The Bubble Cut Barbie: a Great Way to Start Your Vintage Barbie Doll Collection

Like many little girls, I was entranced with Barbie dolls. I would spend hours playing with mine, building doll houses for them, and doing their hair. This love of the Barbie has not changed as I've become an adult; it has become something new - a collection!

As a novice Barbie doll collector, I am always on the lookout for great old Barbies. Many of the "vintage" Barbie dolls, however, are out of my price range and are difficult to find. After spending hours searching the vintage doll websites and even visiting the Barbie museum (yes, there is one!), I came across a Barbie that I fell in love with: the Bubble Cut Barbie. The best thing about her? You can find her with relative ease, and without too much of a hit to your wallet. She is the perfect "first" in your vintage Barbie doll collection.

What is the Bubble Cut Barbie? She came after the wildly popular "Ponytail Barbie" - that classic 1950's Barbie with the ponytail and bangs. In an era of Jackie O, Marilyn Monroe, and high fashion, this was a Barbie that had clearly been to the beauty salon and showed her glamorous roots to everyone. Her haircut - called the "Bubble Cut," hence the name of this Barbie - was a short bob with bangs, parted on the side. The updated haircut was huge success with little girls (and moms!) everywhere and a bestseller from the start. Introduced in 1961, she was an instant hit and was produced until 1965. She had a wide range of hair colors - ash blonde, jet black, with reds and browns in between - and had long eyelashes and modern makeup and a full wardrobe of fashionable clothes to go along with her new hairstyle.

Because she was produced for a fairly long period of time and was so popular in her heyday, there are still many of these Barbies still available. On Ebay, they range anywhere from $15.00 for a well-loved version, all the way up to $200 for a Mint In Box condition Bubble Cut Barbie. In addition to Ebay, you can find them on Yahoo Auctions, TIAS.com, and nancysdreamhouse.com.

When you do buy your first vintage Barbie doll, watch out for the following "red flags":
-Make sure your doll doesn't have any green areas by her ears. This is a common area of corrosion for Barbies, and reduces her value.
-Make sure her lipstick is either pink or red - some lips have faded to white, but this was not the original color.
-Make sure the check the date on her rump of her back, just to make sure the year the seller quotes you is accurate.

A vintage Barbie doll collection is a dream come true for many "grown up" girls. With the availability of the Bubble Cut Barbie, your dream can - very soon - be a reality!