“Barbie: A Rare Beauty” Book Review

She owns a mansion, a jet, a cruise ship, and a few convertibles.  She’s traveled the world, stopping in over 150 countries.  She has five sisters, over 40 pets and an on-again-off-again relationship with the smoothest in America.  Her photo adorns the walls of sought-after hotel suites in cities such as Paris and Las Vegas.  But most importantly, she is the face of a nearly $2 billion empire – and still has time to shop for shoes.

I grew up playing with Barbie.  I vividly remember the enjoyment I felt as I walked down the pink aisle filled with different Barbie products.  I had friends who collected different Barbie dolls.  Barbie was a big part of my life growing up.

Sandi Holder, Author of Barbie: A Rare Beauty, is getting down to business with America’s most successful career woman.  Barbie: A Rare Beauty was released on October 31st, 2010 and is available for purchase in bookstores and online, retailing for $30.00.  When Sandi Holder met the 11 1/2 inch tall American icon, Barbie was turning heads in her Red Flare outfit (#939), a rich red velvet tent coat, adn sporting the brunette Bubblecut she donned in the early 60s.  Now owner of Doll Attic in Union City, CA, the celebrated Barbie doll expert is presenting her incredible collection in Barbie: A Rare Beauty.  The glamorous guide to Barbie’s 50 years showcases stunning vintage dolls, classic fashion sets, one-of-a-kind rarities, store displays and many never-before-seen items – all acquired by Holder during two decades of Barbie doll collecting.  Holder was named Mattel’s first Dealer of the Year in 2004 and was the 2006 recipient of Barbie’s Best Friend Award given by Mattel designer Carol Spencer at the National Barbie Convention.  She has appeared on The Today Show and the Doll Attic have been featured in The New York Times, CNN.com, Newsweek, and others.

Three Barbie dolls are sold every second according to Mattel.  These staggering statistics, especially in today’s economic times, prove that Barbie is ageless, even after celebrating her 50th birthday in February 2009.  Born Barbie Millicent Roberts, the doll first appeared at the New York Toy Fair on March 9, 1959.  The sly, side-staring Ponytail Barbie doll wearing a black and white striped, one-piece swimsuit appeared seemingly out of nowhere amongst the era’s one-dimensional paper dolls and chubby baby dolls, selling for a mere $3.  That same Barbie doll, shown in Barbie: A Rare Beauty, earned Holder a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2006 after it sold for more than $25,000 at a Doll Attic auction.  Holder’s biannual auctions continue to be a mainstay of her business, offering some of the rarest Barbie dolls and accessories.

Unlike the plastic megastar, Holder’s road to prominence wasn’t paved with pink boxes, pilgrim heels and ponytails.  Two decades ago when her son fell seriously ill and Sandi suddenly needed to generate income while staying at home, she and Barbie got down to business.  With such an impressive resume of over 100 positions, from fashion designer to school teacher to three-time presidential candidate, Barbie was the perfect silent partner in Holder’s plan.  Immersing herself in all-things Barbie, she began attending doll shows, buying duplicates and assessing the market and was soon selling vintage dolls from two plastic milk crates in her garage.  In 1989, she opened her Doll Attic in a storefront in the San Francisco Bay area.

MY THOUGHTS

This was a really fun book to look through.  It was amazing to see the different styles Barbie has had over the years and to flip through page after page of colorful Barbie images.  A big thanks goes to Sandi Holder for putting together this Barbie masterpiece!

I received a copy of “Barbie: A Rare Beauty” from Sandi Holder to facilitate this review.  All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.