Differences between Barbie collectors and AG collectors

[trvnbrn]

I just wanted to say that not all Barbie collectors, or AG collectors for that matter, can be put into one category. My former sil (brother's ex) collects Barbies. She is very full of life, loving, caring & even gave my dd a few Barbies that are collectible. She differs from some Barbie collectors because she takes her doll's out of the box & displays them. I would never in a million years call her snooty or demanding. [img]confused.gif[/img] I understand that your experience w/ Barbie collectors has left a certain impression, but I just wanted to let you know that they aren't all that way. While DD is not "into" Barbie, she loves the few she has & they are displayed out of the boxes in her room. I think part of it is that the Barbie collectibles are marketed to be left in the boxes, with lavish backdrops & detailed box designs.

Barbies are adults & so perhaps they are collected by people with a different personality than those who like AG, which are girls, or baby dolls (like Bitty). There are many who would collect everything they could for any one of those groups & never even think to collect for the other two.

I'm curious to see what other's think.

Bren [img]graemlins/rose.gif[/img]

[McMasters]

"They" have always said that Barbie is not good for children's body image. I always loved Barbie and never desired to have her body. I wanted the hair and cool outfits! As a little girl, I pictured Barbie to be 25 years old. I couldn't wait until I was 25 to see if I would be a beautiful and worldly as her. Needless to say, I wasn't! [img]tongue.gif[/img] But I also forgot about my image of her until I was 30!

I have tons of Barbies. All played with and loved, even the ones my dog got ahold of 20 years ago! I collect Barbie but not obsessively. I have always been under the impression that I needed to keep the boxes until someone here put it in perspective...I would never sell my dolls even if I needed a heart transplant so why keep the boxes?!?!

I do have a Silkstone Barbie that was a gift from my mother still in her box. Until I came to this site, I never was comfortable with my doll addiction. I feel much better now! [img]graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

I probably didn't add anything to your post, I just put in my [img]graemlins/money.gif[/img] ! I know many people don't like Barbie, that's okay with me! I think her newer stuff is aimed at much younger girls than when I was little!

[Samanthasmom]

My 18 year old dd collected barbie for years, since she was about 7 she never opened a Barbie box. This of course was her own choosing since I never intended for her to collect them. When she was growing up we bought more and more expensive Barbies. She has never really enjoyed them in my opinion, just dusted off the boxes..we had shelves built all around the upper half of her room. I think I can relate to what Julia is saying, My daughter would have a fit if someone touched a box. No one could touch the box , hold it and she sometimes didnt even want anyone to look at them!! The more valuable the dolls became the more serious she took to collecting them. They are still in thier boxes so I ask myself all the time what sort of fun is that, but to her she treasures them and can tell you for what occasion she got them or how long she saved for one.. so on occasion yes she was a bit nasty.

<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ August 03, 2006 01:15 PM: Message edited by: Samanthasmom ]</font>

[Dancing_Queen]

I agree that some Barbie collectors come off as snooty, but not all of them. I am sure that some AG collectors *GASP* can be snotty as well. It all depends on the personality of the collector. I consider myself a collector. I buy everything of Mollys except I open it all up! I was never big on Barbies as a kid. I got them as gifts and left them in their boxes. I sold them last year, it was what I had left 25 I think and got over 200.00 for them. It all went on AG stuff! lol

[wiccacat]

I collect Barbie and Dawn dolls too. I love all the mod stuff. But i don't really have any mint stuff and i don't mind taking my dolls out of the boxes and playing with them. I'm collecting because i love dolls, not because i plan to resell everything and make a lot of money. I don't really see any big difference in AG or Barbie collecting and i can't believe that liking Barbie more than Ag makes someone a snob or overly demanding.

[auri]

I collect Barbies with beautiful costumes. Not a single one of them is still in the box. I know that's extravagant but I have absolutely no desire to ever sell any of them, I just want them for fun.

I do think you're on to something about how Mattel differentiates between adult collectors of Barbie vs. AG. They really don't seem to get that there's an AG collector market they could make more money serving. Maybe if they were having financial problems with AG instead of Barbie, rather than the other way around, they'd be more focused on identifying new markets.

[MissMooMoo]

I think Barbie and AG are different companies. American Girl LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel, not Mattel. The two companies could have a totally different corporate culture.

I think the anti-collector thing is AG, not Mattel. Just me.

Lots of different people collect Barbie and AG. Some collect both. I've great memories with both toys as a child.

Some of the collector Barbie's are stunning. And did anyone ever see Angie's OOAK dolls? They are awesome.

We are all snooty and demanding sometimes. . .I won't even let a Battat item in my home, for example.

[Miss_Nellie_OMalley]

Well not only with AG being a subs. I think that Barbie has had a longer running history and by this point power has changed hands and to keep a product as long lived as Barbie afloat they will appeal to who ever has cash in hand.

When did they first "collector barbie" (that was actually marked as a collectable by the company) released? Anyone know?

I haven't a clue really what bee AG has in their bonnet over adult collectors... I thought the reason AG was even created was so that OLDER girls could be a target market and teach them to love and play with their dolls? What was I expected to do once I turned 18? Just dump all my stuff in the trash and click the little button under my arm that will termanate attachments, feelings, and emotions?

I do agree about Barbie Collectors... most serious collectors wouldn't blink an eye at mauling you for a barbie (figurativly speaking).

One of my best friends collects Barbies and she doesn't fall into that catagory... but then again she's a collector not really a SERIOUS collector. She buys what she likes... and if she misses an oppertunity she doesn't have a cow.

We all knew that Barbie had been thrown to the adults with the release of Lingure Barbie (actually released BY Mattel)

[kitandkat]

I find there's a lot of competition between Harry Potter collectors too, which is why I don't like HP message boards. A lot of them will spend hours fighting over which relationship will happen in the books, or who had news first, or who has the "first edition" of the books. Personally I don't care, and I like this message board because it doesn't matter if you have one doll or twenty, you're still welcome. On the HP boards they will get really mad if you don't own all the books, etc (I do of course, American and British editions, plus Italian and German #3's... but that's not hte point).

[lj01]

I don't have too much to say on the Barbie subject, but I know that Mattel knows we (The adult AG collectors) exist. You would think they would know their profits would increase if they catered to us just a little bit. I doubt they would start an adult collector club now, since the children's just failed.
We know that those very beautifully made, very expensive OOAK outfits on ebay are geared toward the adult collector. (We buy them for our adult owned dolls that are not taken to the playground or smeared with PB&J) Mattel must be aware of how well things like these sell. It just makes you wonder what they are thinking, ignoring an entire segment of consumers. [img]graemlins/wonder.gif[/img]