There are literally thousands of types of dolls.  Collectors collect nearly every variety and every combination of those dolls.  But, there is something about Barbie dolls that inspires intense collector devotion.  Barbie doll collectors, both modern and vintage, fill Internet Forums (such as our About.com Barbie Doll Forum) with intense traffic--often, far more traffic than combined collector boards for other types of dolls.  And, a limited edition of a Barbie Collectibles Doll, which can be up to 35,000 dolls, can quickly sell out, while limited editions of most other dolls are not as eagerly snapped up at far smaller numbers.  SO....the question is why?

The Nostalgia Factor

Most women in the United States younger than 50 have played with Barbie dolls as a child.  There is definitely a connection between toys from childhood and later collecting--adults often begin collecting dolls or toys by starting to replace their childhood playthings.  With Barbie dolls, some collectors turn to the actual childhood dolls--the vintage Barbie.  But, other collectors don't have to do that to recapture their lost playthings of youth--they can collect the modern collectible Barbie dolls, or even the current play line!  Personally, I can say that it was a Barbie doll that is partially responsible for my own current doll obsession.  Although I have collected dolls in some form during my entire life, in my early 30s I tried to replace my childhood #4 ponytail Barbie doll.  I DID replace it--she was promptly joined by dozens of vintage friends, a closet-full of vintage clothing, vintage cases and licensed product, and then, yes, modern collectible Barbie dolls.  You get my point...from collection to obsession in just a few easy steps!

The Size Factor

Size matters!  No....this isn't a spam advertisement.  By some miracle of design, Ruth Handler (the creator of Barbie dolls) came up with the perfectly sized fashion doll.  She fits right in your hand.  One hand for the doll, the other to put on her clothes or hold her accessories.  She is perfectly sized so that her clothing and accessories are tiny enough to be miniature, yet large enough so that the clothing and accessories can have great, fine details.  Other dolls that have been produced just don't have that magic size--at 6" tall, Dawn was too small, and at 16", the current fashion dolls are too big---well, at least when you are a Barbie doll collector and you compare them to Barbie!  Also, Barbie dolls are small enough to be able to have, oh, several hundred in a fairly small space!  As I said....size matters!

The Age Factor

No....not Barbie's age--the collectors' age!  Barbie doll collectors are the perfect age for the Internet.  The Barbie doll collectors ARE the baby boom gals (and guys!).  Early adopters of technology.  Some of the first collectors to jump on the Internet bandwagon--on eBay, on Forums, on personal web sites.  All of this networking has definitely helped create new collectors and encourage the existing collectors of Barbie dolls.  Dolls that are generally speaking collected by older collectors (I know I am generalizing here...so give me some slack in the inevitable e-mails...) such as composition dolls or antique dolls have not benefited from this Internet effect--at least not to the same degree.

The Community Factor

The Barbie Doll Collecting Forum on About.com rocks!  Ok, I'm being partisan....many Barbie Doll Collecting Forums on the Internet are busy, busy places, with collectors sharing their new purchases, their ideas for scenes and costuming and display, their opinions and their joy and passion for Barbie collecting.  Its quite infectious! 

The Marketing Factor

Back to the days of the earliest black and white 1960s Barbie doll commercials, Mattel has understood the  power behind marketing.  Barbie is probably the most (and best!) marketed doll in history.  Other old favorite dolls just couldn't compete in the early 1960s when the Barbie television marketing started, and no other doll can compete today.  Television marketing of the Barbie play dolls has been continuous since the early 1960s--thats over 40 years of Barbie commercials on TV.  The marketing to the collectible community for Barbie Collectibles has been brilliant as well.  So, hats off to our last factor--the Barbie Marketing Factor!

These are just some of the factors that, in my opinion, have made Barbie the "it" doll of collecting.  What other factors, in YOUR opinion, contribute to the huge popularity of Barbie Dolls for collectors? Tell us in the The Barbie Doll Collecting Forum

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