BARBIE HISTORY

 Barbie was born in 1959, when her mass-production officially began. Her birthday is on the 9th of march, as she was introduced to the buyers on the 1959 Toy Fair on that day.

But of course, she didn't just come out of the blue. This is her story:

1945- Mattel was founded by Harold Mattson (Matt) and Ruth and Elliot (El) Handler. They started with producing gift items and via costume jewelry they ended up at gift items and dollhouse furniture. The toy company was born, producing mainly toy guns and musical toys.

Ruth saw her daughter playing with paper fashion dolls and came up with the idea to produce a 3D version of this wonderful toy.

1956- Switzerland- Ruth finds Lilli in Lucerne. Lilli was created by the German Greiner & Hausser company after a comic strip from Reinhard Beuthin in the German newspaper 'Bild Zeitung'. This cartoon featured a blonde bombshell who was always after wealthy men. She was offered in an 11 1/2" and a 7" size.

After Mattel bought the rights to produce such a fashion doll in the U.S., they went into business with the Kokusai Boeki company with as subcontractor Pony ltd. in Japan.

Now it was time to dress the famous fashion model and give her a decent wardrobe, Charlotte Johnson was the first ever designer for Barbie doll.

Ruth and Elliot Handler had a daughter named Barbara (Barbie, Babs were her nicknames) and a son named Kenneth (Ken). Barbie was named after Barbara, because she was the inspiration for creating the doll. Ken was of course named after Kenneth.
 

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Angelic Dreamz, Inc.™
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ABOUT BARBIE COLLECTIBLES

Barbie Collectibles and Barbie Designer Dolls
Barbie collectibles have become an international phenomenon. They have been featured in various magazines, newsletters, clubs, and conventions for over four decades. In fact, Barbie is known as "the most collectible doll in the world." Through the years, Barbie has developed from a teenage fashion model into a trend-setter and fashion adventurer. From her creation in 1959, Barbie has continued to inspire and captivate the hearts of children and adult collectors alike. Here at Angelic Dreamz, we carry a fine collection of platinum, gold, silver, and pink label Barbies, as well as retired Barbies that are very rare and difficult to find.

Types of Barbie Collectibles and Barbie Designer Dolls
Barbie collectibles are separated into four major categories, including Pink Label, Silver Label, Gold Label, and Platinum Label Barbies. Pink Label Barbies include beloved keepsake dolls and are packaged in a pink trimmed box. Pink Label Barbies are available at quality retailers and are not limited in production numbers. Examples of Pink Label Barbies include the "I Love Lucy" celebrity doll and the Princess Collection Barbie Dolls.

Silver Label Barbies are packaged in a silver trimmed box, known as the "cake box package." Only 50,000 types of each doll in this category can be made worldwide and they are only available at select retailers. Gold Label Barbies come in a gold "cake box package" and are even more difficult to find. Only 25,000 of each Gold Label doll can be created. They are distributed through fine retailers and authorized Barbie doll dealers. Platinum Label Barbies are extremely rare since only 1,000 dolls in each edition are produced worldwide. Platinum Label Barbies include one-of-a-kind dolls such as the Bob Mackie OOAK doll.

Since Angelic Dreamz caries such an extensive collection of Barbie Collectibles, sorting through doll choices can be overwhelming. We recommend visitors to look at the Barbie Index to discover what collections are available, when particular Barbies were made, and which collections are in stock. Designer collection Barbies are very popular on the site including Bob Mackie, Cynthia Rowley, Juicy Couture, Escada, Vera Wang, Givenchy, and Ralph Lauren dolls. Barbie collections are constantly being updated on the Angelic Dreamz site, so visitors can continue to check the site to find their desired Barbie collector's items.
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