Barbie … please come home

  • Wednesday, October 17, 2001 9:00pm
  • Business

Associated Press

NEW YORK — She was so pretty — so slender, so poised, her hair in a perfect blond ponytail. Or maybe she was a redhead with a bubble cut hairdo. Then one day she disappeared.

And now you want your Barbie back. You decide to keep searching until you find her.

That’s how the baby boomer quest for Barbie begins. Not the dolls on the shelf at Toys R Us or Wal-Mart, but the long-lost Barbies that some boomers would love to find again. The quest often takes them to antique dealers, doll fairs and Internet auction sites.

Dealers say it’s all about seeking the comforts of a simpler time.

"We have a lot of women who had them and who are rekindling their childhood," said Deanna Overdorf, a Barbie collector who also sells vintage dolls in her Adrian, Mich.-based business, D’s Dolls.

That’s helped drive up prices for older Barbies. Dolls that date back to 1959, Barbie’s first year, and the 1960s can run into the thousands of dollars.

It’s not just Barbie that boomers seek, there’s a big market for other vintage toys including GI Joe and other action figures, Matchbox and other miniature cars and board games.

But Barbie probably tugs on heartstrings more than any other toy. Boomer mothers, who have bought multiple Barbies for their children, are a big reason why the doll brings in $1.5 billion a year in revenue for Mattel Inc.

Many female boomers want to replace dolls that, like their brothers’ comic books, were tossed into the trash or sold at garage sales, Overdorf said.

For some, getting a replacement Barbie can become something very symbolic. Overdorf said of one of her customers, "Her psychiatrist told her to get the doll she had played with when she was young."

Boomers tend to look for dolls exactly like the ones they had as kids, said Sandi Holder, owner of Doll Attic, a store in Union City, Calif. So if a woman had a Barbie with a blond ponytail or one with a brunette bubble cut, that’s the doll she’ll seek.

Depending on when the doll was made, its condition and how many are still in existence, that could be pricey.

Collectors look for Barbies and accessories of the highest quality, those that have never been removed from the box or that are free of wear and tear. These items can command prices in three, four and sometimes five figures.

But Holder said that doesn’t faze customers looking for replacement Barbies.

"They usually know what they’re looking for, and they’re accustomed to hearing the prices," she said, noting that she’s sold a first-issue mint Barbie still in the box for over $10,000.

Holder was drawn to Barbie collecting for the same reason as many of her customers: "My mom tossed my Barbie, and I wanted to pass it to my daughters."

Some boomers might want to look for Barbie clones, dolls brought out over the years by Mattel competitors who tried and failed to outdo her.

If you still have your Barbie, but it’s showing the effects of having been slept with or used to bash your little brother, you might want to consider taking it to a doll hospital or a dealer who knows how to restore Barbies.

Some dealers say the economy has affected the Barbie business as well as collecting in general, but the demand for the dolls is still very good.

Jo Styers, a collector and dealer in Newton, N.C., reported her sales aren’t as robust as they were a few years ago. But, she said of business, "It goes on all the time."

Styers said she has between 4,000 and 5,000 Barbies — an easy total to achieve given the fact that as the doll’s popularity has grown Mattel has turned out hundreds of variations on Barbie.

That’s made Barbie a vastly different plaything today than 40 years ago. While the average boomer girl had one, maybe two Barbies, little girls now are likely to have Barbies running into the double digits.

"My niece is 4 and she has at least 30," Overdorf said.

Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Business

A closing sign hangs above the entrance of the Big Lots at Evergreen and Madison on Monday, July 22, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Big Lots announces it will shutter Everett and Lynnwood stores

The Marysville store will remain open for now. The retailer reported declining sales in the first quarter of the year.

George Montemor poses for a photo in front of his office in Lynnwood, Washington on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.  (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Despite high mortgage rates, Snohomish County home market still competitive

Snohomish County homes priced from $550K to $850K are pulling in multiple offers and selling quickly.

Henry M. Jackson High School’s robotic team, Jack in the Bot, shake hands at the 2024 Indiana Robotics Invitational.(Henry M. Jackson High School)
Mill Creek robotics team — Jack in the Bot — wins big

Henry M. Jackson High School students took first place at the Indiana Robotic Invitational for the second year in a row.

The computer science and robotics and artificial intelligence department faculty includes (left to right) faculty department head Allison Obourn; Dean Carey Schroyer; Ishaani Priyadarshini; ROBAI department head Sirine Maalej and Charlene Lugli. PHOTO: Arutyun Sargsyan / Edmonds College.
Edmonds College to offer 2 new four-year degree programs

The college is accepting applications for bachelor programs in computer science as well as robotics and artificial intelligence.

FILE — Boeing 737 MAX8 airplanes on the assembly line at the Boeing plant in Renton, Wash., on March 27, 2019. Boeing said on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, that it was shaking up the leadership in its commercial airplanes unit after a harrowing incident last month during which a piece fell off a 737 Max 9 jet in flight. (Ruth Fremson/The New York Times)
Federal judge rejects Boeing’s guilty plea related to 737 Max crashes

The plea agreement included a fine of up to $487 million and three years of probation.

Neetha Hsu practices a command with Marley, left, and Andie Holsten practices with Oshie, right, during a puppy training class at The Everett Zoom Room in Everett, Washington on Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Tricks of the trade: New Everett dog training gym is a people-pleaser

Everett Zoom Room offers training for puppies, dogs and their owners: “We don’t train dogs, we train the people who love them.”

Andy Bronson/ The Herald 

Everett mayor Ray Stephenson looks over the city on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2015 in Everett, Wa. Stephanson sees  Utah’s “housing first” model – dealing with homelessness first before tackling related issues – is one Everett and Snohomish County should adopt.

Local:issuesStephanson

Shot on: 1/5/16
Economic Alliance taps former Everett mayor as CEO

Ray Stephanson will serve as the interim leader of the Snohomish County group.

Molbak's Garden + Home in Woodinville, Washington will close on Jan. 28. (Photo courtesy of Molbak's)
After tumultuous year, Molbak’s is being demolished in Woodinville

The beloved garden store closed in January. And a fundraising initiative to revitalize the space fell short.

Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin, Advanced Manufacturing Skills Center executive director Larry Cluphf, Boeing Director of manufacturing and safety Cameron Myers, Edmonds College President Amit Singh, U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, and Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, July 2 celebrating the opening of a new fuselage training lab at Paine Field. Credit: Arutyun Sargsyan / Edmonds College
‘Magic happens’: Paine Field aerospace center dedicates new hands-on lab

Last month, Edmonds College officials cut the ribbon on a new training lab — a section of a 12-ton Boeing 767 tanker.

Gov. Jay Inslee presents CEO Fredrik Hellstrom with the Swedish flag during a grand opening ceremony for Sweden-based Echandia on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Swedish battery maker opens first U.S. facility in Marysville

Echandia’s marine battery systems power everything from tug boats to passenger and car ferries.

Helion Energy CEO and co-founder David Kirtley talks to Governor Jay Inslee about Trenta, Helion’s 6th fusion prototype, during a tour of their facility on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
State grants Everett-based Helion a fusion energy license

The permit allows Helion to use radioactive materials to operate the company’s fusion generator.

People walk past the new J.sweets storefront in Alderwood Mall on Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Japanese-style sweets shop to open in Lynnwood

J. Sweets, offering traditional Japanese and western style treats opens, could open by early August at the Alderwood mall.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.