By Allen Voivod
In 1973, Barbie® grabbed her diploma and broke the glass ceiling to become a doctor for the very first time! It was a watershed moment, not just for Barbie® career dolls but for girls around the world to see what was possible, and how that could make all the difference. Now, Barbie® Signature celebrates one of her most important jobs while honoring the dedication of first responders everywhere with the Vintage 1973 Dr. Barbie® Doll Reproduction.
This is Barbie® Signature's fourth vintage reproduction of 2021, after the highly praised launches of the 1975 Gold Medal Barbie® Doll reproduction, the Ken™ 60th Anniversary Doll, and the 1977 Superstar Christie™ Barbie® Doll (all of which are available in the online shop). This time, the reproduction is inspired by the 1973 Get-Ups 'n Go™ Fashion Pack, which didn't come with a doll at the time. Designer Bill Greening paired the repro fashion with a repro Quick Curl™ Barbie® Doll to create a complete tribute to Barbie doll's doctor career debut.
To add more context to this release – for the backstory on the original doll and fashion, as well as a sense of the "real world" into which the original doll and fashion were introduced – Bill tells the tale as only he can. "From a long history of Barbie doll’s careers, this was the first time Barbie doll was a doctor. We would see this career repeated over the years, but this was a big 'first' milestone. In the era of the early 1970s women were fighting for their rights and the Equal Rights Amendment was passed. This was really a time when Barbie doll showed girls they could be anything."
Now, fast forward to 2020, when Bill began working on this doll, and when medical professionals suddenly had a much more prominent role in all of our lives. "We saw many in the medical field on the frontlines of a healthcare crisis," Bill recalls, "so I think this Dr. Barbie Doll reproduction is a nice nod to honor those heroes. Dr. Barbie Doll really shows how for decades Barbie doll continues to inspire children and adults alike."
Donning a crisp white lab coat, Dr. Barbie® is ready for rounds as she reviews x-rays and examines patients using her stethoscope and head mirror. When it’s time to scrub in, she wears bright teal surgical scrubs and a matching surgical mask. Equipped with a diploma, stethoscope, head mirror, X-ray “film,” telephone, and cloth towel, Dr. Barbie® Doll is ready to break boundaries in and out of the operating room!
In our conversation with Bill about the doll, he also let us in on some of the process details that go into re-creating a vintage doll, including the doll itself as well as the fashions and accessories. "For any reproduction, I work with a team to recreate the look of the doll and fashions," Bill explains. "The plastic parts [accessories] are scanned and rebuilt. We also check size and fitting for those parts.
"I have a soft goods engineer who helps with the vintage patterns and fabric selection. And there are partners on the hair and face team that help re-create the look of the doll."
There's also the packaging to consider, but because this wasn't based on a doll so much as it was based on a fashion pack, the process is a bit different. "I work with the package team to ideate the doll’s box," Bill says. "The package designer took inspiration from the original Get-Ups and Go fashion package as well as Barbie doll boxes from the 1970s."
That doll box is perfect for display as is, but if you like to show off your dolls outside of the box, the Dr. Barbie® Doll packaging includes a doll stand. You'll find a Certificate of Authenticity inside the packaging as well.
The Vintage 1973 Dr. Barbie® Doll Reproduction is a Mattel Creations Exclusive and part of our Black Label® series of dolls, available for $50 in the online shop on 8/2 at 9:00am PT. At her debut, there will be a limit of three (3) dolls per person, so as many Barbie® fans and career doll collectors can add this vintage repro to their collections. (This limit is also subject to change at a later date.)
"I think this is a really special reproduction to add to any Barbie doll collection," Bill adds, "and a great gift for someone special in the medical field." We couldn't agree more! So head over to the online shop now and get your Dr. Barbie® Doll, stat!
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