RARE! here we have some of the most coveted and wonderful rarities of the Vintage barbie world.
Below is one of the RAREST barbie dolls you will ever see. She is a Sidepart American Girl on a straight leg body, packaged in a Second-Issue box with "Ash Blonde" on the end flap--no hairstyle! She has a pink-and silver AG wrist tag. There are only 4 or 5 of these known. If you have one, give us a holler !
We all covet those rare dolls and ensembles! Of course they are worth more, but we don't want them just for that reason, we just want to have something rare and wonderful!
Below: Does she know how elusive she is? Jose's Pensive Brownette Bubblecut is a stunner! (Photo c/o Jose)
Next is my very rare Brunette Bend-Leg Bubblecut--Mattel used up parts, of course--so there are a few Swirls and Bubbles with bend-Leg bodies! This gal has Raven (or close to it) hair as opposed to the usual Fudge brunette, and a lovely AG face!
Her box is stamped "Brunette Bubble".
Well, here is what might be one of the downright RAREST things in the Barbie world! Below is a Mattel "SAMPLE" doll in the Pak gold lame sheath.
She is a MINT #4 Brunette in an equally mint outfit. She is tied into the box with a piece of white string and appears never to have been removed. The sheath has a navy sash and she wears long NAVY gloves! (I have never seen these on any outfit, have you?) She has a navy sheer sash with a light blue outer finishing thread.
According to an article by Barry Sturgill in BB (Sept 2005), these Samples were likely used by Mattel salespeople to show the outfits to potential retailers. The outfits always have some unusual variation, and were tweaked before Mattel actually produced them. So the above gal may well be a TRUE Mattel OOAK! :)
Well, I was so upset I lost the gal above,I HAD to have another sample doll--and HERE she is! An amazing Brunette #3 with factory updo in a true Mattel OOAK Enchanted Evening embellished with FEATHERS! She was originally tied into the box like the above #4, but her string is broken. The box has "Sample" stamped on both ends, and has the string and the two holes in the box bottom.
She is a lovely #3 with factory updo, about twice the usual amount of poodle bangs, and extra vibrant face paint! She has the irregular cupid's bow lips of the Brown-eyeliner #3's but instead of the standard orange-red color, they are scarlet!
Because the string is broken, this gal can step out of the box, at least for a moment! her EE gown is not only festooned with feathers, but the train is tacked in two places in back so that it must fall BEHIND the dress rather than draped to the side or front.
Here is another one I actually own, my lovely #3 Brunette in the Pink Silhouette Box "Resort Set"! These boxes were used by Mattel to hold dressed dolls that the stores would take out and display on Mattel setups. When they were finished with the display, they would sell the dolls--sometimes in the pink box, but often without, as they threw away many of the boxes!
Here are colormagickid's three "Ladies who Lunch"! They are all rare girls in rare outfits! All fabulous American Girls, from left to right, a high-color Silvery Brunette in Music Center Matinee, a Silver-Ash Blonde in Fashion Luncheon, and a lovely Blonde in Fashion Editor! (Photo courtesy of colormagickid)
Need I say anything? Side-part Cinnamon AG with HIGH COLOR! EEK! :) (Oh yes, in Atelier Fest...)
...Here's something hard to find, TWO Brownette Bubbles in ONE place!
...Need I say anything? (OK, don't get too bedazzled by the girls in front and miss the NRFB Sparkling Pink Gift Set in back!) ~ ("Early Ladies" Photo courtesy of colormagickid)
Next is Summer's stunner of a White Ginger in a rare (?) gown possibly called "Golden Gown". There is a BB article showing three gowns like this, owned by a lucky collector who bought them from a Mattel-connected person! Gorgeous, no?!! (Photo c/o Summer)*
*Hi everyone, as of June 2014 I have a link for you that explains the MYSTERY GOWN! It was not a Mattel prototype, but made by the Premier company. HERE is the scoop. :)
I was once again jealous of colormagickid's collection so I went and blew my allowance on this Sparkling Pink Gift Set with a Brunette Bubble (sigh)!
Another VERY rare thing, Ken going to his "Business Appointment"! (Photo courtesy of colormagickid)
If Ken has a business appointment, Jose's lovely Ruby ColorMagic has an important class at the Sorbonne! (Photo c/oJose)
White Gingers are not so hard to find, but with hair this light, they are!
The 1962 Bubbles had red, then Watermelon lips. But wait, some had bubblegum pink--that was the White Ginger/Platinums, right? Yes...but it was also a few rare others! Check out Ellen's Brunette 1962 Bubble--her hair is raven black, and her lips are light bubblegum pink! (photo c/o Ellen Taylor)
Four Amazing Swirls like this don't come along every day. Marina's girls--Brunette, European Pale Blonde (Rare!), Redhead and Blonde! (Photo c/o Marina)
Next is a Brunette American Girl looking so fetching in her very rare swimsuit. This suit may have come originally on a side-part AG.
My Pale-as-a-Geisha #3 in the extremely rare 1965 Furisode Kimono with little purse!
While we're in Japan: Try hard not to drool over this group! WOW--4 Japanese Skippers, a Japanese exclusive "New Midge", and a gorgeous Blonde Mod Barbi, wearing incredibly HTF Japanese exclusive outfits! (photo c/o Marina)
***glitch--photo coming!**
How about the RAREST accessory of them all the Roman Holiday COMPACT? Here it is in all its eensy weensy glory! (True size is about like Barbie's hand.)
Talk about VHTF! Two Side-Part AG's appear to be hiding their little side parts under glam hats, along with one Blonde AG. Silver Ash Blonde Tan-Tone Japanese Side-Part in the center wears Saturday Matinee, and the raspberry suit on the Blonde Side-Part on the left is a replica of the Japanese Cranberry suit, made with Mattel buttons and fabrics by Sylvia Campbell. The Blonde on right is in Gold 'n Glamour. These ladies are ready to go shopping! (Photo and info on outfits and dolls courtesy of colormagickid)
SOME of us have to work! One of the hardest to find outfits is the Pan Am Stewardess! Looks nice on this pretty Brunette AG, doesn't it?
Also fetching on this amazing Cinnamon AG!
It's rare indeed to find a beautiful European Pink-Skin American Girl, especially as fabulous as this amazing Blonde! (photo c/o Marina)
Marina scores again with this amazingly rare Japanese "Sleeping Pretty" in PINK! The blue one is pretty too, not to mention the Bubbles. :) (c/o Marina)
The next two pics are cubby's lovely #3 modeling rare pink-dotted sheath and then a rare light blue one! (Photos courtesy of cubby)
This girl's gonna show up EVERYWHERE (on this site)... Hand-Painted #1 Brunette ~ Rarest of the Rare!
Here is Monica's fabulous Blonde Hand-Painted #1 ~ It's hard to see the brush strokes in the eyebrows, but note the iris painting outlined all the way around (Photo c/o Monica)
Next is a very early Hand-Painted #1 with Lightning Bolt brows and downright spooky eyes! This one is from the first wave of hand-painted dolls, compared with the two beauties above, who are from the second wave.
Another incredibly HTF pink-skin beauty from Marina, this gorgeous Brunette Side-Part Bubblecut!
Marina has snagged another rare and fabulous Pink-toned European Bubble--a Titian this time, in a lovely gown! (photo c/o Marina)
Some of the rarest dolls on the planet, and here is a THIRD one--a Pink-Skin Titian SP Bubble wearing Sears "Pink Formal".
..In all her splendor ...
Two gorgeous Side-Part American Girls are ready for the ball...(Left: my Midnight AG, Right: Marina's lovely Ash Blonde--photo c/o Marina)
Color Magics are not your everyday girls, and Platinums are very hard to find! Here is a lovely one in "Junior Prom". (She has now flown to her new owner, Jamie!)
Ruby Red Color Magics are kind of hard to find, and with low color and light blue "snake eyes" like this gal, even harder!
Cubby's pretty "Platinum Pearl" T&T in "Dancing Doll" (left). This gal probably was a blonde, but the hair oxidized to this lovely and rare pinkish-silvery color! Compare with the Blonde on the right. (Photo c/o cubby)
Also rare in the T&T department is this T&T --Jamie's Blonde, with BLUE eyeliner in "Beautiful Blues"! (photo c/o Jamie)
OK, how about a White Ginger with factory blush????!
Below is a gorgeous mint Standard whose hair I can only call "Screaming Copper"! Titian Standards are even rarer than Titian TnT's, and supposedly never came in redhead--so the hair may have oxidized from Brownette!
OK, how about a complete set of VHTF "In the Swim" Pak swimsuit ensembles on three gorgeous Swirls? This is amazing. (Photo c/o Jamie)
Here is a rare sight--the Pink Silhouette Box "Wedding Day Set" with a gorgeous Blonde #3. This beauty now belongs to "BarbieFever"!
Oh, did you think you wouldn't see any more hand-painted #1's? here's another wickedly beautiful girl with absolutely mesmerizing eyes!
RARE and Hard-to-Find !
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