Jul 22 (Reuters) – Matthew Keith bought his first Barbie dolls in the 1970s with his allowance, hiding them from his parents for fear they’d say the toys weren’t manly enough.
Today, 22 feet of bookshelves in his Los Angeles home are filled with his Barbie collection, worth about $20,000. The high school teacher’s Instagram account, “DollsOnTheBrain,” has more than 70,000 followers — of which he’s picked up about 15,000 in recent weeks.
What used to be a secretive hobby has become much more popular lately, fueled by the advertising campaign and public anticipation surrounding the ‘Barbie’ movie release this weekend. Vintage Barbie dolls have become a treasured find in thrift stores, prices in the collectibles market have skyrocketed, and antique appraisers are inundated with calls from new collectors.
Keith, 55, welcomes the enthusiasm.
“I’m both happy and hopeful that this will accelerate the adoption of Barbie for everyone,” he said in an interview, adding that there are still many little boys who feel pressured not to play with the dolls.
The “Barbie” film, which premiered Friday, is expected to gross $100 million in US theaters in its opening weekend. Retailers around the world are also hoping to benefit from the hype with Barbie-themed offerings, from hotel suites to toothbrushes and clothing.
Not all longtime collectors of the iconic doll are as thrilled as Keith by the recent interest in collecting Barbies. On a Reddit forum dedicated to the past, some complained that they were being discounted by wealthy new buyers, due to a surge in interest leading up to the film.
“I’ve largely stopped collecting dolls myself and instead invest in clothes and accessories,” one user wrote. “What started as an affordable hobby has become too expensive to maintain.”
Florida-based veteran Barbie doll retailer Marl Davidson said prices have risen about 25% in recent months. Her site, MarlBe.com, has been receiving about 3,000 hits daily, three times the normal rate, many of them coming from people starting collections.
“I’ve never seen such interest. It really brings a lot of new adults into the Barbie collecting world,” Davidson said.
Collector dolls are usually around $100, while non-collector dolls usually range from $10-$30. The so-called “Holy Grail” Barbie, the first model produced in 1959, sells for thousands of dollars.
Dr. Lori Verderamean art historian and TV personality with 25 years of experience as an antiques appraiser, said the Barbie doll owners who usually seek her expertise are seasoned collectors who estimate the insurance value of their treasure.
But the film has driven about a 60% increase in demand for Barbie appraisals in the past month, beating out other brands of dolls that tend to be more popular, according to Verderame.
“Barbie appraisals don’t normally come as they come,” she said. “I’ve seen some very rare and beautiful dolls for appraisals that we might not have seen if it weren’t for the movie.”
Many of these are from people with little or no doll collecting experience, such as a person who bought a Barbie at a thrift store that turned out to be worth more than $10,000. Another found a doll that had been in her mother’s house for years and turned out to be worth $8,500.
Verderame said there are “lots of valuable Barbies to be found during the thrift store treasure hunt,” but added that the current spike in seller interest is likely to last for only about another two weeks.
Keith, the Los Angeles collector, has never paid more than $230 for a Barbie doll, but he said many of the dolls in his collection have increased in value since he bought them.
“I feel like Barbie has boosted my personal finances, even though I’ve put a lot of money into her since 1991,” he said.
Reporting by Julia Harte and Rachel Nostrant; edited by Paul Thomasch and Aurora Ellis
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