My Favorite Barbie: The Original Teenage Fashion Model Barbie Doll

1959 Original Teenage Fashion Model Barbie Doll is the best repro of the #1 Barbie to date–but, it’s still not a perfect repro. I’ve deboxed the doll, and so I’m evaluating it from the perspective of a deboxed display doll. The doll is very nice in appearance, and the reproduction of the Solo In The Spotlight fashion is excellent.

The quibbles: The arm molds for the vintage repro dolls are not accurate to the original dolls. The original dolls had divided fingers (index and pinky on the right hand, pinky only on the left hand) and the shapes were different from the reproduction body molds. Also, the #1 Barbie doll (as well as the #2, #3, and #4) reproductions should be manufactured differently from dolls meant to duplicate later dolls. The ‘heft’ of the doll should be weightier, as the original dolls had solid vinyl torsos and limbs. The skin tone is slightly too pink to be 100% accurate in my opinion as well. The original doll had copper tubing lining the holes in her feet. Obviously the repro doll should not include this feature due to metal oxidation issues, but some sort of metal lining would be a better match than no lining at all. The hair is also not a perfect match to the original, as the #1 Barbie doll had an extremely fine gauge saran hair material, in a distinctive yellow-orange color. This doll’s hair is too glossy and too ‘ash blonde’ in color, and the doll doesn’t appear to have the flocking underneath the ponytail that the original doll featured. Also, the hairline is placed too low on the doll’s forehead, the original doll had a very high forehead. The face paint is a good likeness, but not 100% perfect. The brows should be slightly darker, and the paint colors are good but not perfect.

No collector is ever going to mistake this doll for the original, but it’s still a great doll in its own right. Definitely worth the very reasonable price, and I would encourage anyone interested in vintage Barbie to pick this one up.

This is not a perfect reproduction, it is however, a perfect display model for your vintage fashions. I wouldn’t recommend this to collector’s (It’s being mass produced with the Barbie Pink Label, not worth much to “collect”.) but I do recommend it to anyone who wants a decent reproduction to display early clothes.

The only real problem I have with this doll is the super low forehead. The hair should be up super high. The eyes aren’t the same either, but I don’t own an original #1 Barbie so I’m happy with this one.

In short, if you want a beautiful doll to display vintage fashions, she’s your gal!

5.0 out of 5 stars
Barbie at 50 Years
As an owner of an original Barbie, I was eager to have the 50th anniversary edition. I was delighted with my purchase and very impressed with the delivery service.

5.0 out of 5 stars
nostalgic Barbie reproduction
Overall, this is a much more faithful reproduction of the original 1959 Barbie doll than the previous one (issued in 1993 to celebrate Barbie’s 35th anniversary).

5.0 out of 5 stars
50 and still has it
I was born a few days before Barbie. We both turn 50 early this year. I was too young when Barbie first came on the scene. Had many of the later models.