posted on November 29, 2000 07:47:34 PM new
I was just wondering if anyone knows the (approximate) fiber content of the swimsuit that went with the original bubble cut Barbies. Was it made from natural fibers?
posted on November 29, 2000 08:08:12 PM new
I am not a Barbie expert. But the late 60's was NYLON/POLYESTER Heaven days....
******************** Gosh Shosh!
posted on November 29, 2000 09:23:36 PM new
Wow -- I've been collecting vintage Barbie for six years now, and that's a question I've never heard before / even spared a thought for.
If you're talking about the black and white strapless one-piece, which was used until about '62 or so, I *think* it has some cotton in it. It certainly has a cotton-y feel to it. But there's stretch to it, too.
If you're talking about the red one-piece used after '62, it's made of some sort of synthetic -- nylon, I guess.
If you're just writing a description for something you're going to sell, I wouldn't worry about it too much.
posted on November 29, 2000 09:54:32 PM new
Rachel-
I was actually wondering about the red one. I just bought a case full of vintage goodies. Actually most of the stuff in the case is Hong Kong knockoffs, but there's some good stuff too. There are 2 red swimsuits and I don't think either one of them are genuine Barbie. One is cotton-y and one is synthetic. I was just wondering what the original was to start with, even though I don't think either one of these is it. (For starters, is the real one tagged? Niether of these are.)
OK, one more question. I have an original Skipper outfit- the red & white bodysuit. Is there any way to distinguish the original original from the 70's repro? Do collectors even care?
I am a Barbie fanatic and I am just now starting to get into vintage. I know a lot about the dolls & accessories from the early 80's but not much about anything from before that.
Thanks for the help! I really do appreciate it! If anyone has any early 80's doll ???'s I'll be happy to return the favor!
posted on November 30, 2000 01:12:40 AM new
Hello...old person here. I had some of the original Barbies, and sold them a few years back for what I thought at the time was a mind-boggling sum!
The original outfits all had fabric Mattel labels sewn in; that's one of the things buyers expect to find. (I think they were phased out in the early 70's.)
I have a couple of collector's guides (right here on my lap at the moment) that I bought to help me selling a friend's dolls. (She's about 5 years younger than me, and I didn't recognize all her items.) 1962 to 1967 Barbies came in a red jersey swimsuit. Items from that era would definitely have the label.
Edited to add one technical fine point: the *original* bubble-cut Barbies had black and white striped suits, not red.
[ edited by barkrock on Nov 30, 2000 01:14 AM ]
posted on November 30, 2000 01:55:40 PM new
Okay, I'm sitting here with nine genuine red "Helanca" (that's what they're called, for some reason) Barbie swimsuits on the desk in front of me. None of them have tags (although it's true that all the regular, non-swimsuit Barbie outfits from this era had tags).
So the synthetic one in your pile MIGHT be the genuine article. The quality of the item might give you a clue -- the real thing is made out of a pretty substantial, high quality synthetic knit -- it's not flimsy by any means.
I'm afraid I don't know a thing about Skipper swimsuits ... that's a great question, though!
LOL!) Thanks for the help!