Dressed Box Japanese Market Dolls

I recently acquired a fun little Barbie item, a Dressed Bubblecut Barbie exclusively from the Japanese Market.   

 

 

1965 Dressed Bubble Cut wearing Fashion Editor from Japanese Market 

 

 

These dolls are very difficult to identify, unless they are still in their original box.

The Japanese market dolls were packaged in normal western style clothing as well as a western style box, with only two additional stickers affixed to the box that the U.S. boxes did not include.   



Western Dressed Doll Box sold in Japan

 

 

The first sticker is found on the inside of the bottom box inside flap, where Barbie’s head would be positioned.  It is a white Tariff Stamp Sticker with black lettering. 

 

 

Tariff Stamp Sticker

 

 

Western Box without sticker and Japanese Market Box with Tariff Stamp Sticker

 

 

The 2^nd sticker is a KB sticker found on the top outside end flap of the box which also has the fashion number of the dressed doll.  

 

KB Sticker on end flap box

 

Also in the box was a fashion booklet and stand.  The earlier dolls included a 2-piece black metal stand with plastic base with the lettering “Barbie” written on it.  The later ones had a gold one-piece wire stand.

 

 

 

 

A Japanese fashion booklet was also included with these dolls.  And I believe others may have included a western booklet.

 

 

 

There are also rare boxes that had these western dolls in packages that were very similar, but the photographs on the box were Japanese faced dolls rather than Western faced dolls.

 

 

Box Variation

 

 

There is very little written about these dolls, and I’m still learning, but they are certainly something to look further in to, and even to acquire! 

Let me know if you have any more information you want to share!

 

Happy Hunting!

 

 

Barbie of the Month: The Takara Barbie Doll

Takara Barbie

 

The Takara Barbie doll was released in 1982, when Mattel teamed up with Takara Company to develop a fashion doll.  At the time Barbie had been in the Japanese market for quite some time, but she wasn’t that popular with the girls there. 

 

 

 

With a few key changes made by Mattel and Takara, they had what they needed to boost sales in the Japanese market.  The new Takara Barbie was extremely popular.

 

Lower Portion of the Back of the Box

 

Takara Barbie stood 10 1/2 inches tall, which is just a bit shorter than the standard Barbie who stands at 11 1/2 inches tall.  The Takara Barbie had a "smaller, not so voluptuous" figure, with rounder eyes and a rounder face.  Her figure was more like that of Francie, Twiggy and Casey.  She was fashioned after Agnes Lam, who was a popular model and actress in Japan in the late 1970's.



Takara Barbie Kimono Collection 

The Takara Barbie was manufactured in several different styles between 1982 and 1985.  There was the beautiful “Excelina Barbie Doll”, who was dressed in more extravagant clothes.  She was considered a “High Quality Fashion doll" with a "High Grade Barbie Dress Collection" as her doll box states.  These dolls are harder to find and you are likely to pay a higher price for them. 


Excelina Collection

Other new releases in Japan included the “Kimono Collection”.  These dolls were dressed in traditional kimono attire.  The popular casually dressed dolls from the “Casual City Girl” collection, the Candy Pop Collection, and the “Fruit Kiss dolls” were very popular.  They were just so cute!   There was a sporty summertime collection which was named the “Sun Shower Barbie”.   There was the beautifully dressed “Crystal collection” and “Dream Party Collection”.  Little girls in Japan now had a wonderful selection of Barbie dolls to choose from.



Fruit Kiss Barbie

Her fashions that were sold separately also provided many choices.  She had simple outfits, school uniforms, everyday western style clothes, beautiful kimonos and cutting edge fashions.   Some of the collections were named: “Candy Pop”, “Fur Dress Collection”, “Excelina Collection”, and “Dress Collection”.  She even had Pak items, which were packaged individual items that were sold at a less expensive price.



The Fur Dress Collection

In her box she came with a clear plastic stand, a pamphlet showing other Takara dolls and fashions, and of course the blonde Takara  Barbie doll.

Portion of the Pamphlet showing Ken and Barbie

Takara Ranze

Ranze is the brunette version of the Takara Barbie.  She had long black straight hair with dark eyes.    She came dressed in a lace and satin style dress which was available in several different colors. 



Ranze was named after a popular character in the Japanese comic strip “Tokimeki Tonight”.  Takara even pictured the comic character on their Takara Ranze box.  She is a tremendously hard doll to find on the secondary market. 

Part of the 30 volume
Tokimeki Tonight Set



One book from  the Tokimeki
Tonight Comic Book Set

 

Also available during this time period was the Takara Ken doll.  He had the rounder face and eyes with rooted hair, just like Takara Barbie and Ranze.  He came dressed in several different fashions and had clothes that were sold separately for him as well.



The only Takara Barbie doll that was available in the U.S. was the Barbie convention doll.  She was given to the 250 people who attended the “Around the World Barbie Festival”, which was held in Romulus, Michigan in July 1985.

Convention Doll (1985)
Notice the silver convention sticker
  below her hand on the front of the box

By early 1986 Takara Company changed Barbie’s name to Jenny, since the Takara Company wasn't licensed with Mattel to use the Barbie name anymore.  Takara Ken’s name was changed to Jeff.  These dolls were still produced with the same high quality as the older version Barbie dolls.  Only the packaging was changed to reflect the new names.



Takara Jenny

Takara Jenny's Hair 

The early Takara Barbie, Ken, and Ranze dolls are highly sought after and can be very hard to find.  They are just another fun doll to add to your Barbie collection.
 

Happy Hunting!

Barbie of the Month: Dramatic Living Barbie Action Accents Set

 

 
 
This lovely but hard to find red-haired Dramatic Living Barbie doll was only available in the United States as a Sears Exclusive gift set.  She was also sold separately in Japan. 

This doll differs a bit from the Dramatic Living Barbie’s with the “Taiwan” marking that we are all used to seeing.  She has a little bit longer hair that’s a darker red color.  She has the same body, pretty face, and rooted eyelashes as the Taiwan doll, but what sets her apart is her “Japan” marking.

 

Notice the length of hair: (Left) Japan Marked doll, (Right) Taiwan Marked doll

 

These active dolls can pose in almost every way possible. Her original box says: “My elbows, knees and ankles bend, my head, hands and waist turn, my arms and legs swing up ‘n around!”   What a perfect doll to use for this action set.

Action Accents Dramatic Living Barbie

 

 

If little girls were looking for an excellent group of athletic clothes for Barbie, then the #1585 Action Accents was the one to buy!  This exclusive Sears gift set was only sold in the United States in 1970 and 1971.   The collection included the doll and sixteen sporty items for all her many adventurous activities. 

Front of the box

 

The doll came with a wrist tag, clear stand, and was dressed in her hot-pink leotard with matching tights for working out.  She even had a workout rope to use for resistance.  For skiing she wore her same tights and leotard, but added a vinyl pink and orange ski jacket.  There were a set of skis, poles and boots, too.  For snorkeling in the turquoise waters of the Caribbean she had her fins, mask, snorkel, and a one-piece orange and blue swimsuit. For ballet performances she wore her pink leotard and tights along with a pink tutu and ballet slippers.  When she went ice skating in Central Park she wore her tights and leotard again, but this time added her blue skirt with straps that was trimmed with pink faux fur along the bottom. A pink furry hat and matching blue ice skates completed her outfit.

The complete set

The Living Barbie that was sold strictly in Japan came in an open style box with cellophane covering the top.  It is the same box that the Japanese Living Eli doll came in.  They both were packaged wearing tights and leotard, but Eli’s were red.  The small little booklets that came in the box with both these dolls pictured the same clothes that were shown in the U.S. booklets for the Dramatic Living Barbie dolls.

Japanese Eli and Living Barbie Box

 





This wonderful gift set is very difficult to find mint in the box, and if you do, be prepared to pay a pretty penny for it.  It’s an amazing set for any collector!



1970 Sears Christmas Catalog Ad
 

Here is the advertisement in the 1970 Sears Christmas catalog.  The set sold for $9.99.  Even though she is shown with blonde hair, she never had it.  She only came in red.  I wonder what everyone's expression was when they ordered this doll for their little girls at Christmas!

Happy Hunting!

Japanese Side Part American Girl

Mattel started manufacturing Barbie in Japan in1959 through the Kokusai Boeki Kaisha Co.  But it wasn’t until 1961 when they released dolls and clothing in Japan.  The dolls did not sell well, so Mattel released exclusive Japanese versions of their dolls (Barbie, Midge, Skipper and Francie) as well as their clothing ensembles.  All of Barbie’s clothes were made in Japan and shipped to the United States, but there were some outfits that were made exclusive for Japan and never shipped out.  These items are very rare.

Pictured is the magnificence standard “pink skin” Japanese Side-Part American Girl.  She was made solely for the Japanese market in 1965 and sold only in Japan. She came standard on the “pink tone” Barbie/Midge straight-leg body (rather than the bendable leg body that the traditional American Girl Barbie dolls have).  But sometimes she can be found on the bend-leg body too.  Her hair is parted on the side with a turquoise ribbon headband.  These beauties came with blonde, ash blond or brunette hair color.  They came dressed in a turquoise and multi-striped swim suit, open toe heels and a wire stand.  Interestingly, sometimes she had painted finger nails and other times she didn’t! 

There were also Japanese “dressed dolls” available, that came in Japanese versions of Barbie’s ensembles, and these dolls (and boxes) are extremely rare.  These dolls are very hard to find and will command a huge price on the secondary market.

This standard girl sold today for $1901.00.

(Originally posted 07/13/2011)