Archive for December, 2007

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What is Barbie’s Real Name?

Sunday, December 30th, 2007


Barbie is considered as the world’s best selling fashion doll ever. Since its launch in 1959 by creator Ruth Handler, Barbie continues to be patronized by children and hobbyist following the journey of this most-loved doll of all times.

Unknown to everybody, Barbie’s full name was Barbara Millicent Roberts. The history revealed that Barbie’s parents were George and Margaret Roberts from the fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin. It has been said that Barbie attended her secondary school at Willow High School and Manhattan International High School in New York City, based on the real-life Stuyvesant High School. Barbie’s love interest was Ken Carson, who first appeared in 1961 two years after she was released in the market. A press release from Mattel Company announced the sad news that Barbie and Ken split in February 2004, however, the couple decided to reunite in February 2006.

In further development, not only was Barbie known as a fashion icon, she is also a pet lover. She has over forty pets which include horses, a panda, cats and dogs, a zebra, a lion club, among others. She also has collections of vehicles, a pilot license, which allows her to maneuver commercial airlines.

Meanwhile, Mattel also created several companions of Barbie such as Midge, African, Hispanic Teresa, American Christie and Steven (Christie’s boyfriend). Barbie struck controversies with different countries because of the revealing dress she wore. The distribution of this doll was banned in the Middle East in September 2003.

In general, Barbie doll is part of the American culture. Barbie provides joy and happiness in the eyes of children. To date, Barbie still tops charts in the market. Mattel continue to satisfy their target customers both young and old. Their latest products continue to excite the customer’s worldwide.

For more information and resources about Barbie the ICON check out www.crazyforbarbie.com


Tags: barbie full name, barbies real name
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Barbie Doll Clothes and Accessories

Saturday, December 29th, 2007

You can view some collectible accessories in almost all of the catalogs depicting Barbie dolls that are being sold. Fascination is the name of the game when one is viewing the accessories that have come with her from 1959 to the present time. The initial Barbie in 1959 was dressed in a black and white swimsuit, gold hoop earrings, white sun glasses/blue lenses, and black open toe heels with holes on bottom to fit. One just needs to search for suggestions and recommendations for various Barbie collectible clothing. There are many collectible Barbie clothing and accessories that will surely complete any collection.
A great resource to find clothing and accessories for Barbie is eBay

If one is an avid collector, you should check and verify the originality of the set of clothing and accessories of any Barbie being purchased for your collection. You can verify its preciseness by consulting a catalog to see if this collector item is really an original. Your collectible Barbie Doll is much more valuable if its set of clothing is complete with accessories that it was wearing when it was originally sold and is even more valuable if it is still in the box.

Collectible accessories will increase the worth of your Barbie Doll. Nearly all ladies say that the accessories indeed make the outfit and this is especially true when it pertains to Barbie. Again, if you have doubts as to the originality of the accessories, then you can find many catalogs in the market for sale, which will help you, obtain this information. One of the leading catalogs that serves as a reference to collectible accessories for Barbie is one with full color pictures and illustrations of all clothing and accessories so that when assessing as to whether this is a Vintage doll or not, and if she still has her original clothing and accessories.
It is called Barbie Fashion 1959-1967.


Tags: barbie clothes, barbie clothes patterns, handmade barbie clothes
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Barbie Dream House and Furniture Vintage Commercial

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007

Check out this great video I found on You Tube. It is great!
www.crazyforbarbie.com

Tags: barbie commercial, barbie doll house vintage, barbie vintage commercial, vintage barbie video
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Barbie Coloring Pages

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007

Barbie coloring pages have been around for 45 years. The first Barbie coloring book was released in 1962 by “Whitman”. The book sold for only 29 cents. It contained coloring pages of Barbie and Ken going to church, and singing in the choir. The cover was yellow and it pictured Barbie with a Brunette bubble cut hair style and Ken with blonde hair. There were many other coloring books offered in the 1960’s. Some coloring pages were of Ken and Barbie and many of just Barbie herself. In 1964 the first Barbie coloring book was introduced with pages of Barbie, Ken, and Midge. This book depicted all three on the cover and contained many coloring pages of all three as friends doing many activities together.

A very rare coloring book was called the first Barbie Big Coloring Book with many more pages and showed a more glamorous picture of Barbie and Ken on the cover. This big coloring book sold for 99 cents. There were also color by numbers books depicting Barbie on the cover as a blonde bubble cut and painting a portrait of Ken. This coloring by numbers book contained 38coloring pages, mostly with scenes of Barbie herself and some with Barbie and Ken. One of the coloring pages depicts Barbie lying in her room on the floor listening to 33rpm records and another of the coloring pages shows Barbie and Ken at the school dance.

There a large variety of coloring books available at collectibles shops and from internet auctions such as ebay Barbie has had coloring pages representing her in all eras and from her original days as a ponytail to her more modern teenage look today. Barbie has also had coloring pages as an island princess, as “Rapunzel”, as a fairy, as a “ballerina”, and as a mermaid.

Many scenes of Barbie and some of her friends have been depicted in her coloring pages . Today, there are many different examples of categories’ of coloring pages of Barbie available to color . Many of these coloring pages are free to download on the internet, and fully printable for coloring.
Examples of popular pages include:

Barbie as Rapunzel Coloring Pages
Barbie and friends Coloring Pages
My scene Barbie Coloring Pages
Barbie as a Mermaid Coloring Pages
Barbie as the Island Princess Coloring Pages
Barbie Fairytopia Coloring Pages
Barbie as Sleeping Beauty Coloring Pages
Teen Barbie Coloring Pages
Barbie as a ballerina Coloring Pages

For more information or resources http://www.crazyforbarbie.com

Tags: barbie and friends coloring pages, barbie and ken getting married coloring pages, barbie and the island princess coloring pages, barbie coloring pages, barbie fairytopia coloring pages, barbie mermaid coloring pages, barbie rapunzel coloring pages
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Barbie Doll House Vintage

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007

The first vintage Barbie Doll House dates as far back as the early 1960s. Mattel Corporation released their first Barbie doll house in 1962. This original vintage barbie doll house was a tribute to mid-country style. It was furnished with vintage sleek armless couches and a hi-fi television console for Barbie to enjoy. There were 1960s style indoor rugs and vintage furniture like lamps, tables, and details such as lampshades. The Barbie doll house also contained a 1962 vintage record collection. Here is an example of some of the types music and movies that Barbie might have enjoyed in her Barbie doll house.

If you think you own a vintage Barbie doll house, or are interested in finding the value of one, you should first identify its structure and it Barbie doll house parts to make sure it is vintage in nature.

A great source for identifying your doll house to make sure its vintage and to assess its value is a book called: Barbie Doll House Structure and Furniture by Marl Davidson.

You can find explanations and examples of vintage doll house structures and which furnishings belong to a particular model. This is one of the best and few resources available to help identify your vintage barbie doll house whether purchasing or identifying one as a collector.

Today, the Barbie Doll house has moved away from their vintage country style and have been replaced with a beautiful Victorian doll houses, a trendy ranch style doll house, a three story glamour doll house, and even a studio apartment for Barbie to live. The true vintage Barbie doll house was a design of the times reflecting the cultures and values of a different era. Click here for eBay! to see the variety of vintage Barbie doll houses available.

Vintage Victorian Barbie Dream Doll House Click here for eBay!

The styles of vintage doll houses have changed with the different eras and so did the doll house furniture and decorating themes. Mattel even made all their vintage Barbie doll house wheel chair accessible in 2002. This modification was made originally to accommodate Barbie’s best friend Becky who was bound to a wheelchair. This shows how knowing the historical aspect of different types of structures and designs for different Barbie vintage doll houses can affect the value.

Please visit http://www.crazyforbarbie.com for more information or resources

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/shopping

Tags: barbie doll house vintage, build barbie dollhouse, wooden barbie dollhouse
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wooden barbie dollhouse

Tuesday, December 25th, 2007

When deciding what type of wooden Barbie dollhouse you would like, keep in mind there are four basic types.

1. wooden Barbie dollhouse kits
2. premade wooden Barbie dollhouse
3. handmade wooden Barbie dollhouse
4. dollhouse plans for building your own Barbie wooden dollhouse

Advantages of building your own include:
1. sturdy and long lasting
2. better quality
3. more appealing

There are many dollhouse plans for building your own Barbie sized wooden dollhouse. The typical scale for most wooden barbie dollhouse patterns is 6:1 or 6 inches represents 1 inch. This is the most common scale for Barbie wooden dollhouses. Typical dollhouse scale is 12:1 for other types of dolls but are generally too small for Barbie dolls. Barbie dollhouse furniture can be made or purchased to scale for these Barbie dollhouses.

If you are planning to build a wooden Barbie dollhouse I recommend using an mdf material because its easy to work with and contains smoother edges. Other popular materials include plywood, and birch.

Another technique is to build a barbie dollhouse from a wooden bookcase with rooms already built in as shelves. Some bookcases even have shelf dividers that are adjustable to make your different size rooms. These Barbie Wooden bookshelf dollhouses can be purchased as well but are also somewhat easier to make. You can also purchase Barbie wooden dollhouse kits and premade Barbie wooden Barbie dollhouses. If you are looking for kits search for terms like quick build, premade, Barbie size, wooden dollhouses will help.

You can purchase premade barbie sized dollhouses that range from $200 to $2500 for high quality dollhouses handmade from Baltic birch wood. This is the same material as is used to make high end cabinetry, but yields a durable, high quality, and valuable product for wooden dollhouses on the market. These Barbie size dollhouses can be purchased at doll shops, craft shops.

Whether you build or purchase a high quality wooden Barbie dollhouse, it can be a rewarding piece, both valuable to you and your child.
visit www.crazyforbarbie.com for more information or resources for wooden Barbie dollhouse.

Tags: barbie country wooden dollhouses, barbie doll house vintage, barbie dollhouses for sale, build barbie dollhouse, premade dollhouses, wooden barbie dollhouse, wooden dollhouse kits
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Build Barbie Dollhouse

Tuesday, December 25th, 2007

If you collect Barbie or just have children who enjoy playing with them, to build a Barbie wooden dollhouse can be a gratifying and meaningful experience for you and your loved ones. Hopefully these tips on how to build a Barbie dollhouse will help you with your process.

There are a couple of advantages to building your own Barbie dollhouse. There are many ways to build a Barbie wooden dollhouse of your own.

If you build your own dollhouse you can build it and sturdy enough to accommodate the age of your child and the number of Barbie dolls they typically play with.

This method can also allow you to personally build a design for your Barbie dollhouse that is visually pleasing to yourself and most importantly the ones you build it for.

Ways to Build a Barbie Dollhouse:

  • Build dollhouse from scratch using your own creativity and choice of materials (requires a relative amount of woodworking expertise)
  • Build using Barbie dollhouse plans and materials suggested (must be somewhat versed in woodworking)
  • Have a Barbie Dollhouse custom made for you (usually will build out of wood)

How to build a Barbie dollhouse books and how to guides are available as well as dollhouse furniture and lighting to help enhance your final product. These can be found at collectible stores as well as on the internet (eBay) and will hopefully help you if you decide to build your own Barbie Dollhouse.

Whether you build your own Barbie wooden dollhouse, have one custom made, or build one from a preassembled kit, hopefully these methods will provide you much personal satisfaction and give something for your child to value for years to come.

visit www.crazyforbarbie.com for more information or resources

Tags: barbie doll house vintage, build barbie dollhouse, wooden barbie dollhouse
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8 steps for Collecting Barbie Dolls

Thursday, December 20th, 2007

8 Steps for collecting Barbie Dolls

Step 1
To determine the value of your collectible Barbie doll first examine it carefully and note wear and tear or defects. Remember damage will decrease the value.
Step 2
If you have a collectible Barbie doll has never been removed from the box (NRFB) it carries a much higher value than a collectible Barbie doll that has been removed.
Step 3
A collectible Barbie doll that has been altered or restored may enhance its attractiveness however will be of less value to collectors.
Step 4
The date on your collectible Barbie doll’s abdomen is not the date it was made it is the date the mold was created.
Step 5
The fewer Barbie dolls of a specific type that were made means there is greater value. Collector editions of Barbie dolls are produced in quantities of 35,000 and Limited editions are produced in quantities of less than 35,000. These limited editions are usually of more value as collectibles.
Step 6
If you have the collectible Barbie doll’s original outfit your Barbie doll is of more value wearing it when sold. This is also true for accessories. Accessories will increase the value of your Barbie doll. Click here for Barbie doll accessories Toys & Games
Step 7
Purchase a book that lists current values for collectible Barbie doll. Find your doll in the book and match the condition to the listings to determine value. When looking through a pricing guide use several guides and get the average price to get a realistic value.

Step 8
Compare your collectible Barbie doll with other collectors, collector shows in the area, local stores, auctions, and online searches to get an idea of the value of your Barbie doll. You may want to get your collectible Barbie doll appraised if you are unable to locate it in a pricing guide.

A collectible Barbie doll should be an item you collect because it appeals to you. This is the point where the value of your collectible Barbie doll becomes intangible so even if the worth of your collectible Barbie doll isn’t valuable to the market, the sentimental worth could make it more valuable to you!

for more information or resources visit www.crazyforbarbie.com

Tags: appraising barbie, barbie collecting, barbie collecting value guide, barbie doll price guide, barbie doll values, barbie invented, build barbie dollhouse, collector barbie doll prices, handmade barbie clothes, value of a collectible barbie doll, wooden barbie dollhouse
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Check out some cool Barbie items

Sunday, December 16th, 2007

Barbie is so totally cool…check out these items I found…If you are Barbie collector or wannabe these are must haves!

Go to www.crazyforbarbie.com as a great resource for collecting Barbies

Tags: appraising barbie, barbie collecting, barbie collecting value guide, barbie doll price guide, barbie doll values, barbie invented, build barbie dollhouse, collector barbie doll prices, handmade barbie clothes, value of a collectible barbie doll, wooden barbie dollhou
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Value of Collectible Barbie Doll

Saturday, December 15th, 2007

If you have collectible Barbie Dolls and you are wondering ” what’s their values?” you must first look at their condition. For instance a collectible doll that has never been removed from it’s box (NRFB) is sometimes of more value than a Barbie that has. There several different conditions your Barbie Doll will possess which will help you determine how much value your collectible Barbies are worth. When you look at the Barbie Doll to find its collectible value look at the following scenarios:

Is it NFIB- New found in box? If it is, then it will be in mint condition in the box with all the tags, clothing, accessories and in “store new” condition. This greatly increases their collectible value.

A good resource for more information is www.crazyforbarbie.com

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/reference

Tags: appraising barbie, barbie collecting, barbie collecting value guide, barbie doll price guide, barbie doll values, barbie invented, build barbie dollhouse, collector barbie doll prices, handmade barbie clothes, value of a collectible barbie doll, wooden barbie dollhouse
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