Customer Reviews

Barbie My Favorite Barbie: The Original Teenage Fashion Model Barbie Doll

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

1959 Original Teenage Fashion Model Barbie Doll is the best repro of the #1 Barbie to date--but, it's still not a perfect repro. I've deboxed the doll, and so I'm evaluating it from the perspective of a deboxed display doll. The doll is very nice in appearance, and the reproduction of the Solo In The Spotlight fashion is excellent.

The quibbles: The arm molds for the vintage repro dolls are not accurate to the original dolls. The original dolls had divided fingers (index and pinky on the right hand, pinky only on the left hand) and the shapes were different from the reproduction body molds. Also, the #1 Barbie doll (as well as the #2, #3, and #4) reproductions should be manufactured differently from dolls meant to duplicate later dolls. The 'heft' of the doll should be weightier, as the original dolls had solid vinyl torsos and limbs. The skin tone is slightly too pink to be 100% accurate in my opinion as well. The original doll had copper tubing lining the holes in her feet. Obviously the repro doll should not include this feature due to metal oxidation issues, but some sort of metal lining would be a better match than no lining at all. The hair is also not a perfect match to the original, as the #1 Barbie doll had an extremely fine gauge saran hair material, in a distinctive yellow-orange color. This doll's hair is too glossy and too 'ash blonde' in color, and the doll doesn't appear to have the flocking underneath the ponytail that the original doll featured. Also, the hairline is placed too low on the doll's forehead, the original doll had a very high forehead. The face paint is a good likeness, but not 100% perfect. The brows should be slightly darker, and the paint colors are good but not perfect.

No collector is ever going to mistake this doll for the original, but it's still a great doll in its own right. Definitely worth the very reasonable price, and I would encourage anyone interested in vintage Barbie to pick this one up.

This is not a perfect reproduction, it is however, a perfect display model for your vintage fashions. I wouldn't recommend this to collector's (It's being mass produced with the Barbie Pink Label, not worth much to "collect".) but I do recommend it to anyone who wants a decent reproduction to display early clothes.

The only real problem I have with this doll is the super low forehead. The hair should be up super high. The eyes aren't the same either, but I don't own an original #1 Barbie so I'm happy with this one.

In short, if you want a beautiful doll to display vintage fashions, she's your gal!

I collect Barbies, but enjoy taking them out of the box, dressing them, etc... when I took this Barbie out, I almost regretted it. They give you an extra fashion with the doll, yes, but the swimsuit the doll comes in has adhesive on the back and is stuck to the doll's chest. Plus, the opening on the bottom of the Solo in the Spotlight gown is really, really small. So, even if you could figure out a way to get the zebra swimsuit off without damaging the Barbie, which I'm afraid to try and don't even think is possible because part of the swimsuit kind of tufted off onto the sticky stuff on the doll, you couldn't put the dress on very well, or pose the Barbie on the stand while she's wearing it. Sigh.
The doll, on the other hand, is quite a faithful reproduction for Mattel's standards. I was very pleased.
So I guess if you're buying this doll to display, she'd be a great choice. But if you actually want to play with the doll, I'd choose another one.

Mattel Lacking in Product Presentation - Holes in Fabric

Why does Mattel insist on poking a hole through every fine fabric costume on collectible dolls with a needle and thread or plastic t-tie?

After the millions of dolls they have sold, could their staff devise a way to keep the doll in the box without having to sew the dress to the box?

If the collector wishes to display the doll outside the box, they must try to carefully remove the thread - which still leaves the hole poked through the fabric in front of gown.

Why would someone pay this much money for a doll with a with holes punched through the fabric of the gloves and the pink hankie?

Also, buyers should be aware that the swimsuit top has adhesive underneath to keep it from falling off. Surely after all the years of manufacturing goofs like melt marks and stains, Mattel would have learned not to place an adhesive on the body and surely not next to the fabric.

Madame Alexander - a premier doll manufacturer - has for years securely fastened their dolls with a simple ribbon or rigid plastic forms. Why can't Mattel do the same?

Mattel is lacking in Quality Control on this issue, and the same with the Elvis and Priscilla Presley Giftset. Three holes are punched through the fabric of Priscilla's dress! Plus, the 1962 Bubblecut Anniversary doll has holes puched through the gown and gloves. Quality Control at Mattel? It is missing!

I did not buy this "toy" for fun, or for educational value, or durability. I bought it to replace my original Barbie doll I had when I was 9 (in 1959) that disappeared when my mother started letting the grandkids play with it. I absolutely love it. This is the Barbie I remember.

Much as I would love to change her clothes and build the wardrobe I had for my original Barbie, I think I will just keep her in the box as she is and no one else will touch her.

Absolutely LOVE this doll!

This is the first of 9 Barbies in the My Favorite Doll series. It's a nice repro of the Barbie that started it all. As a previous reviewer mentioned, her zebra stripe bathing suit is taped onto her chest. I removed this tape, and her bathing suit stays on fine. Some Isopropanol 99% works great to get rid of the goo left behind. One thing you have to watch out for on this Barbie, is her face paint and hair. This is where the quality control at Mattel is lacking. The ones I have seen, just have the elastic showing on her ponytail, and not wrapped with a strand of hair to give it a finished look and cover up the elastic. The other thing, is the make-up job on her. Some have messed up eye-shadow. The line between the blue eye-shadow and her eye-lashes is not straight, and on some of them blotchy in some places, like they didn't have enough paint to finish up the eye detail. The other point is the pupils of her eyes, some of them have the paint that has bled and looks blurry looking. Other than this, if you can find one that has proper hair and face paint, she looks really good. A lot better than the 35th Anniversary Barbie from '94. Back in '94, they didn't seem to spare on her hair. On the 2009 repro, Mattel has sewn hair around the perimeter of her hairline, so if you take out her elastic-which I don't recommend, she is completely bald inside her hairline. Other than this, the 1959 Barbie is a nice addition to anyone's Barbie collection.

The Barbie was for my sister's 50th birthday. She was shipped to me in great shape and the price was very reasonable. I had seen it in other stores for much more. I can't wait until she sees it! Thanks

50th Birthday Present - for a big girl! Perfect - every magazine and/or newspaper is publisizing this doll. Even a big Fashion Show! Big Hit! Fun!

This doll is ten times better than the 35th Anniversary one. It is the same height as my original Barbie not shorter like the other reproductions. This appears to be a taller mold than even the recent ones. I wonder why Mattel used so many different molds to manufacture these.
Anyway they finally got the body right and this doll although will never be mistaken for the original to me it has the essence and the attitude of the original. I do not have the original 59 doll but this one does not need to be an exact copy to make me happy.

My mother has the original 1959 barbie, and I got this for her as an early birthday present. So now she will have the original and the 50th anniversary, hopefully ill even get the 100 anniversary doll one day. Great reproduction of a beautiful barbie!