Restoring Collectable Composition Dolls

Are YOU afraid to buy a lovely composition doll for your collection because you feel those cracks are irreparable? Then, this article is for you!

BY VIRGINIA NATRASEVSCHI

Halco Fluffee 29” Composition Doll

Source: September/October 1987 • National Doll World , Pages 38-39, 64

---

All doll collectors know stories of a "great find" - a rare doll in mint condition and original clothes show­ing up at a garage sale for pennies. Unfortunately, such finds are almost unheard of, and those dolls that are within the range of our budgets usu­ally show the effects of time and handling. Dolls were and are, after all, children's toys.

However, many of the less than mint dolls are affordable, and can be worth collecting if their defects are carefully screened. I found this little Alexander McGuffy Ana at a local doll shop and was charmed by her sweet face, in spite of moderate craz­ing and deteriorated wig. Her price was a fraction of that of the same doll in mint condition, but considering what mint McGuffy's bring, still enough to prohibit impulse buying. I wanted to be sure I would be proud of her on my shelf, and that if I ever wanted to sell her, she would at least hold the value I gave for her. Her damage needed to be carefully assessed.

McGuffy Ana Before

First, she obviously needed restringing, and her original outfit was missing. Restringing is easily corrected, and since I sew and design patterns for doll clothes, the outfit posed no problems. Second, I checked her surface condition. She had moderate crazing (more appar- ent to the naked eye than to the camera) but not too deep to be successfully "doctored," I thought. There were some plusses here, also. Her face was less crazed than the rest of her body -to be expected since doll manufacturers gave more layers of paint to the face than to the body, but still something that needed to be checked. Her cheeks still had good color. A little paint was gone from her lips, and her eyebrows had worn off, but these also are not difficult to correct. She had tin eyes, so there was no danger of her eyes becoming crazed at a later time. Last, I turned to her wig. It is mohair, which is more difficult to restore than human hair, and it was mussed and somewhat sparce in places. However, I felt that it was intact enough to restore, with care.

McGuffy Ana passed the test. I bought her and brought her home and began her restoration.

Restringing:

Restringing is one of the simplest doll repairs to make, and informa- tion on restringing is available in all doll repair manuals. However, I will give here a simple method which is appropriate to this doll and can be done without even a stringing hook. For this size doll, you will need about 18" of 1/8" doll elastic and any s­hooks which need to be replaced. The amount of elastic is more than you will actually use, but is easier to work with than a shorter length.

Cut the old elastic and remove it. Lay the doll's body and all her limbs, positioned near their respective body openings, on a table or other flat work surface. With your fingers, push the elastic through each socket, except the neck, and hook on the arms and legs. Push both ends of the elastic up through the neck, pulling the arms and legs into position in their sockets. Hook the doll's head onto one end of the elastic. Lay a pen­cil across the neck opening, and tie the ends of the elastic across the pen­cil, pulling the elastic as tight as you can get it. Tie elastic in a square knot. Remove pencil, tuck excess elastic into doll, position head on neck, and your doll is strung! You can retrieve the long ends of the elastic now and clip them if you wish, but leave them until you have removed the pencil and tested the stringing, in case you have to adjust the knot.

I want to mention a few points about this method of stringing. It is very effective on moderately small dolls. Larger dolls use thicker elastic that requires clamps, so the simple tying is not possible, and a stringing hook is required. Second, the only dif­ficult point in this method is keeping all the limbs attached until the elas­tic is pulled tight enough to provide tension. It is important that the elas­tic is stretched to its maximum ex­tension when you tie. You do not need to worry about getting it too tight, as the length of the hook from the head will reduce the tension as soon as the pencil is removed and the head is in place.

Crazing Minimizer:

Think of this procedure as a face and/or body lift for compo dolls. It is not a magic cure-all, but it will greatly improve and enhance your doll's appearance without disturbing the original finish. It is most effective on dolls with light to moderate craz­ing.

You will need the following materi­als: White hobby gloss enamel 1 bottle Burnt Sienna artist's oil pigment, small tube

Plaster of Paris Elmer's glue Old china plate Palette or old round-tipped table knife

Toothpicks Soft rag (old t-shirts are great)

On your plate, pour out a little of the hobby enamel - a quarter tea­spoon is plenty. A little distance away, on the same plate, squeeze out an even smaller amount of the Burnt Sienna pigment. With your palette or knife, heap as much plaster as will stay on the tip and put it also on the plate, again keeping it separate from the other ingredients.

The advantage to keeping things separate is that it is much easier to add tiny amounts to get everything just right, than to adjust larger amounts if you dump everything to­ gether at the start. I like to use the enamel as my mixing point, adding everything to that, and then pouring more enamel from the bottle if it is needed.

With a toothpick, add a very small amount of the pigment you have al­ready squeezed out, and stir it into the enamel. Keep adding pigment un­til you have a color ·a shade lighter than that of the doll you are restor­ing. Just as with human makeup, lighter tones make age lines less no­ ticeable.

With your knife, add plaster to the paint until the recipe is about the con­sistency of toothpaste, only a little thinner. Add a drop or two of water to thin, if necessary. Now, add a couple of drops of glue, and mix that in also. The mixture should still have a toothpaste-like consistency. If you get a ball that behaves like silly putty, you have too much glue, and need to backtrack and add more paint and plaster.

McGuffy Ana After

Taking your soft cloth, begin to rub the formula over the doll, one small area at a time. Take care to rub it well into the crazing lines, but rub it over the smooth surfaces as well. It will clean and polish, leaving a fresh sparkle as you rub it off. If you find that it doesn't clean off well, leaving a paint film, then, strange as it may sound, you need to add a drop or two more of the glue. If the lines are changing from black to red, you have added too much pigment, and need to add more of the white enamel. I have also used this formula on com po dolls that were not crazed, as a cleaner and freshener, and it is very effec­tive.

Face Touch-Up:

For touchin􀁞 up lip color and drawing new eyebrows, I use artist's col­ored pencils. When moistened, these have a paint-like consistency that is easy to apply and durable, but is also water removeable. Simply moisten end of lead and fill in missing lip color, and sketch in eyebrows, using short, light strokes.

Fortunately, this particular doll's cheek color is good, but if your doll's cheeks have faded a bit, that too can be helped. You will need a small tube of artist's oil pigment in "carmine" and a soft rag. Squeeze out a tiny amount of the pigment onto the cloth and buff it onto the doll's cheeks. Re­peat as needed. As I mentioned ear­lier, my Ana's eyes are tin, but many compo dolls had synthetic eyes that were subject to crazing. If this is the case for your doll, this can be reme­died with a drop or two of sewing ma­chine oil. If they are badly crazed, it may take several applications.

Wig:

To restore doll wigs you will need a spray bottle of Johnson and Johnson's "No More Tangles" and a wide-toothed comb. For mohair wigs, it is very important to remem­ber that they cannot be trulv combed. only slightly "smoothed." Combing will separate the tiny fibers that con­stitute each "hair" and leave you with a comb full of hair and a bare wig. Remove any old ties and carefully unbraid the hair. Spray the doll's wig all over lightly with No More Tan­gles. Using your comb, very gently smooth only the surface of the wig. Rebraid, fasten braids, and tie with ribbons. Smooth bangs. If your doll has any long wisps of hair, these may be trimmed, but use caution in cut­ting. As I'm sure you remember from childhood, doll's hair doesn't grow back! If the wig has come unat­tached from the head around the hairline, use a few drops of glue and reattach.

McGuffy Ana is now ready for the dressmaker! She has been cleaned, made up and been to the stylist. As you can see in the "after" photos, her hidden charm is now quite obvious. She is fresh and clean, and her craz­ing has all but disappeared. She can stand up straight and has a sparkle in her face. With a new outfit she will be a delightful addition to any collec­tion.

The Dolls Of Jules Steiner. A Comparative Study

My love affair with the French Steiner dolls began in 1974, for that was the year I met "Mamselle." Stand­ing as she was on the counter of my fa­vorite doll shop, all 28" (71.1 cm) of her in red velvet, she was certainly stunning, but her appeal, to me, went further: it was the special something which develops between a collector and a doll that kept drawing me back to her over the other hundred dolls on display.

BY JAN FOULKE. PHOTOGRAPHS BY HOW FOULKE

Jan Foulke Collection "Bourgoin" Steiner Doll

Source: April/May 1979 • DOLL READER , Pages 3-6

---

As I circled the shop, al­ways coming back to sigh over her, I told myself that this feeling was ridi­culous. I didn't collect bisque dolls. Not only that, I couldn't buy one with such an enormous price tag! Subse­quently, I left the shop with a box of assorted smaller dolls, "Mamselle" still standing on the counter.

Sometimes the old adage "out of sight, out of mind" absolutely refuses to work-and visions of that doll spun round my head. Finally after several days I could stand the torment no longer: I must own that doll. My hus­band was tired of hearing about her: "Go ahead and buy her," he said. I called the shop owner in a state of euphoria, only to come crashing down to reality when she told me the doll had already been sold! I was dev­astated, but at least the torment was over.

However, that is not the end of my story about "Mamselle" because four months later on Christmas morn­ing, there was "Mamselle" standing next to my tree. I hugged and hugged her, laughing and crying both at the same time that such a marvelous trea­sure was really mine. My husband was the one who had bought the doll, and I never suspected.

Societe Steiner was founded by Jules Nicholas Steiner in 1855 in Paris, France. After 1891, he was no longer in charge and the direction of the com­pany passed to a succession of other heads until 1908. Apparently Societe Steiner did not join the S.F.B.J. con­glomerate of doll makers formed in 1888 which included Jumeau, Bru and others.

Judging from the number of pa­tents registered to them, the Steiner firm apparently worked hard to im­prove their dolls and to try new inno­vations. They had patents for eye movement, walking, talking and other mechanisms for dolls as well as for im­proved processes for making heads and limbs. Several times the firm won med­als for their dolls at the Paris Exhibi­tion, the most exciting in 1889 when they were awarded the gold medal (Medaille D'or).

Steiner dolls usually have beauti­ful smooth bisque, almost creamy, with delicately tinted cheeks. Their eyes are alert, but not oversized like those of the Jumeaus; their lips are full, but tinting is pale so they do not show up as well in photographs as those of other French dolls. Dolls from the early 1880s often have round faces; those of the 1890s are more rec­tangular. Societe Steiner created a wide range of dolls-too many styles and types for one small article, so we are choosing a sampling to include here and will discuss their characteris­tics.

Jan Foulke Collection "Bourgoin" Steiner. Marks on head (incised)

Marks on body: Partial black stamped mark with a decipherable J. This type of Steiner is usually dated about 1880. Her wide forehead and full cheeks give her face a round appearance. Her chin is not well de­fined, but does have a faint dimple. Her eyebrows are a delicate blonde with minute brush strokes. Her blown glass eyes each have a vivid blue iris with a black rim and many tiny dark spokes in them. Often this type of doll has wire eyes (explained later in detail), but although her head is cut for the lever, she never had moving eyes and was apparently a less expensive model. Painted lashes are a series of lightly-made black strokes and eye sockets are outlined in black. Her pierced ears are rather plain and sim· ply modeled. Her mouth is typically Steiner with light tinting; two pro­nounced peaks on the upper lip and a turned up corner. The original pate is of dark brown cardboard. Her curly kidskin wig is a replacement of the proper style as her original hair had been eaten off its skin wig cap.

Jan Foulke Collection "Bourgoin" Steiner Doll

Her original body is in excellent condition. At the knee and elbow joints, the typical purple undercoating which Steiner used can be seen. Fin· gertips and toes still retain traces of the red-lined nails. As is typical of French doll bodies in general, there is little anatomical detail: upper limbs are straight, as are the knee joints; toes are only faintly modeled. There are no separate ball joints; wrists are straight and fingers are stubby; stomach is flat; derriere protrudes only slightly, gently rounded. She is 14" (35.6cm) tall.

Jan Foulke Collection. Baby Steiner Doll

Marks on head (incised):

Red stamp located at sides of crown opening at left: J. STEINER 8.S.G.D.G.

Right: illegible, but could be a repetition of the left side. Marks on body: None.

This Steiner baby is a scant 7" (17.8cm) long with size 4/0 head. Her face is of the type associated with the "Bourgoin" mark. She has the same pate, slight nose, upper lip, ear and eye shape as the doll shown in Illustrations 1-3. Her brows are light and feathered also, but her gray lashes are longer and heavier in proportion to her size, and the eye sockets are not black-lined. Her eyelids have a rose tint. She has the 1880s patented wire-eye mecha· nism. The lever protruding behind her ear opens and closes her dark blue gray eyes. Notice how the head is cut to ac· commodate the lever. She probably had a lamb's wool curly wig which has been lost.

Her papier-mache body, which shows some detail in molding of arms and legs, appears to be a forerunner of the bent-limb babies so popular after 1909, and certainly indicates her to be a rare Steiner type. Not shown in the illustrations is what appears to be her original clothes-a child's guimpe and dress of the late 1880s.

Crandall Collection. Mechanical doll by Steiner

Hardly the prettiest of Steiners in her stripped down condition, yet very interesting is this mechanical doll. In her torso is a mechanism which moves her legs, arms and head while she cries "Mama." This is operated by the key which protrudes from her side. Her head of a pale, almost parian finish with rosy cheeks is round with a wide short neck, completely closed dome and open mouth with two rows of tiny teeth. Her small eyes are pale blue, a paperweight type with blue lining at the eye sockets. Her eyebrows are long and tiny, arching slightly. Her pierced ears have little detail.

Her torso is cloth-covered card­board; arms and lower legs are compo­sition. There is no mark on the heads of these dolls, but the mechanism car­ries the Steiner mark. This doll is 16" (40.7cm) tall, but this type was also available in other sizes. She is hard to date precisely and could possibly be as early as the 1870s as she has characteristics associated with the early Stein­ers. Also some of these types of bodies have been found with wax-over-papier-­mache heads.

Mike White Collection. Steiner doll

Marks on head (incised): S TE C4.

Red stamp at each side of crown opening:

J. STEINER B.S.G.D.G.

Eyes (incised on back of eyeball):

STEINER

4

S.G.D.G

Marks on body: None

This 22-1/2" (57.1cm) Steiner has a longer, lower face than that of the "Bourgoin" or the baby, as well as a higher forehead. She has the interest­ing wire mechanism to operate her blue eyes which do not have the depth of permanent paperweight eyes be­cause they are set into what appears to be a bisque eyeball which is not as fra­gile as the glass eyeball of the German weighted eyes. Also the eyes must be flatter to allow room for opening and closing which is not possible with bulging eyes. She has her original pur­ple cardboard pate, typical of many Steiner dolls. Also there is a little more detail in her ears, which are also pierced. Her eyebrows are soft. Her mouth is typical with two peaks on upper lip and turned up corners. Her body is unmarked but has Steiner characteristics including the short, fat fingers. She is later than the "Bourgoin" since she has jointed wrists, probably dating from the late 1880s. Her long, blonde, human hair wig appears to be original.

Jan Foulke Collection

Marks on head (incised):

A-19

PARIS

Red stamp: "LE PARISIEN"

Marks on body (purple stamp on hip).

BÉBÉ "LE PARISIEN"

MEDAILLE D'OR

PARIS

Finally, here is "Mamselle," easier· than the others to date because her trademark, "Le Parisien" was register­ed in 1892. She is typical of the Steiners with the rectangular face, with just a hint of a chin. Her eyes are dark blue paperweight with good depth as she does not have the wire type. Her eyebrows are darker brown and more pronounced than those on earlier Steiners; eye sockets are wider, not as almond-shaped as earlier ones. Her neck is longer. Her mouth has the same soft color and shape. Her nose is longer with a more defined shape. One of the most interesting changes is in the intricate modeling of her ears which contain a large, deep canal as well as more intricate folds. Another unusual aspect is her original cork pate as most Steiners have cardboard ones.

Her body is similar to that of the "Bourgoin" and a comparison shows three major differences: fingers are longer and thinner; wrists are jointed; and the big toe is separated. She is wearing her original clothes, a deep red velvet dress in Kate Green­away style. Her shoes are marked Steiner. Her hair and hat are replace­ments.

Marks on body: BÉBÉ "LE PARISIEN" MEDAILLE D'OR PARIS

EXPLANATION OF SOME TERMS USED IN STEINER MARKS

STE - probably society or company

BTE - patent registered

S.g.D.g - without government guarantee of the government

J. Bourgoin - unknown but perhaps an as­sociate as here it is preceded by a J. Else­where it isn't.

J. Steiner - head of Société Steiner, 1855-1891

Barbie

This article from 1982 about Barbie-mania is still relevant in many aspects and can be a good source for interesting and helpful information. Enjoy the reading.

BY VIVIAN BRADY

Source: February/March 1982 • DOLL READER , Pages 44-47

---

Barbie-mania is sweeping the country and to those new to Barbie collecting, the question is, "Why?". There are several reasons why this is happening: (1) Antique doll prices have reached hysterical proportions. Few can or wil I pay the prices. Barbie prices, on the other hand, are still low and within the grasp of most of us. (2) For the person who seeks knowledge and a challenge, no other doll comes close to Barbie. In her 22 years, there are so many variations that for even the most curious and ardent collector the search never ends. (3) As her age increases so does our appreciation of her small beauty.

11 ½in (29.2cm) 1174 Barbie Hair Happenin's; marked: "1966/ Mattel, lnc./U. S. Patented/U. S. Pat. Pend./ Made in/Japan;" limited edition Department Store Special, she wears a white blouse, rose-colored skirt and a black belt. Notice her short hair and her centered eyes. 1971. Susan Manos Collection.

To many, however, Barbie yet remains an enigma. Collecting Barbie and her family can become com­plicated and many collectors are frustrated in not knowing how to identify a "good" Barbie and what to pay for her. It is easy to pass over a rare one or think it is too high and not be willing to pay the price. One misguided conception is that the older the doll is the better it is. This is simply not true in Barbie collecting. There are several Barbies from the 1970s that are much more rare than a bubble cut from the early 1960s. Another factor which contributes to the wide variance in price is the condition of the doll. Many modern doll collectors, especially Barbie collectors, will pay much more money for a mint-in-the-box doll than they will for a naked doll that someone picked up at a flea market. This is also true with antique collectors, but not to the degree it is with Barbie and modern doll collectors. Condi­tion, scarcity and desirability are the traits to consider when buying Barbies; forget the age, it is of very little significance.

Below is a list of my top 20 Barbies in the order of their scarcity. No other family member has been considered for this list. (The price list is from 1982 and doesn't reflect current market prices).

1. No. 2 - More rare than a No. 1. - $400-$800

2. No. 1 - Still the most sought after. - $400-$800

3. Barbie Gift Sets and Store Displays. - $75-$500

4. Dressed Barbies in boxes. - $200

5. Sears' Special Barbie Hair Happenin's, 1971. - $50-$300

6. "Side parted" Barbie, 1965. - $100-$300

7. Ward's Anniversary Barbie, 1972. - $50-$150

8. Miss Barbie, "Sleep-eyed," 1964. - $75-$00

9. Color Magic Barbie, 1966. - $45-$250

10. No. 3 Barbie, 1960. - $50-$200

11. Bendable leg Barbie, 1965. - $35-$200

12. 1144 - Barbie with Growing Pretty Hair, 1972. - $35-$125

13. No. 4 Barbie, 1961. - $35-$150

14. 1195 - Talking Busy Barbie, 1972. - $25-$75

3311 - Busy Barbie, 1972. - $25-$75

1115 - Talking Barbie, 1968. - $25-$75

15. 0850 - Swirl ponytail Barbie. - $25-$50

16. Stiff bang ponytail, 1962 to 1963. - $20-$50

17. 2in (5.1cm) Miniature Barbie, 1965 to 1967. - $15-$50

18. 1152 - Live Action Barbie on Stage, 1971. - $15-$35

1155 - Live Action Barbie, 1971. - $15-$35

1182 - Walk Lively Barbie, 1972. - $15-$35

19. 850 - Bubble Cut Barbie, 1961. - $15-$35

20. New York Convention souvenirs. None for sale.

Now, the question is, "What do we need to know about these dolls to make a decision on what to buy?" Everyone knows that the No. 1 Barbie with the round holes in the balls of her feet is worth "$500.00" and rare. Everyone seems to think they have the first Barbie and the general knowledge of her worth has made it almost impossible to "stumble" across a No. 1. The No. 1 and No. 2 Barbies with their slanted Oriental eyes and their sharply pointed eyebrows have the same markings on their buttocks: "Barbie, T.M./Pats. Pend./MCM LVI I I/by/Mattel/Inc." The only difference between the two is the No. 1 has the round holes in her feet and the No. 2 does not. If you have a choice to make between a blonde No. 1 or No. 2 and a brunette - always choose the brunette, unless, of course, you already have one. There were fewer brunettes made and the price goes up accordingly.

11 ½in (29.2cm) 1060 "sleep-eyed" Miss Barbie; torso is marked: 1958/Mattel, lnc./U.S. Patented/U.S. Pat. Pend;" she appears in her original pink bathing suit and is the only doll Mattel has made in the Barbie line with eyes that both open and close. 1964. Susan Manos Collection.

Barbie Gift Sets and Store Dis­plays are most difficult to find. The best chance you have of finding a Store Display is by checking stores in your area that have been in business for the last 20 years. Perhaps there is one in their basement gathering dust. Gift Sets are more easily obtained, at least those made from 1969 to 1972. These sets were most often specials offered by Sears, Wards or Penneys. They usually contain at least one doll, separate outfits and sometimes a few accessories.

Sears has been a main distributor of Barbies and their line has carried the majority of Gift Sets and specials. The 1971 Sears' Special Barbie Hair Happenin's is just one such offering. She came with wigs, but no extra clothing. You might pass her by because her hair looks like it has been cut. Her hair color is Titian (a very light brown), her eyes are center­ed and she has bendable legs. She wears a peasant-looking white blouse and rose-colored skirt with a ruffle at the bottom.

In 1964 Mattel introduced the bendable leg Barbies. The first one was 1060 Miss Barbie. She is most often referred to as the "sleep-eyed" Barbie. She is the only Barbie whose eyes open and close. She is seldom found mint-in-the-box and when found out of the box is often missing her one­piece pink bathing suit with sparkles on the bodice, attached flared skirt and her matching pink bathing cap. Her hard plastic head with the molded hair often has mold flaws above the eyes and onto her head. The source of these flaws may have come from the factory, although the suggestion has been offered that they were caused by the tightness of the bathing cap. Her markings are: "1958/Mattel, Inc./ U.S. Patented/U.S. Pat. Pend." Most of these markings have intaglio (inset) lettering.

Both dolls are 11 ½in (29.2cm) 1070 bendable leg Barbies; marked: "1958/Mattel, Inc./ U.S. Patented/U.S. Pat. Pend." Left: bendable leg Barbie with bangs. Right: "side-parted Barbie with blue band in hair. 1965.

1070 bendable leg Barbies. Left: grayish haired Barbie has slightly longer and fuller hair than the usual 1070. She is wearing No. 1607 "White Magic" coat. Right: This blonde Barbie is wearing 1695 "Evening Enchantment." 1965.

11 ½in (29.2cm) 1150 Color Magic Barbies; both marked: "1958/Mattel, I nc./U.S. Patented/ U. S. Pat. Pend./ Made in/Japan." Both shown to illustrate hair colors appropriate for this doll. 1966.

In 1965 we saw a new bendable leg Barbie and she is called the "bend­able leg" Barbie. Her markings are exactly like those found on the "sleep-eyed" Barbie, but her head is entirely different: a classic "American Girl," short flip hair style with bangs and a middle part crown her soft pliable head. At the same time she was being made, Mattel gave us a variation of her which is considered a rarity. This variation is exactly like the regular bendable leg Barbie except her hair, parted on the left side, is longer and fuller. She is called the "side parted" Barbie. Their stock number, 1070, is the same; they came in identical boxes and wore the same one-piece bathing suit with blue trunks attached to a pink, green, red, purple and blue striped top. Both of these dolls are desirable, but the "side parted" Barbie is almost as difficult to find as a No. 1 Barbie.

11 ½in (29.2cm) No. 4 Barbies; marked: "Barbie T.M./Pats. Pend,/MCMLV- 111/by/Mattel/lnc." The significance of these two is the variation of the standard ponytail.

In 1966 a third type of bendableleg Barbie was made: 1150 ColorMagic Barbie. Her markings are exactly the same as the other bendable legBarbies - except two lines have beenadded: "Made in/Japan." These twolines have raised lettering. Some of thelater Color Magic Barbies had allraised lettering. Her distinguishingcharacteristic is her hair. If found out of her original package, her hair is usually bright yellow or orangish-red.

The texture of her long, straight hair is coarse and after a child has played with her, the hair is unmanageable­looking and rather unattractive. With a little work, she can be restored. If you have one that you would like to experiment with, the bright yellow hair can be changed to red by putting the hair in a solution of water and baking soda or by spraying it with Fantastic Spray Cleaner. To change the red back to the yellow, immerse the hair in vinegar.

"Dressed Box" Barbie as seen in the special box with the two grayishblue bands that wrap around the front and sides of the box. 1963. Susan Manos Collection.

All ponytail Barbies are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Once, a No. 3 or No. 4 Barbie was taken for granted. Not so any longer. If you have a No. 3 or No. 4 with the solid bodies, look for variations. One variation of the No. 3 is a doll lacking the normal ponytail with the hair twisted into a bun on top of her head. Another variation is the braided or plaited ponytail. To make the search even more demanding, look for a stiff banged ponytail in a "Dressed Box."

The "Dressed Box" Barbies came out in 1963 and were also available in 1964. The stiff banged ponytail and the bubble cut Barbie were both used. They did not wear the typical Barbie bathing suit, but instead were dressed in the regular line of clothes made for Barbie. Approximately 20 different outfits were available in the "dressed boxes." This special "Dressed Box" Barbie did not come in just any box; in fact, the box is what sets this doll apart from other Barbies. The main characteristic of this special box are two grayish-blue bands that wrap around the front and sides of the boxes. This box should have the name and number of the outfit that Barbie is wearing. A dressed Barbie in a regular box is not a "Dressed Box" Barbie and does not command the same price by any means.

11 ½in (29.2cm) Ward's anniversary Barbie on the right has darker skin tones than the earlier ponytail on the left. Both the 1972 Ward's Barbie and the 1963 ponytail Barbie are marked: "Midge T. M./1962/Barbie 1958/by Mattel, Inc./Patented."

One ponytail Barbie that has caused a lot of confusion among collectors is the Ward's Barbie of 1972. To commemorate their 100th anniversary, they attempted to dupli­cate the earlier (1964) Barbie with the ponytail. It is difficult to see the differences unless you look especially close. The Ward's Barbie has the same markings as the earlier stiff ponytail, but the print on Ward's Barbie is slightly smaller than on the earlier dolls. Her most striking difference is the suntan brown tone. Her hollow torso itself does not have a pinkish cast and appears to be more nearly the color of her arms and legs, unlike the earlier version. The nails on the Ward's Barbie are not painted; the earlier ones are. The hair on the Ward's Barbie is shiny and silky feeling as compared to the 1960s' ponytail. Examine your ponytails with these details in mind and you just may find one of these most desirable Barbies. For those of you who have a No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and other rare Barbies, the search has not ended. It really has just begun and that is half the fun of being a Barbie collector.

These three Barbies are examples of Department Store Specials available in 1981. Left to right: 1600 Parisian Barbie, 1601 Royal Barbie and 1602 Italian Barbie.

1980 Convention Souvenirs. The boxed 1290 Beauty Secrets Barbie wears a sash not available on any sold in stores. In Barbie's hand (superimposed) is the 2in (5.1cm) gold, electroplated charm that is the copy of the 1965 to 1967 Miniature Barbie; embossed, vertically on the charm's spine, is the mark: "Mattel."

Every year Mattel comes out with a Barbie that cannot be resisted. Those being made today could be rare in a few years. Especially attractive on today's market are Department Store Specials. These specials are found in most areas of the country, but are often difficult to locate. They are not found in such stores as K-Mart or Toys "R" Us. They are found in large department stores, usually in metropolitan areas. Some of the specials available in 1981 include: Oriental Barbie, Royal Barbie, Parisian Barbie, Beach Party Malibu Barbie and Italian Barbie. Another interesting Barbie is the Western Barbie, who winks and comes with bangs or without (you must have both). If you really want to be exotic in your search, you can find Barbies in Mexico, France, Germany and other European countries. There you will find variations and totally different ones than are available in the United States. All of this variety makes Barbie the most challenging doll to collect today.

At the bottom of the list of top 20 Barbies are two that should really be at the top. They are the two souvenirs from the 1980 New York Barbie Convention. There were fewer of these made than there are No. 1 s or No. 2s in collections today. However, I doubt very seriously whether there are any available at any (?) price. The tiny gold electroplated Barbie charm is a copy of the 1965 miniature Barbie and the other is a very limited Beauty Secrets Barbie with a special sash that proclaims: "21 Years of Barbie." These two Barbies were only available to those who attended that convention.