available. So I like to think I was the 1st. I had the barbies, houses, cars, furniture, books & magazines. At the age of 11, I found 4 records of Barbie. I can't play them anymore because record players are extinct but I keep them. I wrote to Mattel (also have that letter) where it states that only a few were produced back in 1981. Haven't seen any of those around anywhere. Surprising with the # of people that collect Barbie memorabilia.
yvonne 10-Aug-2006, 03:50:44 PM
I had, and still have my barbies...and most of the assesories. I had dr barbie and basketball ken, had a styling hair barbie, ice skating barbie, pet sitter courtney, skipper, kelly, a dog, a cat, the horse, and the aladin and jasmine barbie-with the magic carpet that still plays music. remember when barbies came with a wedding ring?
Courtney 06-Dec-2006, 05:09:40 AM
My sister had quite a few of these, with lots of accessories. She had a white Ferrari which she once pushed down our stairs on a Christmas morning & claimed it was Ken's fault because he had no knee joints! We might have still have some in the attic, my sister moved on to spending most of money on clothes & make up.
Richard Davies 30-Dec-2006, 10:24:00 AM
my memory of barbies is my sister i was born in 1983 so she had those dolls and when i was older gave me a few and i prefer the older version of barbie and friends i dont like how they are now. yes im 23 and i still collect barbies ive loads of skipper courtney nikki and stacie whitney and janet!!! there is one set i want and i must of lost if over the years and that was a perfume set with barbie whitney and ken. i loved them, oh the good old times lol
gemma 27-Mar-2007, 11:35:50 AM
I remember when i used to play with babrie when i was 14, she was my best friend
Sam 20-Apr-2007, 08:53:23 AM
I remember getting them all set up with elaborate story lines and outfits and hairdos to match. Just when we'd get them all set up it would take forever...well we'd get bored and move on. We did play barbies for hours. I always wanted a big dream house and never got one. I tried to construct my own out of cardboard and wood paneling and they would always fall apart. I remember making furniture out of wood scraps my dad had and old thread holders became tables. I wasn't poor my parents just did not indulge me so I had to use my imagination. It was such a bummer! I would go to friend's houses that had the dream house with the elevator that pulled with a thin kite string looking mechanism and I thought that was the cat's pajamas! Too cool. I used to play with a girl I did not even like because she had this house! I love Barbie and my first daughter liked her but did not looooove her so now I am glad my littlest is really starting to dig her! Yeah I get to relive my childhood but this time I'm getting my dream house....I mean shes getting a dream house!
Kaylynn 13-Jun-2007, 04:14:00 AM
I wasn't into dolls that much and only had one Barbie which I preferred to throw into buckets of water in 'diving competitions' than dress up to the nines, but my friend had the big six storey house with about 16 Barbies and 10 Kens. The thing was half the size of her entire bedroom!
vic 07-Jul-2007, 10:39:55 AM
Together with my sister, we had quite a barbie collection. I remember the camper van she used to have - a big yellow one. And the clothes... OH! THE CLOTHES!!!!!!! LOL
Jacamanda 01-Jan-2008, 07:35:55 PM
I had a Pink n Pretty Barbie (1983).
:-)
frosthf 12-Mar-2008, 05:55:55 PM
When I was little I loved Barbie, but now I don't really like her, she's unrealistic and a bit bimbo-ish. But ah, the memories!
AnythingButOrdinary7 13-Apr-2008, 04:39:11 PM
I was more into Sindy, but I think that was my Mum's doing. I was really facinated by Barbie, so asked for a Crystal Barbie for my birthday, which I got - loved that doll.
sandie76 29-Dec-2009, 11:43:09 PM