John Mowatt asked:


he first Barbie doll was shown at the New York toy fair. Billed as “New For ‘59,The Barbie Doll:A Shapely Teenage Fashion Model Price $3.00.” Thus was born the Barbie doll phenomenon which is certainly one of the greatest success stories in toy manufacturing. Prior to Barbie nearly all children’s dolls were child dolls rather than adult figures. Barbie changed all this.

In 1945 Elliot and Ruth Handler formed a partnership with Harold Matson to manufacture picture frames. The two names Matson and Elliot were combined to form the company name Mattel. Elliot used the picture frame wood scrap to make doll house furniture. This was the start of the Handler furniture business.

About this time Ruth noticed that her daughter Barbara and friends preferred to play with adult paper dolls rather than child or baby dolls. The girls preferred a doll which could be their role model when they grew up. Ruth realised that there could be big commercial possibilities in the adult doll market. She discussed the idea with her husband but he felt that it would be too expensive to start making the dolls.

Soon after this Ruth made a trip to Germany and purchased a doll called Lilli. This adult type doll was based on a German comic strip. On returning to the USA she began work to redesign the doll working with a doll clothes designer. The barbie doll was the result and it was named after Ruth’s daughter Barbara. The doll was patented by Mattel in 1958 and introduced in 1959. She was to become one of the most well known and well loved toys ever made.

Barbie soon became a collectors doll and was avidly sought after by adult collectors. From 1959 to 1972 the Barbie doll had seven distinct changes in her appearance and design. These Barbies made up to 1972 are recognised as vintage collectible dolls by their fans and are eagerly sought after. The 1959 Barbie doll in mint condition will sell for thousands of dollars. Some have sold for as much as $8000 to $10,000 but you can buy them for much less and $2000 to $3000 is quite common. Later editions fetch proportionately less. Dolls made in the 1969 to 1972 period can often be bought for a few dollars. Garage sales and flea markets are still the source of a few early dolls. About 300,000 of the 1959 Barbie were made and there are undoubtedly many out there still undiscovered.



Tina
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yoohoomagoo asked:


i got some old dolls from my grandma. there is a name on the side of the box that says Shackman in new york, ny but they were made in Japan. the year is 1957 &1958. does anyone have suggestions on how to find more information on these dolls. i have googled in just about everything i can think of with no luck. thank you for any help.

Leroy
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Bracelets for Reborn Baby Dolls

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jhon gill asked:


Reborn baby dolls are fast becoming collectible items. People like collecting them for hobby’s sake. Even those foster mummies who buy such baby dolls for purely practical reasons, i-e. to learn to take care of a baby before they actually get one of their own human babies, like to keep these reborn baby dolls as collectibles. These dolls do not just come with a pair of clothes that they are attired in, a diaper, baby blanket in beautiful shades, but, accessories like bracelets and ear-rings, also.

The bracelets for reborn baby dolls vary in quality depending on their money value. They can be even made of faux diamonds which can give a very glamorous look. The doll wearing such a bracelet would attract not just admiring glances but comments also. The bracelets can also be made of plastic beads, etc. The manufacturers make it clear in their reborn baby dolls’ specifications whether such bracelets are completely hypoallergenic or not. Mostly accessories like every thing about the baby dolls are friendly to all sorts of people but one is well advised to check on it beforehand.

Some foster mummies are very particular about how their reborn baby dolls look. They can then go for a number of fancy bracelets to match the various outfits of the dolls. The bracelets can even complement mummy’s own jewelry or outfit.One can get custom made jewelry also according to one’s specifications .Some bracelets have the name of the reborn baby doll’s engraved on them which adds to their attraction. The most popular one’s are heart charm name bracelets.

Reborn baby doll’s bracelets do not harm any part of their bodies whether it’s the wrists or any other part. The hands contain fine glass granules therefore, need special care. Overall the doll’s body is made of soft material and vinyl. The wrist is of realistic width. As the reborn baby doll’s body is jointed, the bracelets look especially beautiful.

Popular websites which offer attractive and competitive bargain are eBay and Amazon among others. So go ahead and purchase a reborn baby doll alongwith it’s accessories like bracelets, etc .



Nellie
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10 Facts About Collecting Barbie Dolls

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John Mowatt asked:


lls are the most famous doll ever made. Here are some facts about her near fifty year career.

1. Barbie will be half a century old in the year 2009. She was introduced in 1959 at the New York toy fair. Barbie #1 wore a zebra striped one piece swimsuit,high heeled,open toe,shoes and had either blonde or brunette hair.

2. Barbie was named after Barbara Handler,the daughter of Ruth handler. The Matell company,which makes Barbie dolls,was founded in 1945 by Elliot and Ruth Handler in partnership with Harold Matson. The name Matell is a combination of the names Matson and Elliot.

3. Barbie has had over 80 careers. The first was as a teenage fashion model. She has had military careers in the Marine corps,airforce and navy. She has been an astronaut,a lawyer a doctor and a rock star. She was a candidate for the presidency of the USA in 1992 and again a candidate in the year 2000.

4. Barbie is a global phenomenon and is sold in over 100 different nations. Total sales are about $1.5 billion dollars per year. Mattel estimates two Barbie dolls sold somewhere every second of every day.

5. Mattel is a major clothing manufacturer based on the quantity of clothing the company makes for Barbie and her friends and associates. Over 105 million yards of material have been used over the years just to make clothes for these dolls.

6. The first Barbie dolls were made in Japan. On the bottom of the right foot they are marked Made In Japan. Later editions were made in Korea. These carry the copyright marks on the back of the doll.

7. Matell estimates that there are over 100,000 adult Barbie doll collectors. The majority of these are women averaging 40 years of age. They each purchase at least 20 Barbies per annum. More than half of them spend over $1000 per year on their collection.

8. Matell has made nearly one billion different fashion outfits for Barbie and her associates. They have also made more than one billion pairs of shoes.

9. Barbie has had high fashion clothes designed for her by famous designers including Versace,Gucci and Givenchy. Her military uniforms were approved by the Pentagon before going into production.

10. The first Barbie doll made in 1959 sold for $3 and about 350,000 were sold. To jump to modern times,now the market for Barbie is $1.5 billion dollars per annum.

Barbie will soon be 50 years old and she sure looks young for her age? Where will she go from here? We will have to wait and see but I wouldn,t bet on her demise any time soon.



Nicholas
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Daniel Sitar asked:


The Pussycat Dolls Ringtones are some of the hottest ringtones in America. Learn how to download The Pussycat Dolls Ringtones including the I Hate This Part Ringtone.

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The Pussycat Dolls is an American pop girl group, and dance ensemble founded by choreographer Robin Antin. The group originated in 1995 as a burlesque troupe based in Los Angeles. After attracting the attention of many high profile celebrities such as Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera and Johnny Depp, the group eventually negotiated a record deal with Interscope Records in 2003, and was re-cast as a music group, comprising lead singer Nicole Scherzinger, Melody Thornton, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta, Kimberly Wyatt, and Carmit Bachar. The Pussycat Dolls achieved worldwide success in 2005 with their album PCD, which debuted at number five on the U.S Billboard 200 Chart, and produced the hits “Don’t Cha”, “Buttons”, and “Stickwitu”, the latter of which earned the group a Grammy Award nomination. Following the departure of Bachar, the group continued as a quintet, and in 2008, released their second studio album Doll Domination, which included the hits “When I Grow Up” and “I Hate This Part”.

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Pussycat Dolls Ringtones are some of the most popular ringtones in the world right now and I Hate This Part is currently one of the hottest tracks in North America. If you want to download the I Hate This Part Ringtone by The Pussycat Dolls or other Pussycat Dolls Ringtones, simply click on the link below and choose your mobile carrier. You will then be required to enter your phone number and confirm the PIN number sent to your phone as a text message. After signing up you will be able to download the I Hate This Part Ringtone instantly and get bonus Pussycat Dolls Ringtones for your mobile phone. Click on the link below to download Pussycat Dolls Ringtones now:

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Leon
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Ashley D asked:


I heard about a place in America where they take your character and make it into a soft doll. (Think Ugly Dolls). I want to have them manufactured in America. Any ideas on the name of this place?

Georgia
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Clothes for Reborn Baby Dolls

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jhon gill asked:


Reborn Baby Dolls are life like dolls which need clothes and stuff that a real baby/human baby requires. There are three categories of women who can enjoy dressing up a reborn baby doll: first-time expectant mothers, women who want to do it just for experience’s sake and finally women whose children are grown-up and they want to relive the whole process even if only in a while.

The clothes line includes all sorts of clothes depending on the area the reborn baby doll is supposed to represent. Say, if she is from Japan, her clothes will include baby kimonos, the Japanese tunics, blouses, and sandals and, of course, a parasol to shade her beautiful skin from the harsh rays of sun. An American reborn baby doll will have jumpers, swimsuits, party-dresses, stocking, cardigans, pajamas, frocks, skirts, blouses, tunics, etc.

The interesting factor about the clothes for reborn baby dolls is that most clothes can fit a human baby also. A reborn baby doll normally inveighs between 4 to 6 pounds, and it’s standard length is between 18 to 22 inches. Once can, however, get custom made reborn baby dolls also. The clothes for such baby dolls are made of the standard baby fabrics. The stitching is done on realistic basis. The manner of putting on and taking off the clothes is identical to a human baby’s clothes. In fact it not be amiss to mention over here that a doll’s and a real baby’s clothes can be interchangeable in most cases giving them(the clothes)a unique distinction of convenience .The foster mummies can get as much practice as needed by putting and taking the baby doll’s clothes.

Further more, foster mummies can learn how to care for the clothes. There are various stages involved in dressing up a baby. A mummy has to first decide which colors suit her baby the most keeping in mind the complexion, baby’s hair shade and the color of his or her eyes. Next comes what kind of clothes is suitable for different seasons. Once that is decided too, comes the stage of putting on and taking off the clothes, washing them, ironing them and finally arranging them in cupboards. One has to decide how much space will be needed to accommodate them. An expectant mother can even order custom made furniture like cupboards, hangers, etc. for her future baby.

As mentioned above, the washing and ironing part of the clothes demands practice and experience. It is also interesting and fun. A foster mummy belonging to either of three categories mentioned in the beginning of the article, can derive a lot of pleasure out of the act and yet perfect the art of washing and ironing the clothes for her reborn baby doll. She will learn how much time is needed for different clothes; what to do if the buttons come off, etc.



Diana
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iamhappyandsmiley asked:


My 13 year old daughter happens to love dressing up dolls on the internet. What is a good website for her.

Frederick
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myshell74 asked:


Theres not a great selection on ebay- I dont want dolls that are in good shape, this is a new hobby Id like to start and I dont want to damage any dolls that are in good condition.I will still pay shipping and handling along with a reasonable price if I think I can repair them. Thankyou!

Fernando
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Reborn Boy Baby Dolls

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jhon gill asked:


The word doll is normally associated with a female human figure of a child. Reborn baby dolls, however, come in boy dolls also. The reborn boy doll’s body like that of a girl dolls is filled with verging fiber. There are baby fat granules in feet. Hands have got fine grass granules and heads contain fiber fill. The eyes of male reborn baby dolls are as attractive and luminous as that of a girl provided the manufactured want opened.

A reborn boy baby doll can give the same aesthetic pleasure to it’s owner, mostly a foster mummy, as a female child reborn doll. He will be wearing a beautiful and attractive baby suit normally in boy colors, i.e. blue, purple, green, and occasionally the flashy red. He will also come wearing a beautiful pair of booties to complement his dress. The color of the booties will again match his dress. There’s no harm if he wears frilled socks which normally reborn girl baby cloths do, to give a dressy look.

There are toys especially made for reborn boy baby dolls to decorate his room. For couples planning to have their own babies, the same toys can be used by their own real babies. A boy doll will have matching bed-linen which his foster mummy chooses with great care and love.

A reborn boy baby doll will, of course not have as long hair as his female counterpart, but, nevertheless it should be shampooed and conditioned with the prescribed products.

Reborn baby dolls whether male or female are given attractive names by their manufacturers. The foster mummies or parents can name them differently if they want to.

Reborn boy baby dolls like the girl dolls, normally weigh any where between 4 to 5 pounds and their length can sometimes even go up to 22 inches. Once can have custom made reborn boy baby dolls with specifications, even by giving one’s childhood’s picture to resemble the owner.

There are web sites auctioning reborn boy baby dolls and the two most famous are eBay and Amazon. The buyer must check prices and make an intelligent bargain.



Rick
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