What Are the Values of Holiday Barbie Dolls?
Barbie dolls have been a fascination with young collectors for many decades. When Holiday Barbies were introduced in 1988, it gave children and collectors something new to anticipate each year. The Holiday Barbie dolls have grown in value through the years, with some years being more valuable than others and highly sought after by the dolls’ avid collectors.
What Are the Values of Holiday Barbie Dolls?
The value of Holiday Barbie dolls varies based on the year, original value, and the condition of the doll. If a Barbie doll has never been removed from the original packaging, it adds more to the value. The original dolls from 1988 can hold a value of up to $750 while dolls from the late 1990s and newer are usually valued around their original cost of around $75 to $100.
How Many Versions of Holiday Barbie Are There?
Since the original Holiday Barbie was released in 1988, there has been a new Holiday Barbie released every year. The gown that she wears each holiday season changes and has been anything from red to royal red accented with white and gold to silver. In 2004 and 2005, there were two versions of Holiday Barbie released, with one of them being a rare limited edition both years.
What Are Other Versions of Barbie dolls that Hold Value?
The highest price on record that a Barbie sold for was $302,500. This doll was a specially designed doll made with the purpose of raising funds for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The original blonde Barbie that was released in 1959 has an estimated value upward of $23,000 while other limited releases, such as Chicago Cubs Barbie, are valued at around $2,000. Some of the other special releases that are valued about $2,000 are Sparkle Beach Barbie released in 1995, Gold Jubilee Barbie, and Winter Glamour White Barbie.
Who Manufactures Barbie Dolls?
Toy company Mattel is the manufacturer of Barbie dolls. The company was founded by Ruth and Elliot Handler, and Ruth Handler was the creator of the Barbie doll. The company started in a garage in 1945. By 1948, the company established its headquarters in Los Angeles, California, where it is still located today.
History of Barbie
Mattel that manufactured the doll, which came from an idea Ruth Handler had after watching her daughter, Barbara, spend hours playing with her paper dolls. She wanted to make a three-dimensional doll for girls to have fun with and live out their dreams. The first Barbie doll was released in 1959 and named after Ruth’s daughter.
Since 1959, Barbie dolls have been released in an array of fashions, including career wear, sportswear, gowns, and special holiday and anniversary editions. Barbie has donned outfits from more than 180 different careers.
Barbies have taken some heat through the years for her beauty and flawless figure. In a positive light, this doll has inspired so many children to follow their dreams. Dolls such as Firefighter Barbie, Astronaut Barbie, and Pilot Barbie display encouragement that children can be anything they choose.
Other Varieties of Barbie
Along with a Holiday Barbie being released each year, a 30th anniversary Pink Jubilee Barbie was introduced in 1989 and then every five years following. In 2019, 60th anniversary Barbie was released in two different versions, with each of them wearing a beautiful, sparkling silver gown.
For sports enthusiasts, Barbie is available as a soccer player, baseball player, gymnast, tennis coach, and more. Besides the doll, there are many accessories to outfit a Barbie doll, dream house to play in, and car to drive around.
