Barbie outside the USA

As I researched more about Barbie around the world, I found that there were a number of countries which issued dolls under licence from Mattel. These dolls were not generally sold in the USA, but they were sold in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. In a later blog post, I will discuss more about the older dolls not issued in the USA, but this one is an introduction to Barbies from the rest of the world.

Japan had been the first “home” of Barbie manufacture, and Barbie was very popular there (with some modifications such as Japanese versions of Midge, Francie and Skipper, and many special outfits). In 1982, Takara Toy company began selling “Takara Barbie” who had been redesigned and had unique outfits, including kimonos, which appealed to the Japanese market. When they lost the licence in 1986, they continued to produce the doll, who was now called Jenny. They had already been producing a smaller Skipper-sized doll called Licca since 1967, and also many friends and family. However, Mattel entered a new licensing agreement with Bandai, to produce “Ma-Ba” dolls, which were very similar to the Takara dolls with their large eyes. This arrangement lasted until around 1989.

In the 1980s in South America, several companies also manufactured Barbies under licence. Rotoplast, in Venezuela, and Estrela in Brazil, made versions of the mainstream issued Barbies, but also some unique to their country. Unique Rotoplast dolls included Llanera, Primavera, Agua marina, Esmeralda and Reina de Belleza. Between 1982 and 1994 Estrela also made versions of the mainstream dolls, with differences, as well as unique dolls such as Alta Costura, Moda Festa, Glamour, and Barbie’s friend Viky.

Mattel also had a licensing agreement with Leo in India, who similarly to the South American licensees, manufactured versions of the standard line Barbies, and also some unique to India. Not surprisingly, many of these were sold wearing saris and other traditional costumes, the most elaborate of which were in a series called Expressions of India.

In the Philippines, from 1982 to 2003, Mattel licensed Richwell Phils to produce Barbies, many of which were unique and not sold in the USA. A beautiful series called “Filipina” were made in traditional costumes in the early 1990s, followed by a series of “Ethnic Barbies” in beaded outfits. However, they also made basic Barbies in swimsuits, which were sold in Australia – this included dolls such as Summer Splash, Fashion Fun and Pretty in Pink, as well as “baggie” dolls without names who were sold with the campervan and dolls house.

Since the mid-1960s, there have been European issued outfits and dolls. Sometimes only the languages on the packaging are different from the US-issued doll, and other times the item is unique. The classic 1960s outfits Sorbonne, Gala Abend and Atelierfest were designed by Anne-Marie Crivelli and are much sought-after by collectors. Unique European fashions were available in the Fashion Originals and Haute Couture series through the 1970s into the 1990s.

As this is just an introduction, I will write more about this topic in later posts, as I have always found it fascinating.