Best Selling Barbie Of All Time

 On a whim I googled,  "best selling Barbie".  The answer to this was a total unexpected shock.  With all the beautiful designer, special edition and Chrisimas Barbies, some, that are so beautiful they take your breath and selling new for hundreds and even thousands.

Much to my surprise,  a pink box line selling in1992 at Sears for, $11.99.

                                     

                                                                  Here she is!

                                                                                    

                                               TOTALLY HAIR BARBIE

She was issued in early 1992 in a pink box, selling at Sears for $11.99.  Mattel heavilly advertised the doll on TV and in print.  This doll was to be the best seller for Christmas with a projection of ten million the first year, and a total sales of one billion.  Though the doll did not reach that goal, she still became the most sold Barbie in history.  She was issued as a blonde, brunette and African American.  In Europe the doll was issued as Ultra Hair Whitney and used the Stephie face.  This doll is extremely rare.  Other dolls iñ the Totally Hair family were: Totally Hair Ken, Courtney and Skipper.  This Barbie during her original issue from 1992 - 1995, over ten millioñ have been sold.  Are you as surprised as I am?  What would have been your choice?

Happy Saint Valentines Day 2025

    Happy Saint Valentines Day

This beautiful vintage Barbie is the "Loving You" Valentine Barbie issued in 1983.

My favorite Valentine Bardie.  I sold her many years ago.   

Valentine's Day

 

 Three Ideal Toni Dolls from the 1950's dressed in their Valentiñe

dresses.  It iš hard to believe these dolls are abour 75 years old

Today is World Doll Day. (A reprint from the past )

                                     (a few of my dolls)

World Doll Day is today.  It is always the second Saturday in June.  I am posting Mildred Seeley's proclamation announcing World Doll Day.  So what are you going to do to celebrate the day.

Below is a copy as written by Mildred Seeley.  Please tell all your doll friends.

So, you haven't heard of World Doll Day? This is not surprising. As of an hour ago, I hadn't conceived the idea. Bob Isbell, who does my printing, says when I ask for something to be done by tomorrow, "I'll make it hap­pen," This is what l would like to do with World Doll Day - make it hap­pen. I need only one thing - COOPERATION! I need cooperation of every doll collector, every magazine editor, doll newsletter, doll shop, library, dollmaker, mother, grand­mother, father, grandfather, and all the stray aunts and uncles. The first World Doll Day is the Second Saturday of June 1986. I am getting a doll ready to give. If you don't have a child to give a doll to - find one. There are many children with no dolls. Give a doll to a grownup child in the family or just a friend. 

Think of it this way, and ship a doll to another country. I have always felt that the common doll could be an instrument of world understanding. From the time I first started writing books on dollmaking, I had the hope that dolls would help make friends all over the world and develop a little love among all.
World Doll Day will also be a day for doll exhibits. It is my hope that all libraries will have a special doll exhibit; museums will publicize their doll exhibits and have special exhibits at this time. Magazines will put out special editions. Doll stores will put on selling campaigns weeks ahead. Dollmakers will make special dolls for World Doll Day. There will be doll competitions with World Doll Day awards, plaques and trophies.
The logo is made from artist Boots Tyner's doll representing a child. The child carries a German bisque doll to represent this doll col­lector's gift. Feel free to copy the logo or have more made.
Everyone can join the fun, as there are no fees, no permission needed, no obligations, nobody owns the day, no club, no company. It's a free-for-all. Take up the day, its ideas and fly with it. Let's do it now - World Doll Day.
If you think World Doll Day is a good idea, then appoint yourself a committee of one to do something about it - only then can it become a reality. Would you tell five people, ask them to tell five people and each of them tell five more and so on. World Doll Day's birthday is June 14, 1986.
Sincerely, Mil and Vernon Seeley

P.S. This letter may be copied, and copied, again and again, until the world knows about World Doll Day.

Please write and leave a comment in the comments area telling us how you plan to celebrate the day.

Chatty Cathy A Talking doll

Chatty Cathy

1st edition issued March 1960.

A Mattel company talking doll.



Chatty Cathy was introduced in March of 1960 at the New York Toy Fair. She had blonde, red or brunette hair styled in a pageboy with bangs. She said 11 phrases when the pull string on the back of her neck was pulled.  The speaker holes are in her chest.  The pattern of the speaker helps to identify year issued.  Most of the Chatty family of dolls had two large front teeth and freckles.  Today unless the doll has been restored, the freckles can hardly be seen.  They can easily be restored with a dark brown permanent marker.  Place the doll under a bright light and replace them using the faint originals as a guide.

The original dolls in the Chatty Family of dolls had a wide variety of looks. The dolls were put together with parts made in many different countries. Some Chatty's had soft heads and some hard heads. They had different eye colors and different skin tones. Some had eyes that looked straight ahead and some looked to the side.  Today the there is at least one arm or leg that has a slightly different skin tone.

Even the hairstyles differed in that some had short hair with bangs to long hair in ponytails depending on year of issue. 

Some years had several of the styles.

Collectors can have a large collection of these dolls with no two
just alike. Finding the different combinations is quite a challenge and thrill to find for the collector.

The Chatty Family includes: Chatty Cathy, Chatty Baby, Tiny Chatty Baby, and Tiny Chatty Brother, Charmin Chatty, and the last doll released was Singing Chatty. 1965 was the last year the original Chatty Family of dolls was made.

In 1970, The dolls were again introduced in new sizes and different looks. They were not well received and were not in production for very long.
Chatty Cathy was a popular favorite of children of that time.

 Today many collectors wanting to replace their childhood dolls Chatty Cathy is their first choice. Due to the dolls having been played with and well loved by their owners, most do not still talk. There are places they can be sent for repair and it is very expensive as the doll must be totally taken apart. Most all can be repaired but parts are difficult to come by as the dolls parts were made in many countries and a part has to be found to fit that particular mechanism. Also some dolls took baths with their young owners and as a result the mechanism is rusted. Others had holes poked in the speakers or the

pull string is broken.

Did you know?
* The first Chatty Cathy came out in 1960.

* Original voice for Chatty Cathy was Maurine McCormick of       the Brady Bunch fame, a popular TV show.
* Hair colors are: Blonde, Brunette and redhead.
* Eye colors are: blue and brown, with blue most common.      * The hardest to find are African American ones.

est

Mattel 's Talking Doll's of 1960/70's.

Mattel issued many talking dolls in the 1960/70/s era.  They

had a phonograph inside the hard plastic body with a cloth

covered speaker.  The design of the speaker holes varied

by design and year. These dolls  were operated by

"D' cell batteries.  Very few of these dolls still work.

Even fewer have the cover for the battery pack.

But there doll repair shops that can repair them.

The bodies and one or both arms

were hard plastic, depending on what the doll does.

The head, both legs, and one arm were vinyl.

(sometimes both arms are the same material depending

on what the doll does).

These dolls were a big hit with the little girls.  Some of

the dolls were:  Chatty Cathy and family, Gabigail, and

 Hi Dottie,   (I am going to do a study on the only doll

one of these dolls I still have, Hi Dottie.  I can also do

one on the Chatty family, if I can locate my pictures.

I no longer have any of the Chatty dolls.

Another unusual fact about some of these dolls is the

 arms and legs are of  different shades off vinyl.

The reason for this, the dolls were made in different

factories in many countries.  Mattel, in its effort to

be cost efficient.  If one factory had a high inventory of legs

then the excess would be shipped to another  factory.  Each

factory had their on formula for making the vinyl and

each one had a different shade of color.  It was barely

noticible when the dolls were new, but has become very

noticeable  as the dolls age.  I still have one of these

dolls with the different shades of vinyl.  I am going to

try and get a good picture showing the difference.

My Collection of Black Handmade Cloth Dolls

 I am seriously beginning to downsize.  As I begin, I will with some of my

dolls share them.  Today it is a small group of handmade black cloth dolls that

was collected over many years. 

 

Pictures of my black cloth doll collection 

This is the only doll that was new when I bought her.  A lady was at a craft show in about 1995, selling her mother's handmade dolls.

I don't know how long  or how I acquired most of them.

Some I know have been in my collection over 30 years

and only one was bought new.