COLLECTING BARBIE

What begins as a mere hobby of collecting Barbie dolls can actually be a great investment if not, a career itself. Being one of the most sought-after products in the world of doll industry, a Barbie doll has definitely a great potential because of its increasing value.

Today, most of Barbie dolls created by Mattel, Inc. are Collector or Limited Editions. So if you're planning to become a Barbie collector yourself, you must remember these tips:

1. Make sure that you stay informed about the latest in the world of Barbie Collections. You can do this by surfing the Net about the latest items, auctions and price ranges.

2. Take time to read books and magazines. Reading books about doll collecting can give you better ideas what to look for when buying a vintage doll such as Barbie. Collecting and reading magazines that contain articles about Barbie collectors and collecting can also help you find rare and valuable pieces.

3. Try to go to shows. Shows that feature Barbie and Barbie collectors will give better view on the prospective career.

4. Look and join local clubs. Barbie collectors clubs are popular nowadays. If you can join at least one or two, you can get the latest updates in the world of Barbie collectors in your area or around the world.

5. Make sure that you know and you are updated with prices. Being updated with the prices of certain Barbie pieces can help you determine if the item you've seen in a flea market or a store is worth your money.

6. Familiarize yourself with the Barbie doll's qualities, uniqueness, and workmanship. Getting the facts about the Barbie doll's unique characteristics and workmanship will help you identify its present and future value.

7. Buy those pieces that appeal to you the most. This will develop your keen eye in knowing what is valuable or not.

To help Barbie collectors, Barbie Collector introduced a color-coded "tier structure" in 2004. This system offers tiers that represent an identifiable level of doll collecting and also comes with special retail destinations and elegant packaging designs. The system sets label colors to segment Barbie Collector dolls that include Pink Label, Silver Label, Gold Label and Platinum Label.

Stamps may be the number one collector craze in the world but in a few years, second place Barbie dolls may just take the crown.

Unbeknownst to everyone, her full name is Barbie Millicent Roberts. She was named by her creator Ruth Handler after her daughter Barbara. She purportedly came from Willows, Wisconsin. She has five sisters, Skipper, Tutti, Stacie, Kelly and Krissy. The first Barbie retailed for just three dollars and sold 351,000 in its first year.

With thousands of Barbie doll models, there is a Barbie for everyone. There are even Barbie dolls that depict real life people and movie characters. In fact, the first celebrity that Barbie represented is fashion model Twiggy in 1967. These kinds are collectibles and are pretty expensive compared to the average Barbie doll.

The doll made its debut in the market in 1959. And if she is a real person, she is the most accomplished one, having over 80 careers including an astronaut, a doctor, a paleontologist, a lawyer and even a presidential candidate in 1992 and ran again in 2000.

She even became a medical sergeant and joined the army in 1992. After which she joined the Air Force, the Navy, and the Marine Corps. The uniforms for these series of military Barbies even underwent approvals from the pentagon to ensure that the uniforms are authentic. The first career, however, that she ventured into is, surprise, surprise, a fashion model. Barbie became an Olympic swimmer and competed in swimming in 2000.

Among the really collectible barbies are the models called Summit Barbie, which were introduced in the 1980s to commemorate the end of the US-Soviet Union cold war. The friendship (Freundshcafts) Barbie, on the other hand, was created to commemorate the tearing down of the Berlin Wall.

Another collectible is the Share A Smile Becky which was introduced in the market in 1997. Share a Smile Becky is the first fashion doll that has a wheelchair.

Barbie also came out with a series called Dolls of the World, which featured the dolls in different costumes. Italy was the first country that she represented in the collection. Black and Hispanic Barbies were introduced in 1980.

Other collectibles are the series that featured the collections of premiere Hollywood couturiers, Givenchy, Dolce & Gabana, Gucci, Versace and Vera Wang.

The best-selling Barbie in history is the "Totally-Hair" Barbie, which has hair from the top of ther head to her toes.