The upcoming movie, premiering on July 21st in the UK, is exciting for fans and collectors alike, with nostalgia proving popular for the auction price of Barbie dolls.
Carrington Dean looked at eBay purchasing trends to find out just how much Barbie and Ken dolls, both vintage and more recent, were being auctioned for over the last six months, to reveal which memorabilia holds the most value.
The research comes as Barbie doll sales reached over 1 billion worldwide this March, since its debut in 1959.
Anyone who owns any of the Barbie dolls from the list below could be sitting on a hidden gem and potentially in for a financial windfall.
Check if you qualify to write off up to 70% of your unsecured debt
The highest-value Barbie dolls
| Rank | Type of Doll | Production date | Recent Sold Price |
| 1 | Gallery Opening Barbie Doll | 2010 | £7,784.11 |
| 2 | Life Ball Barbie | 1999 | £3,152.17 |
| 3 | City Smart Barbie fashion model collection | 2003 | £1,966.19 |
| 4 | Brunette ponytail Barbie | 1959 | £1,808.58 |
| 5 | Cher Bob Mackie Barbie | 2007 | £1,572.17 |
| 6 | Violette Barbie Doll | 2005 | £1,457.90 |
| 7 | Tokidoki Barbie Doll | 2015 | £1,418.50 |
| 8 | Groovy in London Barbie for GAW Fund | 2015 | £1,418.46 |
| 9 | Poupee Barbie | 2008 | £1,414.67 |
| 10 | Blonde Barbie Ponytail doll | 1960 | £1,260.88 |
| 11 | Color Magic Barbie Doll Red Hair | 1960-1969 | £1,241.18 |
| 12 | Magia at Christmas Barbie | 2022 | £1,182.08 |
| 13 | SuperStar Barbie | 1977 | £1,134.79 |
| 14 | The Soiree Barbie | 2007 | £1,040.18 |
| 15 | Maria Antoinette Barbie Doll | 2003 | £1,024.47 |
| 16 | Diva of the Nile Barbie | N/A | £992.95 |
| 17 | Dahlia Barbie | 2006 | £964.53 |
| 18 | Ponytail Barbie Doll Titian Reroot | 1950-1959 | £945.66 |
| 19 | Brunette Barbie Ponytail Doll | 1960-1969 | £945.65 |
| 20 | Sweet Roses Barbie | N/A | £898.38 |
What are the most valuable Barbie dolls?
Giving the main character energy, Barbie’s super star persona is reflected in her dolls being the most expensive of any other character in the franchise at auction.
Barbie’s boyfriend lives forever in her shadow, with the most expensive Ken doll to be sold in the last six months fetching a mere £282.72 – he’s just Ken, after all.
The Gallery Opening Barbie doll took top spot as the most valuable of all, with its £7,800 cash in more than enough to let you ‘live your dream’.
The Life Ball Barbie (1999) and City Smart Barbie (2003) make up the top three most valuable dolls, recently selling for £3,150 and £2,000 respectively.
There from the beginning, the iconic vintage Ponytail Barbie doll started it all with her debut in 1959, strutting her way to 4th most valuable on the list after recently selling for over £1,800.
Unsurprisingly, owners of vintage Barbie memorabilia could be sitting on a small fortune, as rare finds like these will forever be golddust to collectors. Those who own the Color Magic Barbie, another vintage classic produced in 1960, could be sitting on a whopping £1,260.
You don’t have to be an oldie to own a goldie though, with Y2K era onwards Barbie dolls like the Gallery Opening Doll, City Smart Barbie, Cher Barbie and Violette Barbie topping the table of the most valuable collectors items, averaging at £3,195.
The highest-value Ken dolls
| Rank | Type of Doll | Production date | Recent Sold Price |
| 1 | Brunette Bendable Leg Ken Doll | 1965 | £282.75 |
| 2 | Moschino Ken | 2016 | £197.01 |
| 3 | Talking Busy Ken | 1972 | £189.13 |
| 4 | King of the Ocean Ken Doll | 2021 | £189.12 |
| 5 | Pop Life Ken | 2009 | £180.46 |
| 6 | Coca Cola Ken | 1999 | £160.72 |
| 7 | Brunette Ken with Bendable legs | 1964 | £151.26 |
| 8 | Gianfranco Ken Doll | 2013 | £148.94 |
| 9 | Earring Magic Ken Doll | 1992 | £145.27 |
| 10 | GAW A Knight to Remember Ken | 2022 | £141.85 |
| 11 | Barbie’s Boyfriend Ken | 1960 | £141.85 |
| 12 | Pats Pend Body Ken | 1960 | £141.85 |
| 13 | Sunsational Malibu Ken | 1981 | £141.84 |
| 14 | The Sun Set Malibu Ken | 1970 | £141.84 |
| 15 | Brownette Flocked Ken Doll | 1960 | £140.90 |
| 16 | Tailored Tuxedo Ken doll | 2013 | £138.06 |
| 17 | Busy Ken with Holdin’ Hands | 1971 | £137.91 |
| 18 | Exercise Ken | N/A | £134.75 |
| 19 | Japan Ken | 2010 | £131.45 |
| 20 | King of The Crystal Cave Ken | 2017 | £129.45 |
While still worth a good sum of money, our research found that even the rare vintage Ken dolls, like the Brunette Bendable Leg Ken Doll, Barbie’s Boyfriend Ken, Pats Pend and Brownette Flocked Ken Doll, hold significantly less value than any Barbie doll from any era in the top 20 most valuable list.
Cashing in on old Barbie dolls
If you’re fortunate enough to have a sought after Barbie doll gathering dust, it could be worth getting it valued.
Check similar items recently sold online for an idea of how much you could be sitting on, or you could find a specialist near you for advice.
Finding other ways to secure extra finance to help ease the tensions brought by the cost-of-living crisis could be hugely beneficial for tackling any debts that may be looming in the background.
However, these should not be an alternative to seeking out professional tailored advice from debt insolvency agencies.
We know that tackling debt can be daunting, especially if you feel like you’re unsure where to start to clear your debts. A Trust Deed or Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS) could help you to pay off your debts with a monthly repayment plan that suits your financial circumstances.
Methodology
Carrington Dean looked at Ebay purchase data for ‘Barbie dolls’ and ‘Ken dolls’ over the 6 months.
Using this method, a dataset was compiled with the top 20 most expensive dolls to uncover the most valuable types of Barbie and Ken dolls.
Data correct as of July 2023.
