Ask any collector of vintage Barbie dolls what the most sought after doll is and the answer will most likely be a vintage Ponytail doll. These were the first Barbie dolls, released in 1959. Of course these are sought after, they are rare hard to find dolls that any collector would like to have. However, there are many other wonderful sought after vintage Barbie’s; one such doll is the original Malibu Barbie.
This is a Barbie near to my own heart. As a child I remember wanting a Barbie so badly that my mom likely hated the name. In an uncharacteristic display of love, my older brother spent some of his own money to buy my first Barbie as a birthday gift. As brothers go, he isn’t half-bad, but considering our ages at the time this was a major sacrifice on his part. Malibu Barbie was one of the less expensive dolls, which I think was a motivating factor when my brother went shopping. Oh, I loved that doll! She went all over the place with me. Somewhere while growing up she disappeared, most likely in a garage sale.
The Malibu Barbie is a vintage Barbie doll that was first released in 1971 and available up until the early eighties. Other dolls in this same line include Sunsational Malibu Barbie, Sun Gold Malibu Barbie, Sun Loving Malibu Barbie with peek-a-boo tan, and of course Barbie’s friends. Malibu Barbie proved to be an instant hit when she was released. Girls easily identified her with the beach life in California. If you were a young girl during this time chances are you had a Malibu Barbie in your collection.
While the vintage Ponytail Barbie’s might be out of reach for some collectors, the Malibu Barbie is more reasonably priced and easier to locate. If you are looking for a never removed from box (NRFB) you will need to devote more time to your search than the collector simply looking for a Malibu Barbie in very good condition.
The original Malibu Barbie, dressed in an aqua colored swimsuit, was sold in a narrow box and her only accessories were sunglasses and a yellow towel. She had waist length blond hair parted on the side.
In 2002, Mattel released a reproduction Malibu Barbie. The new doll is identical in looks to the vintage Barbie doll other than the fact that the reproduction doll was released with a bottle of sunscreen in addition to the sunglasses and towel. The vintage Barbie was sold in a narrow box with a cellophane window while the remade version is in a wider box without the window.
The original Malibu Barbie can be found on Ebay in a wide range of prices depending on condition. I’ve seen her go for as little as few dollars and as high as a $100.00. Always ask questions if there is any confusion as to the doll being an original vintage Barbie or a remake and of course, you want to avoid sellers that have questionable amounts of negative feedback.
See links for sites that bear watching if you are looking for a Malibu doll. Inventory at these sites changes quickly so check back often.
