Were you a ‘90s kid? Then you’ll probably remember some of these iconic Barbie dolls from the decade.
- Bead Blast Barbie
Released in 1997, the Bead Blast line featured a new hair gimmick: colorful beads that could be threaded onto Barbie’s hair with the use of a special tool. Bead Blast Barbie was available in four variations: blonde, redhead, brunette, and African American. Each doll wore a colorful striped minidress and had long, straight hair with bangs. The dolls in this series were some of the first playline dolls to use the Mackie head mold. A special variant doll is an African American Bead Blast doll with the Christie head mold instead of the Nichelle mold used for most African American dolls.
- Ocean Friends Barbie and Baby Keiko the Whale
Riding on the success of the “Free Willy” franchise was the Ocean Friends line, which featured Barbie, Kira, Ken, and their accompanying animal friends. The line was released in 1996. Barbie came with an orca whale named Keiko who could “jump” out of the water after being held under and let go. Her wetsuit disappears and reappears in the water. Popular with kids at the time, Ocean Friends Barbie is plentiful on the secondary market.
- Kelly
Kelly was introduced as Barbie’s “baby sister” in 1995. A popular addition to the family, Kelly was a part of the Barbie line until 2010. Kelly started as the “baby” character of the Barbie line, with playsets focused around feeding, bathing, and bedtime, but soon grew into the “toddler” stage. Kelly also had an abundance of friends throughout the late ‘90s and early to mid-2000s. She also made appearances in many of the early Barbie movies, which were frequently framed as stories being told to Kelly by Barbie. In Europe and Canada, Kelly was known as Shelly.
- Hula Hair Barbie
With her long, sunset-colored hair, Hula Hair Barbie was a hit with kids. Shades of yellow, orange and hot pink made up most of her hair, and she wore a tropical-themed orange-and-gold swimsuit with a long grass skirt. This doll had an articulated body with flat feet, allowing her to hold hula poses. Barbie was available in Caucasian and African American versions, and Teresa was also a part of the line.
- 1995 Teacher Barbie
Teaching has been a popular career for Barbie, starting with the release of 1965’s Student Teacher outfit. The 1995 Teacher Barbie sold out so fast, that rumors began circling that a recall was responsible for the shortage. The reason for the supposed recall? The first issue of dolls used an embossed texture on the plastic to simulate underwear, but because the plastic was the same color as the rest of Barbie’s skin and Barbie’s skirt was short and flared, some people said it appeared the doll was not wearing underwear. Halfway through production, Mattel added fabric panties to the doll. Holiday demand for the doll was so high, though, that both versions sold out before Christmas, prompting the recall rumors.