Day Number One

Dolldom celebrates the new decade commemorating the past - 1959 to be exact- year of the introduction of the vinyl blonde bombshell, the Barbie doll. And on this first day of the year 2020, two beautiful evocations of the alluring style of the Number One Barbie doll grace our virtual pages.

Several readers asked for comparison photos of the two most recent reinterpretations of the iconic doll: Mattel's 75th Anniversary Silkstone Barbie doll and 2009's My Favorite Barbie from 1959. Here they are delighting us with their mysterious gazes!

This exclusive portfolio is meant to illustrate the differences as well as the similarities. What it is not meant to elicit is a comparison of superiority as any choice made would be based on subjectivity and as such would be the product of the eye of the beholder.

For Dolldom, both reiterations of the Number One Barbie doll represent the vision of Ruth Handler, one that combined with - we assume- serendipitous occurrences yielded a doll with white irises, heavy black eyeliner, arched eyebrows, deep red lips, curly bangs with ponytail and a silhouette made to compliment the couture of the times.

Our wish is that you enjoy the photos in peace, health, and a sense of childlike wonder!

Best of best for the new decade!











Note: My Favorite Barbie 1959 from 2009 was restyled by Bobby Taylor of Pink Bubbles Doll Spa. We thank him again for sharing his talent with Dolldom.

A First for a First

Mattel Toys celebrates its 75th Anniversary in 2020. To commemorate the achievement, the Barbie Team at the famed toy maker has designed, under the direction of Bill Greening, a tribute to the doll that started the revolution of fashion dolls back in 1959. The very first Barbie doll, known as Number One 1 Barbie, is the jewel in many lucky collections. Magical and mysterious, the doll is a cultural icon of sorts. With white irises and blood red lips, the look of the very first Barbie doll is drama condensed.

As the Barbie doll has had milestones, Mattel has produced versions of the first Barbie. One iteration failed to materialize in spite of it being imagined by many collectors since the inception of the Barbie Fashion Model Collection and created by many doll artists using dolls from this line. But finally, as the first decade of the 21st century draws to a close, Mattel regales its collectors with the very first Number One 1 Barbie doll made of Silkstone.

Made with care and with vintage collectors' mindset in mind, this latest iteration brings together the heft of the resin-like material, finely-detailed and beautifully manicured fingers, the famed bathing suit cut to fit like a glove (no double sided tape to hold it on Barbie's bosom), and a daringly intense make-up design. This new Number One pays tribute to the legacy of Ruth Handler not by intending to be a copy but rather by ushering a new way to enjoy a quality doll that channels the essential allure of Barbie's first look.

This exclusive portfolio of portraits is dedicated to the memory of Dolldom friend Franklin Lim-Liao who shared many a Number One 1 Barbie doll with us.















Dolldom thanks Pretty Dollz Inc for their support in the making of this entry.