Great Gifts Happy Holiday Barbie Dolls Best Collectibles

Happy Holiday Barbie Dolls

Every little girl the world over loves Barbie dolls. The fashion, the beauty, the dreams. Ruth Handler's dream of "We Girls Can Do Anything" has certainly come true. Over the years the Barbie doll craze has grown and Mattel has issued various series of collectible Barbie dolls from the Platinum label series to the Gold label to the Pink Label series. One of my favorite series was launched in 1988. In 1988, Barbie came out with a series called Happy Holiday Barbie. This series combines the best of the best - Holiday celebrations with luxurious fabrics, such as crush-able velvets, pristine white ermine and tons of metallics, not to mention heavy embroidery and tons of shine from Swarovski crystals make this series sparkle with the magic of the holidays.

Journey with us as the detail the marketing maven behind this great collector series. Learn about Jill Barad's rapid rise in corporate America. Hear about the vision Ruth Handler the inventor had for the girl next door and more. And lastly, visit every year of the Holiday Barbie collection available out on Amazon.

Barbie is the Girl Next Door from Willows, Wisconsin

Ruth Handler, the inventor of the Barbie Doll, dreamed of a doll for dreaming. Her vision was the girl next door. For this dream, Ruth suggested that Barbie was "Barbara Millicent Roberts" complete with a wholesome image of her hometown, my new found state of Wisconsin and fictitious community - Barbie's hometown of "Willows, Wisconsin."

Innovation of the Adult Series Barbie Doll Collectibles

As a business woman who closely watches marketing trends, I found it fascinating that the marketing maven Jill Barad who would go on to become the CEO of Mattel was the the innovator behind my favorite series of Barbie dolls - the adult collection - the Holiday series

"Jill Elikann Barad used her marketing ability and eye for consumer trends to reestablish the Barbie doll as an American icon. She rapidly climbed the corporate ladder to become president, chairman, and chief executive officer of Mattel, Incorporated, one of the world's largest toy companies. As one of four women at the helm of a Fortune 500 company in the late 1990s, Barad broke through the corporate "glass ceiling" and inspired other businesswomen."

Holiday Series - Names Changed - Indulgence and Delight Continued

Throughout the 25 plus years of the issuance of this amazing collector item, the name of the series has changed. From Happy Holiday Barbie Dolls to Winter Fantasy to the Millennium Princess

The Magic of the Holiday Spirit - The Joy and Elegant Gowns

What do I love about the Holiday Barbie Doll series? No matter what the series name is at the moment, I love the fact there is an annual issuance but more importantly I love the flowing gowns, I love the magic of the moment. The joy of the season denoted by the fresh faced Barbie in the story book gown. Perhaps also, I love decorating at holiday time. The Christmas tree comes out, the lights, the garlands. Displaying a Happy Holiday Barbie doll in my home is something I have put on my "bucket list" (a term commonly used in the United States from a famous movie detailing an event we wish for before the end of our lifetime) - it is not necessarily an activity but a true indulgence.

Fresh Faced Barbie Doll

One of the items I love about Barbie is the "fresh face" of the doll. Ruth Handler created the girl everyone wants to be. Beautiful but yet with a friendly face and as one person so aptly described a "fresh face" - a face not just of beauty but of kindness and fun and happiness.

Recent editions of the face to me have changed. In 2008, I read that Mattel added rooted eye lashes. When I review the faces through the years of the Holiday Barbie, I see a dramatic change in the face in mid-2000. The change I don't care for - the fresh face that I fell in love with and have become a friend with has now sadly changed.

Yes, I know my face has changed too over the decades but I would prefer the magic of that fresh face to return. No rooted eyelashes, just the beautiful green eyed beauty that I fell in love with when I was 5 years old.

What do you think about the evolution of the Barbie face? Do you see the change? Do you approve?

2008 marked the 20th anniversary of Holiday Barbie Dolls. For many of us, it just wouldn't be a Holiday season - a Christmas without Barbie. Most of us have childhood memories of Christmas morning with Barbie gifts under the tree and today we have Holiday Barbies and ornaments to help celebrate the season.

In addition to the official Holiday doll produced every year, Hallmark produces Barbie Christmas Ornaments and there have been many other Holiday Barbies - special editions, grocery store versions, even an Angel series. This part of Fashion Doll Guide is intended to be a comprehensive guide to everything Holiday Barbie. I will be adding in individual pages on each doll and ornament.

Happy Holiday Barbie Dolls Dolls were made from 1988 to 1998. The 1988 Happy Holiday Barbie is considered to be the first "Collectible Barbie", although it wasn't originally planned that way. The dolls rapidly sold out and almost immediately began to command big prices on the secondary market. Based on the popularity of that doll, Mattel realized there was a huge market for Barbie Dolls for adult collectors. This was the beginning of the "Barbie craze" that continued to grow, reached an absolute fevered pitch in the late 1990s (thanks to the advent of eBay). Unfortunately for many, the craze has died down since the early 2000s, but there are still many adult Barbie collectors.

First of the Collectible Adult Series of Barbie Dolls

This series, the Holiday Series, was one of the most (if not THE most) popular of all times. Many began their Barbie collection because of this series and many collected only this line. Many girls received a "Happy Holiday" Barbie each year for Christmas.

Since the end of the Happy Holiday Series in 1998 there have been Holiday Barbie Dolls every year, but there has not been a continual series like the earlier one.

In 1999 the Holiday Barbie was called Millennium Princess, in celebration of the new millennium.

From 2000 to 2002 the Holiday Barbies were the Celebration Series.

Holiday Barbie Doll in 2003 the Holiday Barbie was called "Winter Fantasy".

Since 2004 they have been called simply "Holiday Barbie".

Fantastic Holiday Decoration and Collectible

The delight in collecting is being able to afford the collection. What is delightful about this series with the exception of a few rare Holiday Barbie Dolls, the dolls remain very affordable. Check out the great prices from Amazon and eBay for these fanciful creations. Yes, some are in the hundreds but not all, there are some great buys out there - quality outweighing the price tag.

If you want a rare doll, if you want a porcelain doll, do plan on spending more. All the others are equally delightful and make a great present to a loved one or friend or a personal treat.

Frugal Female Gift - Many Memories Created

Where can you create a memory, an annual tradition for less than $40?!  This is a fantastic item to share.  Please at the end, share your personal stories with us.  We want to hear about the gift given and gifts received - the many memories created.

Start Your Collection Today - Start Collecting for a Close Friend - A New Tradition

Share the joy, start a collection today. Indulge a close friend and start her on a collection today!

Ruth Handler may have been the inventor of the Barbie Doll, Jill Barad was the inventor of the collector series of Barbie Dolls. A marketing maven who propelled Mattel from good to great. A marketing genius who harnessed the buying power of aging babyboomers who fondly remembered their childhood days and playing with Barbie Dolls. Jill successfully targeted the adult buying power of collectible Barbie Dolls. She changed the slogan of Barbie and took the dreams of Barbie beyond fashion and into the boardroom - in both the retail sector and in her personal life. Jill Barad successfully broke through the glass ceiling of Corporate America. Hear what esteemed business and news media had to say about her professional success story.

"In 1995, however, Barad began to market Barbie as a professional role model with the tagline "We Girls Can Do Anything," accompanied by the message that Barbie could be a doctor, dentist, teacher, or executive. The new aggressive marketing campaign meant that Barbie became a symbol of achievement rather than an image of high-fashion attractiveness. That year the new Barbie dolls accounted for $1.4 billion in sales or 35 percent of Mattel's gross revenue. In 1997 Barad became living proof of Barbie's "We Girls Can Do Anything" slogan by moving into the position of Mattel's chief executive officer when John Amerman retired."

source: Dawn Jacob Laney Jill Barad 1951— Biography - Developing marketing skills, Taking Mattel by storm, Early successes, Difficulties in management, Overexpansion Reference For Business

"Barad started at Mattel as a $38,000-a-year product manager in 1981. She rose to CEO by January, 1997. Over the past three years, she has pocketed $23 million, and she holds options to buy 4.9 million Mattel shares. At a time when such top female executives as PepsiCo Inc.'s Brenda Barnes have left Corporate America behind to spend more time with their families and others remain thwarted by the glass ceiling, Barad is one of a handful of women to head a major American company." Business Week

After a bountiful buyout from Mattel, Jill Barad went on to serve to other corporate boards.

Holiday Barbie - Corporate Barbie - We Girls Can Do Anything

The economic power of women is often forgotten. The marketing successes and inventions are commonly shouted about for men and by men. Women have made a substantial contribution to our society. Women are all about grace and elegance as exhibited in the beautiful fashions of Barbie. Women are also all about dreams of success - both at home and corporate success. The Holiday Barbie is a celebration of joy and opulence and in some small way, a celebration too of the careers of two brave women - Ruth Handler the inventor and Jill Barad who forged new territories in the marketplace and created their very own corporate legacies.

Barad’s success is an inspiration to all - and especially to young girls. Barad's career and rapid rise in corporate America is a reinforcement of what women can achieve: "We Girls Can Do Anything".

The essence of Barbie remains true even to today - "We Girls Can Do Anything". Think and dream big.

“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.”

Albert Einstein quotes (German born American Physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity. Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921. 1879-1955)

“I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”

Jimmy Dean quotes

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

C.S. Lewis quotes (British Scholar and Novelist. 1898-1963)

"Our objective is to position Switzerland as a country with the most exceptional natural features where visitors can enjoy truly authentic alpine holidays. To achieve this aim, Swiss Tourism has developed this year's campaign on the basis of six universal reasons which invite vacationers to dream, to travel, to discover the wonders of nature, to be astonished, to move and to be moved."

Federico Sommaruga quotes

“The goal is really to raise the aspirations of girls. But the other goal is to get the country to pay attention to how powerful adults are in girls' lives.”

Marie Wilson quotes

“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”

Mother Teresa quote

“Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love”

Mother Teresa quote

1988 - 2010 Holiday Barbie Detail on Amazon

Enjoyed the journey? Continue below as we detail each Holiday Barbie by year (descending) on Amazon. Pick your favorite Holiday Barbie and year.

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