She’s stunning, stacked, statuesque… And 59 years young. No hip replacement for her (thanks to those growth hormones), but she has green ear on the right earlobe because her first owner didn’t remove the original pearl earring. I’m thankful to several eBayers who wrote me about my doll on 6/25/2019. One person asked whether this vintage Ponytail is a #3, asking if she’s pale. I indicated in the “Condition” section that this doll is not pale or alabaster. She has not faded, in other words. Not all #3 Ponytail Barbies fade, but most of them do. Does that make my vintage Ponytail Barbie a #3/#4 transitional? Now I’m not sure at all. What she’s not is a #4 from head to toe. I own, and have owned, plenty of #4 Ponytail Barbies. This doll feels heavier than the heaviest #4 that I’ve ever owned. My 1960 Ponytail doesn’t have the faded beauty of the majority of the #3 Ponytails. Her sun-kissed blonde tresses, her all-original makeup, and her 100% red nail paint from hands to feet either could make her a rare #3 Ponytail or a transitional #3/#4 Ponytail. Back in 1959, Mattel Inc. /Mattel International was manufacturing a doll, a plaything — a voluptuous one, yes. Creator Ruth Handler was inspired by Germany’s Bild Lilli, and the toy world — and associated marketing campaigns — changed forever. The first Barbie dolls weren’t called #1’s, #2’s, #3’s, #4’s, etc. Back then; they were playthings onto which girls projected their fantasies of adult beauty, career… In other words: life. It’s not hard to find the pale or alabaster-complexioned vintage Ponytails with their orange-brown eyeshadow. However, it’s difficult to figure out, from photo upon photo, which pink-toned or light-tan-complexioned Ponytail is actually a #3. Making things trickier is that there are quite a few transitional Barbie dolls out there. So, again, I ask the early-vintage-Barbie experts out there: Do you believe my vintage Ponytail Barbie doll to be a #3, or a transitional #3/#4? Her poodle bangs had been butchered in her past, her top knot had been retied, she had light surface scratches, but had no green ear. She no longer had her original shoes, stand and box… Soon after I did so, an experienced collector — and expert — of early vintage Barbies won that doll. When I selected this doll, I didn’t know from her pictures whether she was a #4, or a transitional #3/#4 with the face (head) of a #3 Ponytail and the limbs of a #4 Ponytail. She had some heft, I recall musing. I remember having to steady her on the doll stand because she was so heavy all over that she seemed to overtake the stand. And that was only with her OSS and OT shoes! Speaking of her zebra swimsuit and black mules, they’re her originals, as are the cat-eyed shades with blue lenses and white frames. Shameful that her first owner didn’t keep her box and stand with her. Authenticity: Her right buttock is clearly marked. We know left-buttock marking is just a manufacturing number, but I like to state it: Hers is lucky 13. “JAPAN” is stamped vertically on the sole of her right foot, as it should be. About her feet: Please reread the “Condition” section. Tiny chip on left of right foot — hard to see unless you look up close at an angle or at the sole. The chip was found by an eBayer — again, thank you! Looking up-close at my doll’s right sole, I see a shallow groove starting from that tiny chip and ending where her arch begins. The groove measures 5mm wide (horizontally) by 8mm long (lengthwise). My doll also has a left-foot flaw on the sole (I don’t know if it’s factory-derived), which is a diagonal mark that resembles a lightning symbol. It’s not a crack or a hole. Again, this is not a minty doll. She’s still gorgeous, and, yes, she was loved. She was loved long ago, loved by a kind soul who found her (or after the original owner or her/his heirs decided to sell her), and loved by me. Exploring north: This early vintage Ponytail Barbie doll is blessed with a full bosom, defined cleavage that makes me blush, and a defined ribcage. ALSO IMPORTANT TO MENTION. She has age-related light scratches here and there, a red spot on the underside of her right arm, and light soiling on most of her body. As for the arms, they got really dirty from not being covered over the decades. I don’t scrub vintage Barbies; I gently pat them down with a lightly dampened cloth. This doll has no odors. She does have the aroma of crayons that may evoke that large flip-top box of Crayola. This gal has no pinholes (her ears were pierced by Mattel in 1960), no bites, no tears and no gouges. She has fabulous A/O face paint — no retouches — with noticeable fading to the outermost left brow and negligible fade area near the left corner of her upper lip. Most negligible fading to “mascara” on both eyelids. Factory flaw of “mascara” appearing in lower right corner of left eye. Remarkably her nostril dots are perfectly tiny and red after five decades! Kindly note that none of the clothes and shoes are minty. However, some are in excellent vintage condition, such as: the pantyhose, the 900-series slip and panties (beautifully elastic; their fabric, fresh); her Cotton Casual (#912) sundress; the orange Pak skirt; and the two pairs of OT shoes (her original black mules and a pair of HTF vintage-Barbie clear mules with gold glitter). Truly TLC are the following vintage-Barbie items. 1 White Magic Satin (#1607) coat, which has a few light age stains and, while the two “rhinestones” survived at front, the elastic piece to loop from one stone to the other is missing. There are stray threads, and the coat needs a gentle iron. Remarkably this HTF coat has managed to retain its brilliant white color — except for the few stains. What’s fabulous is the b&w Barbie tag! Winter Wedding gown — too stiff, faded, totally missing the faux fur trim around the neckline. I added a contemporarily made fabric bouquet to remind myself that the gown is intended for a bride, not a corpse. 3 900-series yellow raincoat — stiff and stained. Also may require laundering in general. Non-vintage-Barbie items included in the sale (and pictured). Two clone clutch purses (silver, gold — the latter has a split and can’t close). Clear “Cinderella glass slippers” complete with silver sparkle. Adjustable two-piece doll stand in black, imprinted on the base’s underside: “KAISER CHICAGO”. Jewelry set of safe earrings and safe drop “pearl” necklace. MIB & MIP corsage by Tonner (magnificent and era-appropriate). Beautifully designed, whimsical chapeau by Yoly. Now that I’ve allowed Ms. Ponytail to take down her hair for the photo shoot, I will not be refashioning it into the updo. She came to me with her tresses flowing, as you see in the photos. The items I’d used to fashion the updo were: baby blue gift ribbon, artificial plastic flowers and straight pins (inserted only through rolls of hair, not into the doll’s head). Here’s a gorgeous original, early-vintage Ponytail Barbie (is she a rare #3 or a transitional #3/#4) that’s ready for display in your private doll collection. She surely has adorned mine. I will miss her. I hope that you’ve found a doll long desired. The item “Vintage PONYTAIL Barbie BLONDE Japan A Rare #3 Doll+Stand+Clothes+OT Shoes” is in sale since Monday, June 24, 2019. This item is in the category “Dolls & Bears\Dolls\Barbie Vintage (Pre-1973)\Vintage (Pre-1967)”. The seller is “agent99lives” and is located in Jersey City, New Jersey. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Dominican republic, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, El salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Bolivia, Cayman islands, Luxembourg, Uruguay.
- Character: Ponytail Barbie #3
- Modified Item: No
- Country/Region of Manufacture: Japan
- Custom Bundle: No
- Original/Reproduction: Original
- Doll Size: 11 1/2 in
- Era/Year: Early 1960
- Features: Anatomically Correct
- Collection: Ponytail Barbie
- Ethnicity: Caucasian
- Packaging: Without Packaging
- Brand: Mattel
- Product Type: Doll with Stand, Clothing and Accessories
