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The Barbie® Collecting Start Page

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Latest Articles

Collectible Barbie Dolls at Toy Fair 2005
In 2005, the Barbie Collector line of dolls has a focus on fashion and some beautiful dolls. See my top 10 favorites from Toy Fair 2005

A Guide To Barbie Tiers and Packaging
What does pink, silver, gold and platinum mean, plus more on Barbie tiers and packaging

Ways To Collect Modern Barbie Dolls
So many Barbie dolls!  How to make sense of it all--ways to figure out what to collect.


Before You Buy Large Size Fashion Dolls  
Is it time to move beyond Barbie?  If so, you'll want to check out my 2003 update on this popular guide.

Top Ten 2003 Collectible Barbie Dolls
My Picks for the Best of 2003 Collectible Barbie!

Nostalgic Barbie Paper Dolls 
Roma M. Welsh helps us focus on Nostalgic Barbie Paper Dolls, including the paper dolls of Peck Aubrey.

Book Review:  Famous Couples--Fashion Doll Patterns 
Book review of new book for collectors that sew for their 16 inch fashion dolls

What IS it About Barbie Dolls? 
Exploring the incredible popularity of Barbie Dolls--why do Barbie dolls inspire such devoted legions of collectors?

Collectible Dolls Market:  What Does The Future Hold?
A look at today's Collectible Dollsmarket and the future of the market in todays economy.

The Great Success Of Fashion Model Barbie Dolls  
All about the Fashion Model "Silkstone" Barbie dolls and their incredible popularity with collectors.  Five part article!

1966 Barbie Dolls- Trash or Treasure?
Finally--here is help sorting out what the 1966 mark on a Barbie doll actually MEANS!

Articles and Galleries

Fabulous Patterns for Barbie, Gene and Other Collector Dolls  
Vouge and Simplicity have exciting doll patterns this year--everything from historical outfits for Barbie to vintage looks for Gene to camping gear for American Girls! Your dolls need a wardrobe, so get out that needle and thread and start sewing!

Happy Birthday Ken!  America's Favorite Boy Toy Turns 40
Learn all about Ken and follow his story from campus hero to disco darling and back!

Limited Edition Dolls:  Godsend For Collectors or Irritating Nuisance? 
Are limited edition dolls a good or bad thing for collectors?

Toy Fair News
Start Here for ALL the News on the 2001 Barbies--Collectible and Play Line!

Organizing Your Doll Collection:  Storing Your Dolls  
Including some great tips on how to properly store your vintage Barbie.  

Theriault's Vintage Barbie Auction  
Full report from the event, including some prices realized. 

How-To Identify Your Vintage Ponytail Barbie
How to tell whether you have a #1 ponytail Barbie potentially worth several thousand dollars, or a #6 worth potentially a few hundred, or something in-between!

Why Certain Vintage Barbies May Be Dangerous To Your Health
Find out why certain vintage Barbie dolls can pose a health risk.  

Kiss That Barbie! Why There Is No Such Thing As A Toxic Barbie
Nick Hill Responds to the myth of Toxic Barbies

Restoring Vintage Barbie Dolls 
Tips and tricks on how to restore vintage Barbie--how to style her hair, fix her limbs, fix green-ear, repaint features and much more! 

Barbie Fun Facts 
Do you know these fun facts about our favorite fashion doll?

Barbie Marks a New Millennium 
All about play-line Barbie in 2000 and how she had been updated for today's young girls. 

History of Modern Barbie 
How modern Barbie went from the glory days to the doldrum days, and back again!

The Barbie Renaissance 
Barbie 2000 has generated incredible buzz and real excitement among long-time Barbie collectors:  Here's why! 

Gene Line 2000
Limited Editions plus the new Madra Lord doll equal excitement in the Gene 2000 line!  Don't miss this three-part series which includes photos of the Madra prototypes!

How to Play With Barbie 
Take those NRFB dolls OUT and start to play--tips on finding just the right clothes, accessories, dolls and cases.

Primer on New Barbie Boxes
Learn all about the packaging changes in the Barbie play and collectible lines for 2000--from more elegant display boxes to a new sort of "pink" you'll probably like what you see!

Barbie and Fashion Doll Terminology 
All the lingo and terms defined for everything from vintage ponytails to modern Barbies and Genes.

How-To Grade Your Barbie
Is your Barbie a fantastic C-10, or a pathetic C-1?  Find out how to tell here! 

How-To Make a  Barbie Cake
An easy cake to make for a special occasion; or make it just to see a little Barbie lover smile! .

How-To Remove Green Ear From Vintage Barbies
Oh-no, your early 60s Barbie has a case of the dreaded green ear!  Here are directions to cure this unsightly problem.

Holiday Decorating with Barbie, Gene and Friends  
Using the special Holiday themed Barbies, Genes and friends in holiday decorating, and holiday tableaus using the dolls

Doll Christmas Ornaments
With a focus on Barbie Hallmark Ornaments.

Meet Marl
Meet Marl Davidson, well-known Barbie dealer in this About.com interview!

Doll Customizer Gallery
See customized Barbies by members of the About.com Doll Collecting community.

Fashion Femme Fatales
Gene, Tyler Wentworth, Willow and Daisy--they're hip, they're new, and they want a piece of Barbie's action!

Hot Holiday Dolls
My picks for the cutest, hottest, and best play dolls for the 1999 Holiday Season (and, yes, Barbie is there!)

NRFB Dolls:  Necessary Evil or Overkill?
Should you keep Modern and Vintage Dolls NRFB?

Modern & Pink Box Barbie Links        

Accessories
What every Barbie® needs for that well-dressed look--shoes, hats, purses, stockings. 

Beginner Resources
So you're a new Barbie® collector!  Start here for a crash-course on the plastic princess.

Clothing
This is what Barbie® is all about!  Everything from sweat pants to evening gowns.

Fashion Doll Clubs
Join with other collectors!  Club home pages and information.

Collector Sites
Barbie® lovers share their impressions, collections and information on our favorite girl.

Conventions and Shows
News, information and reviews from Barbie® events worldwide.

Customizers
Customizers, artists, and costumers of Barbie®.  Some of the original creations of these artists will take your breath away!

Display
Products and information to help you display Barbie®.

Dolls of Color
Focus on dolls of color and ethnic dolls.

For Families Only
Sites and links for familes and young fans of Barbie®; find Pink Box Barbies® here.

Furniture and Accessories
Furniture, miniature accessories in scale and more--create a mood, or furnish Barbie®'s habitat.

Gossip and News
Here it is!  The latest buzz on Barbie®

Houses
She's got the clothes, the shoes--now she needs a home!  Habitats for Barbie®.  

International Barbie®
Barbie® From Around the World'; from the eyes of collectors in many countries plus foreign releases.

Images
Photos for those who cannot get enough of Barbie®! Includes photos of current and upcoming releases.

Price Guides
Start here when you need to figure out how much your Barbie® is worth

Resources
Organizations, mailing lists and more.

Sewing For Barbie®
Sewing, knitting, crocheting and patterns for your fashion dolls.

Shopping for Barbie®
Time to shop!  Lets buy some Barbies®, Barbie® clothes and more--with a focus on online shopping.

Barbie® Software
Computer software for children and collectors. Software where Barbie® teaches, and software for organizing your collection.

Web Rings
Surf the Barbie® Web Rings!

Views on Barbie
Essays, opinions, columns and more; everyone has an opinion about Barbie®!

Vintage Barbie Links

Restoration. Repair and Customization
Restoration, customizing, and repair of Barbies®.  Lots of how-to information

Clothing Accessories
Complete that vintage look!  Shoes, hats, purses, stockings and more!

Beginner Resources
So you're a new vintage Barbie® collector!  Start here for a crash-course on the vintage vixen.

Cases, Gift Sets, Furniture and Licensed Products
Vinyl cases, Department Store Exclusives, lunchboxes, vintage patterns and more.

Clothing
Can you believe the detail on the vintage clothing? Everything from varsity sweaters to prom gowns.

Collector Sites
Vintage Barbie® lovers share their vintage collections.

Dolls
Vintage dolls; Barbie®, Midge, Ken, Skipper--the gang is all here!

Identifying Vintage Dolls plus Price Guides
Help in finding out which vintage dolls you have, and help in valuing them.

Mod Barbie
Its groovy Barbie®, Francie, Christie and the whole gang from that swinging "mod" era!

Shopping
Time to shop!  Lets buy some vintage Barbies®--with a focus on online shopping.

Barbie Dolls Collecting Forum

Barbie Dolls Collecting Forum 
Meet other collectors, share doll findings and sightings, get help with identification questions, and sell your dolls here in one of the most popular Barbie Doll Forums on the Internet!  Click on GUEST if you are not a member yet. Our very active Barbie Forum has over 15 folders, including areas for modern Barbie dolls, vintage Barbie dolls, male fashion dolls and action figures, customization of dolls, and more.

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Denise Van Patten--your Guide to Dolls
Article, Graphics Copyright © 2001 Denise Van Patten

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