Updated Barbie History

                                   *** A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR ***
I have decided to merge my doll history posts into one big post, so it'll be easier for new readers, enjoy! - JCole

Today we will be talking about Vintage Barbies. There are a few different terms for Barbies 
through the years: Vintage, Mod, 90's and New. Vintage Barbie dolls can be from 1959 to 1966 or 67. The debut doll is the Ponytail Barbie, with her high Ponytail and poodle bangs. A good reference for Vintage and Mod Barbies is vintage and mod barbies
I have found this website extremely useful for information on Vintage or Mod Barbies. Ponytails can be from 1959 to 1964 and are highly coveted by collectors (Not to even start MENTIONING their prices on eBay...) and is very well known in the doll community. They can be Blonde or Brunette. Next up are - Yay! - Bubblecuts! Bubblecuts were sold from 1961 to 1967 (The reason I was so excited is because my grandmother has a Titan/Redhead Bubblecut Barbie from 1964) and were available as a Blonde, Brunette, and Titan. White Ginger, Sable Brown, and Brownette are Rare variations found in these dolls. Some of these dolls have been found in the Bendable Leg Barbie's makeup and head markings. The Bubblecuts with the Bendy-leg Barbie makeup usually look like they have white lipstick on, but dolls with white lips actually had these gorgeous pink lips that have faded to a pearly white over the years. Next is Ponytail Swirl! (In the photo is an Ash, BTW)
 
I honestly would love love LOVE to have one of these (Particularly a Brunette) and they came with either Blond, Brunette, Titan (later red), Ash, Lemon, or Light/Platinum Blond hair. Some Transitional Swirls had the Bendy - Leg Body, Swimsuit, and Box. They were sold in 1964. So, I've been talking about this "Bendable Leg Barbie," so who is she? the Bendy - Leg Barbie, as I like to call her, is almost as fabulous as Swirly-Swirl In my opinion.
 OH MY GOSH I've always loved her hair! And her shoes! And her Swimsuit! Okay, okay, I like the entire doll. The Body most of the time only holds 1 or 2 clicks, instead of the original 3 or 4 clicks. Instead of the hard, plastic joints we're used to today, her legs looked lifelike and just plain COOL. Her hair color/colour was either Brunette, Titan, Blond, Ash, Light, or Yellow. The 1967 Twist 'n' Turn Barbie Trade-in marked the end of the Vintage Barbie era, and the start of a new era of Barbie... The Mod era!

Did you find this useful? I hope you did, and Before I end this post, I DID leave out Miss Barbie and Fashion Queen Barbie, but I focused Mainly on the basic, non-fancy fancy dolls. I'll get to them later.
Photo credit: WWW.invaluable.co.uk and barbielistholland.wordpress.com
Hello again! I've decided that after Barbie, I'll go through dolls such as Fashion Queen and Miss Barbie, and then Barbie's friends and family. (Such as Midge, Skipper, Ken, etc.) If in 1967 while you were watching Saturday morning cartoons, you might have seen this commercial. This is one of my all-time favorite Barbie commercials, I mean, I can quote the entire thing! I love the TNT face mold, and I'll just say right now, if I had one, her nickname would be Firecracker because the abbreviation of Twist 'N Turn is TNT. I'd want a Go-Go Co-Co (A.K.A. Light Brown) hair colored one. The Mattel Barbie Trade-In was a huge success, which some people say is because Maureen McCormick is the little girl in the commercial, and she was later Marcia Brady on a 1960s? TV show called "The Brady Bunch." 
 Here's a Sun-Kissed (Light Blond) Trade-In Barbie. The Trade-In Barbie comes with really everything the normal, full price ($3.00) Barbie came with, except the ankle stand. I think this post has been pretty long, so I'll talk more about these Mod Barbies next time (Hopefully Tuesday) and I'm dying to talk about the 1969 Talking Barbie, but we're still in 1967 =(.
Photo credit: EBay   Video credit: Barbie Collectors (YouTube)

Note: All Barbie dolls that were traded in were given to charity! Pretty cool, right?    
                         Hello again! Today will be a continuation of last weeks post, "MOD'ern Barbies." Last weeks post was about the Mattel Barbie Trade-In. Now we're in 1968, when Firecracker (See last weeks post) got a new outfit.
 See the pic? This is a pretty cute outfit, in my opinion. this is the same box the last one came in if you bought it full price. Instead of the bikini and mesh covering like 1967, she now came in what appears to be a shirt, shorts, and belt. Barbie still came with the ankle stand/"X" stand and hairbow, though it was now pink instead of the orange one she used to come with. Now, my personal favorite Mod Barbie doll, Talking Barbie!
  This is the original Talking Barbie from 1968 and all of her plastic glory. Instead of all of these fancy thingamajigs of today, This Barbie has a pink flower-shaped pull string/cord that activates 7 different sayings. Although there are 7 sayings, I only know 2 and a half, A.K.A I can't remember one. She says stuff like: "Would you like to go shopping?" "Stacy and I are having some tea." and something like "What should I wear to the dance?" That last one is the one I'm not completely sure about. I like how on this doll, her speaker is on her back, instead of nowadays, on the doll's chest or stomach. Although this makes her look better from the front, she may sound "faraway," If that makes any sense.

 This is a prototype, with a clear torso instead of a flesh-tone one.
Photo credit: The-beautiful-world-of-barbie.tumblr.com (Prototype), Fashion Doll Guide (TNT), and Joeslist.com (Brunette Talking Barbie)                                                                        Welcome back, and today I'll be talking about Barbie dolls from the 80's and 90's. These dolls are pretty well known, and marks when Barbie started to turn into the pink, pink, pink doll of today. I actually have a 1997 Dolls of the World Fourth Edition Native American Barbie, A.K.A. Brown Deer or Savannah. I have the entire doll, and almost all of her accessories, excluding her moccasins and stand. I really like the 1980's/90's articulation, although most of the time the hips are loose and the knees don't hold all 4 clicks.there is a few different types of 90's Barbie body. I really don't like the "Articulated" body, because the joints are super loose, like, 90% of the time, and the legs are prone to break! (in my experience)

Down below is the other 90's Barbie doll I own (excluding the outfit and accessories) and from her left knee to her foot is missing!! Brown Deer has much better articulation, at the neck, shoulders, waist, hips, and knees. Her right hip is fairly tight, where her left is a little loose, but her knees hold 3 of 4 clicks, which is not that common, as most of these rubber click-legged dolls only hold 1 or 2 clicks. It is actually pretty rare to find a played-with doll who's legs hold all 4 clicks. Sometimes never removed from box dolls still don't hold all clicks. Okay, I admit it, Brown Deer's knees originally held all 4 clicks, but she's been played with! Also, about 99% of 80's/90's Barbie dolls are BEACH dolls. A bit annoying, yes, but some actually have cool features, such as UV rays change her hair color! I found this pretty cool.
Well, I'm going to end this post here, and I hope you enjoyed this post.   'til Next Time!  - JCole
Photo credit: The Barbie Collection and Pintrest