American Girl Barbie & Wardrobe, ca. 1965
GUEST:
I brought Barbie, and when I was a kid, I had three other girlfriends, and we used to get together, like, every day after school and play with our Barbies. I haven't pulled her out of the trunk until the other day for about probably 50 years.
APPRAISER:
Oh, goodness! (both chuckle) Are you still tempted to play with her a little bit?
GUEST:
Oh, I did, all last week. (both laugh)
APPRAISER:
Yeah, they're really fun.
GUEST:
They are.
APPRAISER:
If you love fashion, Barbie's your girl. What you have is a very special Barbie. This is the American Girl Barbie, and she was made in 1965 by Mattel. And how do we know that she's American Girl? Well, Mattel used the same mold for Barbie from number one all the way through several models. All they did was change the makeup and change the hair. And of course, they updated the clothes.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
So the original Barbie had a ponytail with curly bangs, and as you can see, American Girl Barbie, oh, wow!
GUEST:
(chuckles)
APPRAISER:
I mean, platinum blonde.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
Bob hairdo. 'Cause before this, women wore their hair long. So we're reflecting the fashion. Number one had this really harsh, sharp, upside-down V eyebrows. Now we can see they're nice and soft and modern. You've got your blue eyeshadow on, because who's a '60s girl without their blue eyeshadow?
GUEST:
(laughs)
APPRAISER:
It came in several hair colors, but one that everybody really loves is the lighter blonde. And she's got on her original bathing suit. And then you also have your trunk. She's got the little pillbox hat. You're really getting the influence of fashion from that time. And then look at the outfits we have, and they are all tagged with the Barbie tag. You've got the original stand. She retailed for under five dollars. And this doll, with her clothes and her case-- and her case, by the way, is full of other goodies-- would retail between $600 and $850.
GUEST:
Great. But I'll never give her up. (chuckles)
Appraisal Details
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