The following continues our "tour" of doll accessories throughout doll history:

Ginny - 1950s

Although not a fashion doll, Vogue Ginny dolls from the 1950s had an amazing amount of accessories produced for them. And--what a variety of accessories these little toddlers had!  Everything from furs to bedroom sets to wardrobe trunks to swing sets.  Ginny had skates, Mickey Mouse ears, beach sets and skis.  Dolls were often sold with an accessory to complete and complement an outfit, but accessories were also marketed, packaged and available separately.  

Vintage Barbie Dolls - 1960s

Barbie by Mattel in the early 1960s took accessories for fashion dolls one step further than the 1950s fashion dolls did.  Barbie outfits were sold pre-packaged in a way that let little girls and their moms see everything included with each outfit.  Often, the thing that "closed" a sale for a Barbie outfit were the detailed, miniature accessories.  These miniatures were not just the outfit completers that were common in the 1950s for fashion dolls--the purses, shoes, hats and stoles.  With Barbie in the 1960s, you could purchase all the little necessities of life.  For instance, the "Barbie-Q" outfit came with a rolling pin, cooking implements, a hot pad, and a cooks hat and apron.  The "Nighty Negligee" set came with a stuffed dog; "Suburban Shopper" had a Princess pink phone with a working dial and a rattan bag with fruits and vegetables; "Picnic Set" came with a fishing pole and fish, and on and on!  You could also buy Barbie "paks" with nothing BUT accessories--"Leisure Hours" from 1964 contained a little TV, a broom, phone, knitting basket and tray with two drinks!  "Boudoir" from the same year had a towel, talcum power, toothbrush, phone (Barbie talked on the phone a lot!) shower cap and much more.  Today, often the little, easily lost accessories (especially the small jewelry) are the hardest things to find  (and the most expensive) when a collector tries to complete a vintage Barbie outfit.  Although the quality of vintage Barbie accessories doesn't rival the French Fashion doll accessories of the last century (which often used real woods, gems, ivory and metals) the variety is impressive and historic.

Modern Barbie Dolls- Today

Poor Barbie lost her accessories in the 1970s and 1980s--although a few accessories for Barbie were made and sold with "themed" dolls, most outfits no longer included themed accessories, and what few accessories were made in the 1970s and 1980s for Barbie were, well...cheap plastic.  However, the 1990s brought droves of collectors to modern Barbie dolls collecting, and they demanded more--these collectors wanted Barbie items that were MORE like the revered Barbie accessories of old.  The first improved modern Barbie doll accessories were produced for the Barbie Millicent Roberts collection.  This was NOT a terribly successful line for a variety of reasons, BUT...the line did have great accessories.  Little date planners.  Tennis rackets.  Luggage, scarves, raincoats.  Quality was still an issue....for the Barbie Millicent Roberts luggage collection,  many pieces of luggage did NOT open, and there was still lots of plastic in sight.   Then....Silkstone Barbie was introduced!  The outfits for the Silkstone doll DO come with quality accessories--shopping bags, passports, shoe boxes and more.  Most are fashion-related at this time.  As for play Barbie, for awhile in the late 1990s the quality of accessories improved, and you could get darling "Pretty Treasures" sets that were SOLELY accessories and which included metal-look (yes, not metal) cookware and some china and fabric accessories).  A classic accessory set from this era is the Special Collection Holiday Presents Gift Set, which as tiny Godiva Chocolates, wrapped presents, a china set, a gingerbread house, a doll, a Ken watch and shaving kit and much more!  This set now sells on eBay for $45!  Some of the best Barbie accessories produced in the 1990s weren't produced by Barbie at all, but by a company called Kitchen Littles, which made Barbie-sized kitchen sets with REAL metal kitchen pots, pans and accessories.  The company was, unfortunately, purchased by Mattel and the line of accessories discontinued.  The original Kitchen Little accessories are highly sought after by collectors today.  In 2002, sadly, many of the Barbie doll accessory sets have reverted back to colored plastic and paper--still fun for little girls, but not usually something to catch a collector's eye.

American Girls- 1990s to Today

One of the keys to the success of the American Girl dolls by Pleasant company have been the varied and inventive accessories made for these dolls--wooden bowls, typewriters, surf boards, fish, school sets, tin lunch boxes.  The accessories are extremely  varied because they come from various time periods which correspond with the "stories" of the dolls, and, in fact, each additional outfit a child purchases for her American Girl doll usually completes another part of the doll's story.  And, the accessories are high-quality--made from wood, metal, fabric and more.  Just like with vintage Barbie, when you buy a particular outfit, the outfit usually comes with the appropriate, themed accessories.  Also as with vintage Barbie, you can also buy accessories separately for the dolls.

Large-Size Fashion Dolls:  Gene, Tyler, Others - Late 1990s to Today

Another class of dolls that took the collecting world by storm in the late 1990s was the large fashion dolls--Gene, Tyler, Eve and many others.  In the tradition of all great fashion dolls, these dolls have had a wide array of accessories produced for them--phones, fans, croquet sets, coffee cups, USO trunks, newspapers, furniture (bedroom sets, fainting couches, drafting tables), and of course, an army of shoes, hats and purses.  The most interesting thing about these dolls and their accessories is that all I've  mentioned is just what has been "officially" produced for the dolls by their manufacturers.  Much like the industry surrounding the  French Fashion dolls in the late 1800s, an entire industry has sprung up of artisans that create accessories for the large, modern fashion dolls--jewelry, furs, luggage, furniture.  This time, however, the artisans are not in Paris--they are generally found on the Internet and at doll shows!

Customized Doll Accessories

Finally--just because a doll doesn't have manufactured accessories doesn't mean that you cannot find perfect accessories for your dolls.  Whether from artisans, manufactured miniatures or other sources, an inventive doll collector can create a "trousseau" or tableau for her doll including a great variety of things.  In the photo gallery, I have included a miniature Cathy Hansen doll (6") which I have been collecting a variety of accessories for.  With imagination and perseverance, this can be done for any doll you can thing of!

I hope this tour of doll accessories has inspired your collecting.  Doll accessories enhance creativity and play with dolls, and can greatly enhance any doll display.  And, they are valued and valuable doll collectibles in their own right.

Photo Gallery of 33 Doll Accessories

Go To Part I of the Article:  French Fashion Dolls, Antique Bisque Bebe and Dolly-faced dolls, Patsy, Baby Dolls, 50s Fashion Dolls

Do you have any favored, special or unique doll accessory?  Share it with us--send an e-mail title "DOLL ACCESSORIES" with your name, a description of the accessory, and why it is special, with a .jpg photo attached to collectdolls.guide@about.com and your accessory may be chosen to appear in a photo gallery on this site next month!

Doll Articles

Back to the Doll Collecting Main Page